Olympus Has Fallen

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Olympus Has Fallen

R

Released Mar 22, 2013

2h 0m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

50%

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199 Reviews

66%

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100,000+ Ratings

The unthinkable happens when heavily armed and highly trained terrorists launch a bold daytime attack on the White House. The building is overrun, and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his staff are taken hostage. Luckily for Asher, former presidential security officer Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is on the scene. With time running out, it's up to Banning to locate Asher's son before the extremists do and rescue the president before his captors unleash their ultimate plan.

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Critics Consensus

It's far from original, but Olympus Has Fallen benefits from Antoine Fuqua's tense direction and a strong performance from Gerard Butler -- which might just be enough for action junkies.

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Noah Berlatsky

The Atlantic

One of the most depressing and despicable films I have ever seen.

Aug 28, 2019

Full Review

Wesley Morris

Grantland

Olympus Has Fallen is made from action-movie mix. Just add sweat.

Jan 3, 2014

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Antoine Fuqua is a dependable action director whose talents will never be maximised while the 1980s continue to be over.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 19, 2013

Full Review

JD Duran

InSession Film

The love story is pointless to the whole film and doesn’t add any value. If anything, it just gets in the way of the story.

Rated: C

Aug 23, 2024

Full Review

Ian Kane

Epoch Times

“Olympus Has Fallen” is a phenomenal actioner with very timely implications and a frightening “what if” premise.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 29, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Corny and overwrought.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 12, 2022

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Ryan H

Gerard Butler returned to the action genre after a few years of rom-coms. It may be a “Die Hard” knock-off, but it’s a “Die Hard” knock-off done right. A great lead performance with brutal action. Action fans shouldn’t miss this one!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

Full Review

tim s

This is Gerard Butler's best star turn within the past decade plus! It's essentially a retread of Die Hard, but set in the White House, though don't let that deter you from the action. Butler's no-nonsense performance is relentless as his one-man army plows through swathes of terrorists in exciting fashion. The film may be light on story, but it delivers on entertainment.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/23/25

Full Review

Stephen S

It has good acting and an interesting premise, but the premise eventually runs thin and runs out of steam. The action and suspense will have you on the edge of your seat which will work for some, but others also may be turned off to the film due to the over-the-top intense violence as it all may become just too much.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/04/25

Full Review

Cky B

I understand why people didn't like this movie, but I thought it was good. I liked the acting and the take over of the white house so to me,, it wasn't as bad as some are saying.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/01/25

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Audience Member

A truly rotten movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

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Elijah M

Crazy opening and the takeover scene was memorable for its Grimm detail and execution better than White House down.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/25

Full Review

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Antoine Fuqua

Director

Gerard Butler

Agent Mike Banning

Aaron Eckhart

President Benjamin Asher

Morgan Freeman

Speaker Trumbull

Angela Bassett

Secret Service Director Lynn Jacobs

Melissa Leo

Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan

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Synopsis

The unthinkable happens when heavily armed and highly trained terrorists launch a bold daytime attack on the White House. The building is overrun, and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his staff are taken hostage. Luckily for Asher, former presidential security officer Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is on the scene. With time running out, it's up to Banning to locate Asher's son before the extremists do and rescue the president before his captors unleash their ultimate plan.

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Producer: Alan Siegel, Ed Cathell III, Danny Lerner
Screenwriter: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt
Distributor: FilmDistrict
Production Co: Nu Image, Millennium Films
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Language Throughout)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 22, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 7, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $98.9M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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