White House is attacked in two new moviesWhen is the White House not under attack?
True, the terrorists who lay siege to the Oval Office in "Olympus Has Fallen," opening Friday, and the suspiciously similar thriller "White House Down," opening June 28, play a bit rougher than the Democrats or Republicans who – depending on the administration – attack it on ordinary occasions.
So do the aliens, mutants and super-villains who, from time to time in Hollywood history, have taken up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. But behind them all is a common notion: The White House represents U.S. prestige and policy. To take a swipe at it is to hit U.S. power – literally — where it lives.
"Independence Day," the hit 1996 alien-invasion thriller, didn't choose its iconic poster image of a gigantic flying saucer hovering over the South Lawn, alien beams blasting, by accident.
It was the most appalling vision imaginable: shocking, not only as an image of destruction, but because of what was being destroyed. And it had the added value of versatility. It pushed patriotic buttons for American audiences, while conceivably tripping other switches for some overseas viewers ("Independence Day" made 62.5 percent of its profits abroad), not all of whom are in such sympathy with American interests.
So attacking the White House, from a box-office standpoint, is always a good idea. In fact, it's so good that this year Hollywood is doing it twice. As with last year's dueling Snow Whites ("Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White and the Huntsman") or 1998's dueling meteors ("Deep Impact" and "Armageddon"), "Olympus Has Fallen" and "White House Down" is an instance of great movie minds thinking alike.
Both films posit presidents (Aaron Eckhart in "Olympus," Jamie Foxx in "Down") being held hostage by terrorists (North Korean insurgent Rick Yune in "Olympus," home-grown paramilitarist Jason Clarke in "Down") who must be rescued by special agents (Gerard Butler in "Olympus," Channing Tatum in "Down").
Something in the air? If so, it's not new. The real-life White House has been invaded only once, by the British in 1814 – well, twice, if you count that couple who gate-crashed that state dinner in 2009. But it has a long history of assault on celluloid. Here are some key films:
* "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (2009): Disguise expert Zartan (Arnold Vosloo) infiltrates the White House and takes the place of the president (Jonathan Pryce). Can Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans and the rest of the plastic action figures stop him? Stay tuned for "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," coming March 28.
* "X2: X-Men United" (2003): Good mutant Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), under the control of bad human Col. Stryker (Brian Cox), infiltrates the White House in order to assassinate the president.
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