Angel Has Fallen *** (2019, Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Piper Perabo, Jada Pinkett Smith, Danny Huston, Nick Nolte, Lance Reddick, Tim Blake Nelson) – Movie Review

Who’d have thought Olympus Has Fallen (2013) would turn into a trilogy? The third ‘… Has Fallen’ action thriller movie, Angel Has Fallen (2019), is surprisingly good, much better than expected, mixing well-staged violent action with some comedic downhome personal drama. It’s an odd mix, yes, but it works.

Gerard Butler returns as the US President’s guardian angel, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning, who saves President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman, promoted from Vice-President in its predecessor) after an attack, but has to go on the run for his life when he’s framed for Trumbull’s attempted assassination, and tries to uncover the real bad guy(s). They are not hard to spot, and early on, by the way, but never mind.

There’s a surprisingly classy and effective cast in support – Piper Perabo as Leah Banning, Jada Pinkett Smith as Agent Thompson, Danny Huston, Nick Nolte, Lance Reddick as Secret Service boss Gentry, Tim Blake Nelson as oily Vice President Kirby. Huston and Nolte are outstanding, with Huston a great bad guy, with lots to do, and Nolte a good old dad, really very laid back and amusing. Freeman’s character stays in a coma for the middle chunk of the movie, but returns to enliven the finale.

There are three absolutely brilliant action set pieces, well sustained, imaginative and convincing. Happily, the CGI is loads better than it was in London Has Fallen (2013). The movie’s scale is better, not toppling an entire city this time is a good idea.

It’s done on an epic scale of two hours again (unlike its predecessor’s 99 minutes), and, after a slightly sluggish start, gets going and keeps going non stop.It does not try to be non stop action, like John Wick, just non stop entertaining. It even pulls of the difficult trick of being entertaining when the action pauses for a breather. It gives good value. They’ve spent a bit more on its this time, $80,000,000 as opposed to $60,000,000 last time, and it shows up there on screen.

The screenplay is incredible far fetched, but you go with the flow. The dialogue is okay too, especially when it is amusing, though we could have done with cheesy nonsense like ‘It is our moments of struggle, that define us.’ Overall, though the film is way less cheesy than its predecessors.

It is the sequel to Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016). Butler is looking a bit old and chunky for this kind of thing now, but even so he can still do it, and do it well, and on this form, he could squeeze out a fourth episode.

There is no sign of Aaron Eckhart, Angela Bassett, Radha Mitchell (she previously played Leah Banning) or Jackie Earle Haley this time.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Movie Review

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