"London Has Fallen" tells a great counterterrorist, rescue-the-president story in the ilk of "24." Even though it is an entertaining action film, it is often overshadowed by excessive language (dozens of f-words) and extreme violence. I actually found the squishing of knives being thrust into the abdomens of bad guys to be significantly less offensive than the onslaught of profanity that detracted from the scenes instead of enhancing them. The film works independently of "Olympus Has Fallen," requiring very little prerequisite information or connection to the characters of the first film. The writers actually learned a lesson from Olympus’ oversaturated plot. They take an interesting concept and allow it to drive the momentum of the film instead of creating cumbersome subplots that are barely related. The story isn’t going to blow anybody’s mind but it certainly rises above the expectation for your typically summer blockbuster action film. The thing that draws attention to this film is the stunning shots of London’s destruction. Even if you have never been to London, landmarks like Big Ben and Parliament are recognizable that everyone can appreciate the shock value of seeing them destroyed. My favorite part of the film is the tremendous tracking shot through a gunfight in the streets of London that had to have lasted at least two minutes. But even when you have the intensity of Gerard Butler and the awesomeness of Morgan Freeman, and endless barrage of profanity will leave you feeling like the film was dirtier than necessary. I would love to see an edit of this film. The story is interesting and the acting sequences are filmed well, but the crew couldn’t trust their product to please and audience so they resorted to extra gore and vulgar dialogue. I enjoyed “London Has Fallen” but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the writers had just trusted their story to be good on its own.
[Pictured: The film is pretty good until the profanity hits its stride]
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