The second of two 2013 movies in which terrorists attack Washington D.C. (Olympus Has Fallen is the first) is White House Down, a big-budgeted and not very believable romp in which a military coup is thwarted by a prospective Secret Service agent.  As lazy as some of the scripting is (none of the military or police forces shoot or even move while president Jamie Foxx and agent Channing Tatum are being chased around the White House lawn by the terrorists), I have to admit that I really enjoyed and was even moved by this movie.  There is just something about “democracy under fire” films that really appeal to me, whatever the setting may be.

Director Roland Emmerich attacks the White House for the second time, following his alien invasion in Independence Day.  This time the attackers are all too human, with political motivations that boggle the mind and churn the stomach.  After a somewhat complicated setup, the bad guys make their move, the military is stymied in their response, the media covers the siege with breathless anticipation and the world waits.  All of that is standard, and not particularly exciting.  But what occurs in the White House itself is quite engrossing, as Tatum rescues Foxx, searches for his daughter and tries to avoid the bad guys.  Emmerich uses the White House set like a maze where the mice are given weapons and allowed to shoot their way out.  It may not be very sensible, but it’s pretty cool in its own way.

A lot of the military response stuff seems poorly handled, but the political aspects are far more interesting, as the surviving cabinet members try to keep the government functioning while the head of state is fighting for his life.  The characters are nicely drawn, humor is generously dolloped and patriotism is never absent.  Some of the violence is harrowing even though the film isn’t gory at all (it’s PG-13).  Ultimately its cuteness factor undermines its power, although the likes of James Woods, Richard Jenkins, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Michael Murphey and young Joey King lend their considerable talents to keeping the situations taut and suspenseful.

This is a popcorn movie about something which, hopefully, will never come to pass, but which presents a pretty entertaining tale of heroism in the face of a dreaded nightmare scenario.  It celebrates ingenuity, improvisation and boldness, along with a knowledge and appreciation of history.  Despite some large plot holes and gaffes, it is a lot of fun in the same way that ID4 was fun.  ☆ ☆ ☆.  19 July 2013.