Lack of grit lets humorous ‘White House’ down

“White House Down” is particularly confusing to digest because it thrives on the ingredients that should have been added as a garnishing and does away with the essential ones that would added more flavor and originality. It’s a pity that Emmerich prefers to sacrifice grit and tension in place of comedy and lightheartedness in his latest outing, as one is left wondering of what could have been instead of appreciating what has been served. Ultimately the film does elicit a credible degree of involvement and excitement from the audience, but it does so for all the wrong reasons.

The film follows John Cale (Channing Tatum, “Magic Mike”), a U.S. Capitol Police officer who fails to make the grade in his personal and professional life as he gets snubbed by his daughter at every turn and gets rejected in his attempt to join the Secret Service. Things don’t exactly brighten up when the White House comes under siege while Cale is on a tour of the building with his daughter. In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Cale is separated from his daughter and tasked with protecting President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx, “Django Unchained”). Thus begins Cale’s quest to reunite with his daughter while making sure that the President survives the attack.

The movie doesn’t have an extraordinary story to tell, which isn’t necessarily a flaw, and the rapid sequence of events ensures that boredom doesn’t rear its ugly head. A series of unexpected turns leaves the audience guessing as to why the White House is under attack and who exactly is pulling the strings, which allows the film to score a point over its counterpart “Olympus Has Fallen” as far as twists are concerned.

However, at times, the plot is too convoluted for its own good and the plethora of characters — especially the villains — do get tiring. The bad guys aren’t scary or intimidating enough and they don’t seem to know exactly why they’re doing what they’re doing. Motives constantly change and each time they seem more and more unclear. Though obviously present, the threat is never credible enough to arouse feelings of tension and anxiety, and this is where the film is dealt its most telling blow.

The chemistry of the male leads further ensures that the film is devoid of any seriousness whatsoever as Tatum and Foxx work so well off each other that they make the job look easier than it should be. In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Jamie Foxx said that he went from being “a slave to the President,” referring to the immediate transition he had to make from “Django Unchained” to “White House Down”. However, it doesn’t seem like he ever stopped being “Django” — he’s as badass as he can be in his role as captured President James Sawyer. When you see the President in his Jordans, pulling up a rocket launcher to the window of an SUV saying “Damn right,” you know something’s not right.

That image sums up this movie in a nutshell: You’re entertained by what you see, but you know that’s not what you’re supposed to be entertained by. It’s a very clear line that Emmerich chooses to blur, and while it may work at times, there’s no question that a little less of it would have made the movie a lot more than it is.