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Canberra Today 12°/16° | Saturday, March 30, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Review / ‘London Has Fallen’ (MA) ** and a half

london has fallen movieTO tell a futuristic story (at last report, the city’s famous places are still undamaged) writer Creighton Rothenberger has given birth to a hero of impressive stature, US President’s protection detail member Mike Banning (Gerard Butler).

Mike has typed his letter of resignation. But the British Prime Minister has unexpectedly died and world leaders are rushing to London for the funeral.

Mike can forget about his close-to-parturition wife for the moment. President Asher (Aaron Eckhart) wants Mike to protect him on the trip.

Two years previously, a UAV squadron launched the missile that wiped out the tent in Pakistan where a known terrorist leader was at the wedding of the daughter of an armaments magnate. This man is filthy, some might even say stinkingly, rich. And patient. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

“London Has Fallen” erupts from the screen at a very high temperature. As an example of staging and filming calamities in real locations with real people, it does Najafi and Rothenberger credit. But in all that excitement, energy and escapist fun, with smoking wrecks and good and bad dead guys scattered all over London, credibility has no place in a fantasy actioner. Mike Banning is just too good to be credible.

“London Has Fallen” does credit to Iranian-born director Babak Najafi. I hope so. Some of the loveliest films I ever saw at Sydney Film Festivals were Iranian.

At Hoyts

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Dougal Macdonald

Dougal Macdonald

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