Movie: Angel Has Fallen

This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.

Fishy Business

Plot Overview

Morgan Freeman has been promoted from playing Speaker of the House in “Olympus Has Fallen” (2013) and VP in "London Has Fallen" (2016) to the President himself in “Angel.” Head of the Presidential Protection Detail Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is hiding his deteriorating health—migraines, dizziness, insomnia—while considering taking a desk job as Head of the Secret Service. Mike's military friend Wade Jennings (Danny Huston) wants Mike to plug his mercenary force to the president so he can get more action. Mike's wife Leah (Piper Perabo) would like not to have to worry so much about him. Mike's in training “like it's real” at Wade's facility.

While on a fishing excursion President Trumbull is targeted by a sophisticated military attack that leaves him comatose. Mike the major suspect is under arrest, and the rest of the Secret Service Detail is dead. An unlikely escape sets Mike free to pursue the unknown assassins while he him­self tops the FBI's Most Wanted list. Hawkish forces threaten to pull America into an ill advised war with Russia.

Ideology

Wade likens his private security force Salient to lions. Russia, of course, is the bear. Between the two of them and the President's replacement, there's some serious conflict brewing but with­out any justification for war. As King Solomon once put it, (Prov. 28:15) “As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.” Mike's father Clay (Nick Nolte) a survivor of Vietnam lumps them all together: 'Nam, Korea, Iraq, as being all the same in their pointlessness.

(Prov. 28:16) “The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days.” Wade lacking basic human under­standing is a great oppressor. Mike who isn't interested in glory is a survivor.

(Prov. 28:17) “A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him.” Wade and crew summarily dispatch an FBI delegation come to question him. Their subsequent extraction to over­seas receives no help from Mike.

(Prov. 28:18) “Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once.” Mike on the run never­the­less puts his President's safety first despite his own vulner­ability. The President's perverse replacement is not going to last long in his scheming.

(Prov. 28:19) “He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.” Mike's father Clay is successfully living off the grid in rural West Virginia. The militia wannabes at the gas station lost their weapons and one of them lost his truck.

(Prov. 28:20) “A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” Mike has him­self a good home set up in the suburbs, a service­able vehicle, loving wife and daughter, good friends, Presidential favor, and four attentive doctors. His wife knows he's a good man who didn't throw it all away for a bribe as some were saying.

Production Values

“” (2019) was directed and co-written by Ric Roman Waugh. Other writers include Robert Mark Kamen and Matt Cook. It stars Gerard Butler, Frederick Schmidt, and Danny Huston. Butler employed his versatile acting skills to full advantage. Nick Nolte was a winningly crabby old codger with the best one-liners in the picture. The film boasts some credible and memorable performances.

MPAA rated it R for violence and language through­out. This film is not a mystery per se. It is utterly predictable down to the final mano-a-mano encounter. The attempts at assassinating the President are awe­some to behold. It had phenomenal CGI and striking cinematography.

To mention a curiosity, the writers seem to have taken jibes at a couple recent or sitting U.S. presidents, one Democrat and one Republican, so it's just art, not partisan­ship. An African-American was cast as President Trumbull. The fishing scene where he's standing in a boat on a river surrounded by dense forest evokes a blacka­moor on a skiff in eastern Africa. Being trans­ported comatose on Air Force One reminds one how Obama's mom found it imprac­tic­able to be allowed on a commercial plane to Hawaii when she was nine months pregnant; she had to have baby Barack there in Kenya. Trumbull's destination was St. Matthew's Hospital. St. Matthew is the Gospel that starts with a genealogy necessary to establish Christ's descent from the line of King David, as required by prophesy. United States presidents for their part are constitutionally required to be natural born U.S. citizens. Some forensic evidence was planted at the scene of the first assassination attempt to incriminate Mike. Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate was a ringer having been computer printed with an IBM Selectric type­face but too pristine to have been actually typed back in the day they used type­writers, before there were computer printers.

President Trumbull is wise and considerate and measured in speech—when he's comatose he says nothing—unlike a certain president in the news these days. Put their names together and you get Trump + Obama = TrumO'-Bull[shit]-me.

Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation

“Angel Has Fallen” is an intense action thriller that telegraphs its nevertheless enjoyable plot. It succeeds at what it does with­out trying to be overly ambitious. It can't be a let­down if you don't expect too much.

Movie Ratings

Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.