Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- aggressive
- patriotic
- action movie night
- weekend blockbuster viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film derivative and implausible but credited Antoine Fuqua's tense direction, Gerard Butler's committed performance, and several gripping action sequences.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mike Banning is trapped inside the occupied White House and must use his Secret Service knowledge to fight through the attackers.
The terrorist capture of the White House turns a recognizable symbol of American power into the film's primary site of crisis.
National security officials rely on former agent Mike Banning's inside knowledge to retake the building and save the president.
Banning's solitary combat mission and the film's patriotic response to the terrorist attack make physical heroism its dominant emotional register.
Films like Olympus Has Fallen, and why
Die Hard
shares the siege thriller structure, lone operative protagonist, terrorist hostage crisis, and high-intensity action
Air Force One
shares the political thriller framework, presidential peril, patriotic tone, and covert security operations
White House Down
shares the White House setting, terrorist assault, government crisis, and muscular action filmmaking
Executive Decision
shares the terrorist attack premise, national-security stakes, and tense counterterrorism thriller conventions
Movie Details
- Director
- Antoine Fuqua
- Release Date
- 2013-03-20
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (7227)
Cast
- Gerard Butler
- Aaron Eckhart
- Finley Jacobsen
- Dylan McDermott
- Rick Yune
- Morgan Freeman
- Cole Hauser
- Radha Mitchell
- Angela Bassett
- Melissa Leo
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Olympus Has Fallen about?
- A disgraced Secret Service veteran wages a one-man counterattack through an occupied White House to rescue the president and stop a terrorist catastrophe.
- What is Olympus Has Fallen like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Olympus Has Fallen as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Olympus Has Fallen violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Olympus Has Fallen as brutal.
- What did critics think of Olympus Has Fallen?
- Critics broadly found the film derivative and implausible but credited Antoine Fuqua's tense direction, Gerard Butler's committed performance, and several gripping action sequences.
- Which films are like Olympus Has Fallen?
- Films with a similar feel include Die Hard, Air Force One, White House Down, and Executive Decision.
- How long is Olympus Has Fallen?
- Olympus Has Fallen runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch Olympus Has Fallen?
- In United States, Olympus Has Fallen streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
