If only all those other stupid countries could be as awesome as America. After the British prime minister dies suddenly and mysteriously, world leaders summoned to London for the funeral—allegedly “the most protected event on Earth”—come under terrorist attack. The only survivor among them is U.S. president Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart), thanks to absolutely badass Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), even though Banning concedes that he is made of nothing more than “bourbon and poor choices.” (One wonders what all those failed non-American security people could possibly be made of: cotton candy?) It is laughably beyond preposterous, all the security lapses in every single British service, from the NHS ambulance corps right up to MI6, that is required for the army of swarthy brown men to pull off stupendously coordinated multiple attacks across a geographically sprawling world city—though the astonishing aptitude of the attackers is meant to leave a fear-mongered audience pissing its pants. Even more vile than its outrageously propagandistic progenitor,
Olympus Has Fallen, this is pure terror porn: racist, jingoistic and thoroughly obnoxious. Trump voters will love it.
By
MaryAnn Johanson