Meanwhile, it emerges that Cale has done three tours of duty in Afghanistan when he saved the life of a fellow soldier, whose uncle happens to be the Speaker of the House (Richard Jenkins), who gave him a leg up in the security service. troops from the Middle East has caused ructions among the Military. His controversial plan to withdraw all U.S. You can see where most of the 150 million dollar budget has gone with truly spectacular explosions and an extremely realistic looking White House ripe for demolition.įoxx brings a wry humour to the overtly Obama-esque commander-in-chief, a self-styled Lincolnian who takes a delight in buzzing the Lincoln Memorial in Marine One and carries a pocket watch that once belonged to Honest Abe himself (a life-saver as it turns out in one of the attacks). Both men bond quickly while bemoaning the foibles of teenage girls.Įmmerich sensibly leaves little time for the audience to reflect on any of the twists and turns, some of which have more holes than a piece of Emmental. Tatum's mission is to keep the President safe and rescue his daughter. Father and daughter become separated and while trying to find her he stumbles upon the President (Jamie Foxx) taking refuge.

While he's taking her on a tour of the White House after his job interview, a group of mercenaries arrive and the buildings are locked down. This would impress his 11-year-old daughter (Joey King) who has a healthy and intelligent interest in politics.

His character works as security for the Speaker of the House yet he longs to climb up the ladder to work as a Secret Service agent for the President.

Given that the director Roland Emmerich has been responsible for speciality high concept actioners such as Independence Day and 2012, you know precisely what to expect from White House Down: skimpy and implausible plotting, a barrage of breathtaking special effects and characters that barely go skin deep.Īs everyman hero John Cale, Channing Tatum makes an appealing star turn, even if he's a tad taciturn.

White house down characters