White House Down 
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Richard Jenkins, Jason Clarke, James Woods, Jimmi Simpson, Lance Reddick
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 131 mins
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Thriller
Opens June 28th
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film Fans! Opening this week is the action / thriller “White House Down” starring Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx and James Woods. You may remember another film earlier this year, “Olympus Has Fallen” that was also about terrorist taking over the White House, but how does it stack up to Director Roland Emmerich’s (Independence Day, 2012, Godzilla)?
Capitol Policeman John Cale (Channing Tatum) has some problems. He’s not known for this follow through on anything, always giving up when it gets difficult. His pre-teen daughter Emily (Joey King) pretends that she hates him for never being around, which Cale is trying to rectify by scoring tickets to her idol’s home, The White House. This visit to Pennsylvania Ave. home serves a dual purpose, Cale has a job interview for a Secret Service position and to get Emily’s good graces because he missed her talent show the week before.
As with anything in Cale’s life, everything has to be difficult. His interviewer for the position is an old girlfriend from college, Agent Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who knows more about him than his file reveals. After getting the brush off from Finnerty, Cale takes Emily on a tour of the White House, defeated, but determined to find another way into the program. Cale gets his chance when terrorists take over the White House lead by one of their own men, ex-Special Forces soldier Stenzt (Jason Clarke). Pulling the strings to make this all possible is retiring Secret Service Director Walker (James Woods). It’s now up to Cale to get his daughter out of this situation and protect the leader of the free world President Sawyer (Jamie Foxx) since his own men have turned on him. Will Cale be able to pull this off or will he fail just like everything else in his life?
If you have viewed the trailer for this film you pretty much have the gist of the film from the 2 minute preview. If you had previously seen "Olympus Has Fallen" earlier this year, you may be wondering how does it compare to the aforementioned film? Out of the two, “Olympus” is far better for a variety of reasons.1.) It is difficult to consider Jamie Foxx seriously in the role of Leader of the Free World. Much of his character was modeled after the current president, his family and various vices likes and dislikes. 2.) Channing Tatum doesn't need to be in every action film or comedy as a soldier or law enforcer role that has a Peter Pan complex. 3.) Maggie Gyllenhaal is not a strong enough actress to pull off a powerful role as a Secret Service agent. Her voice is too mothering and sweet, giving the impression of a weak leader. 4.) Many of the scenes were outlandish and so ridiculous that it was borderline comedic instead of action driven. If you're going to make a film about the POTUS that is an action driven plot, try not to make it look as if we have a bunch of fools running that branch of the government (insert your own opinions on that subject here). The office of the Executive Branch deserves respect regardless of the genre of film, own political beliefs or current headlines. I don't think that Roland Emmerich did this film justice and is better off doing films about space invaders than political leaders. You be the judge when "White House Down" opens in theaters nationwide starting Friday June 28, 2013.
