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White House Down

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White House Down

PG-13

Released Jun 28, 2013

2h 11m

Action

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Popcornmeter

52%

Tomatometer

200 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Capitol police officer John Cale has just been denied his dream job of protecting President James Sawyer as a member of the Secret Service. Not wanting to disappoint his young daughter with the bad news, Cale takes her on a tour of the White House. While he and his daughter are there, a heavily armed paramilitary group attacks and seizes control. As the nation's government dissolves in chaos, only Cale can save his daughter, the president and the country.

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Critics Consensus

White House Down benefits from the leads' chemistry, but director Roland Emmerich smothers the film with narrative clichés and choppily edited action.

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Shubhra Gupta

The Indian Express

There is a certain comfort you can derive from these predictable mega-budget monsters. Trouble is, it goes on too long. It has several climactic moments, but every time you ready for the exit, the film bounces back again for the next round.

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 19, 2019

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

At least has the good grace to laugh at itself as it rolls out the dingbat-daft action-movie cliches.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 15, 2013

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

It is appallingly funny in a way that few parodies ever manage. But it is undeniably exciting.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 15, 2013

Full Review

Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

As an action film, White House Down does its job: it entertains and offers some very well-filmed scenes. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 6/10

Sep 11, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Never does White House Down surprise us or go in a direction we didn’t see coming. It’s all been manufactured to proven specifications and refuses to deviate from customary action movie schematics.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 2, 2022

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Emmerich’s action is repetitive, hackneyed, and not the least bit exciting.

Rated: 1.5/5

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

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Juju S

J'ai beaucoup aimé ce film d'action ! Le dénouement amène un petit twist inatendu.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/17/25

Full Review

Stryker W

I love this movie. Feels very long, but had tons of action and i never got bored during it

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/08/25

Full Review

Daniel C. M

Great action like you would expect and cool leads but there's really not much else here.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/10/25

Full Review

P S

We've seen too many movies like this. This one feels like it copied from other white house seige movies. The scripting unoriginal, almost lazy. The narrative predictable. I only finished the movie because it was action-packed, but was not entirely hooked. I could go for a moment to the kitchen or bathroom and not miss anything in the movie.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/22/25

Full Review

Laurian D

Far fetched? Absolutely. Cliché filled? Sort of. But, boy, was I entertained! Charming leads, explosive action, satisfying conclusion. Underrated blockbuster.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/25

Full Review

Tony W

Far fetched rubbish.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/15/25

Full Review

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Roland Emmerich

Director

Channing Tatum

Cale

Jamie Foxx

President Sawyer

Maggie Gyllenhaal

Finnerty

Jason Clarke

Stenz

Richard Jenkins

Raphelson

White House Down: Official Clip - Consider This My Resignation

3:04

White House Down: Official Clip - Ground Force One

2:17

White House Down: Official Clip - Air Force One Destroyed

1:39

White House Down: Official Clip - Presidential Rocket Launcher

0:56

White House Down: Official Clip - No Jail for You

2:27

White House Down: Official Clip - Mr. President Pulls the Trigger

2:12

White House Down: Official Clip - You're Not Going to Shoot the President

1:07

White House Down: Official Clip - Hand-to-Hand Combat

1:37

White House Down: Official Clip - Helicopter Hunting

3:25

White House Down: Official Clip - Millions of People Are Gonna Die

2:46

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Synopsis

Capitol police officer John Cale has just been denied his dream job of protecting President James Sawyer as a member of the Secret Service. Not wanting to disappoint his young daughter with the bad news, Cale takes her on a tour of the White House. While he and his daughter are there, a heavily armed paramilitary group attacks and seizes control. As the nation's government dissolves in chaos, only Cale can save his daughter, the president and the country.

Director: Roland Emmerich
Producer: Bradley J. Fischer, Harald Kloser, James Vanderbilt, Larry J. Franco, Laeta Kalogridis
Screenwriter: James Vanderbilt
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Production Co: Centropolis Entertainment, Mythology Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Gunfire and Explosions|A Brief Sexual Image|Seq of Intense Action Violence|Some Language)
Genre: Action, Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 2013, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 22, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $73.1M
Runtime: 2h 11m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, Datasat

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