Mike Banning (Gérard Butler), the hero who fought against the fall of the White House, then that of London, no longer serves the same president. Now under the orders of President Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), he is on the verge of becoming the new director of Secret Services. It's a shame that Mike is going through a big crisis of confidence, between an annoying concussion, disturbing compaction of the vertebrae, and the fear of leaving the field for good. Things are not going to work out when the poor guy becomes the sole guard surviving a spectacular attack on Trumbull.
However, irrefutable evidence makes him directly responsible for the president's fall. The latter, in a coma, cannot defend himself. No time to say "oops" that mercenaries are trying to make Banning disappear during his transfer. But of course, he does. He then embarked on a burnt remake of the Fugitive to find the culprits and wash his name.
The important thing is not the fall
The "The Fall of…" series is miraculous. Not for its qualities, but for having survived until releasing the third opus. Compared to the (first) Die Hard, Mission: Impossible, Rambo, and Fast and Furious now, Mike Banning's adventures will never be dated. The raised have more means and/or spectacular ideas.
The Fall of the White House (2013) and The Fall of London (2015) are more on the side of the Expendables and Transporter. These were guilty pleasures for lovers of well-rounded action and squared heads. Of course, to appreciate this saga, you have to take it right. For an average American, raised to the patriotic song and accustomed to star entertainment, these are some of the most serious films in the world. The United States, they are too beautiful, they are too strong, and everyone else in the world is mean. A reactionary speech, bordering on facto, and sometimes not far from Nazism. In The Fall of London,
you have to hear Banning lecture the head of the bad guys while he scolds him. Between two mandates, he nevertheless swears to his great gods that America will still live "for a thousand years after that."
Mike Banning, in the guise of Gérard Butler, is the perfect hybrid between John McClane and Chuck Norris. Husband and (future) family man, a bit vulnerable, he is still able to give food to all the enemies of the free world, to give courage lessons to British SAS, and to coldly kill his close friends if that is necessary. A credible and adorable guy, what. Fortunately, there is the bovine charm of its interpreter to tickle our zygomatic. One of the counter-arguments justifying the sustainability of the franchise until today is Gérard Butler. He is the first to believe in his good joke, and to give all he has.
As anachronistic as the heroes of Expendables, Banning is an action man and punchline machine from a bygone era. It is thanks to him, and to a monstrously stupid action, that the franchise found its audience outside the United States (mainly thirties and Cuadra's nostalgic from their childhood). So let's send out Craig's politicization of the series (what Angel Has Fallen does). In any case, its relevance never lasts over time. What matters is in the title, namely the fall of something. In the first, the said fall of the White House was the heart of the show (attacked by an army of Koreans in shorts brandishing rocket launchers!). It was implausible, but we didn't see it every day. Because of that, the rest of the film, shameful and soft plunder of Crystal Trap fell like a soufflé.
The Fall of London was even cheaper (hello to the CGI explosions) than improbable, reviving the spirit of the film Invasion USA. Terrorists are everywhere all the time, pushing heroes to ride in what looks like a rejected project for a 24 Hours Chrono season. But the mayonnaise takes if you want.
Despite the film's tendency to take its nonsense too seriously, it was generous, even stealing a few proven tips and tricks from the competition (like plans inherited from Jason Bourne).
The title of the third part is such that it is only to guarantee consistency between episodes. Despite its French title, "La Chute du Président" does not consist (for a large part, at least) in protecting the president. We then have reason to fear that by losing "the concept", we would lose interest and quality.
But the truth is, Banning's latest adventures are overall the most joyful to watch, at all levels.
Already, completely distancing themselves from an aggressive political discourse. Here, the plot plays the card of machination, aiming only to make-believe with political motivations on behalf of a foreign power. The Fall of the President on the other hand retains the tendency of the series to over-simplify its motivations and twists and turns. But hey, after three films, we are no longer close to an approximation, nor a deviation from logic.
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