Every generation has an action hero they can call their own. Whether it be Bruce Willis’ John McClane in the Die Hard films, Jason Statham as The Transporter's eponymous her or Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. Each star brings their own badassery to each franchise as audiences watch them cleverly work through their unique and dangerous situations and take down the threats on their tails. This weekend, Gerard Butler’s Secret Service Agent Mike Banning is back for Angel Has Fallen, and word is the new release has a good ‘ol classic action movie feel to it.
CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb recently sat down with the Angel Has Fallen star to discuss what other action movies reminds him of the threequel. Check it out:
While moviegoers may liken Angel Has Fallen to decades-old action films such as The Fugitive, Gerard Butler also points out his new film has some similarities to the Matt Damon-led Bourne franchise and 1993’s Superman III. Since in Angel Has Fallen, Butler’s character is framed for an attack on Morgan Freeman’s President Allan Trumbull, he is left to his own devices to uncover the true threat to the president without the help of the Secret Service.
The Bourne movies always has Jason at odds with just about every party he could think of. He had to be paranoid to survive, and sometimes the good guys were the bad guys, and vice versa. In our interview, Gerard Butler explains how Mike Banning has to use his own tricks against everyone he’s at odds with too.
Gerard Butler also threw it back to Christopher Reeves’ third Superman film when comparing Angel Has Fallen. In the ‘80s film, Superman is exposed to synthetic Kryptonite laced with tar thanks to Richard Pryor’s Gus Gorman, which splits him into two: good-natured Clark Kent and an evil Superman. When the hero becomes a villain overnight and must grapple with the public’s sudden mistrust in him. Banning deals with this as well, since he goes from being a trusted agent to Public Enemy No. 1.
The actor also explained that while Angel Has Fallen may remind viewers of some other movies of its genre, it doesn’t rip off any of them and is its own story. He also teased that the movie tackles with relatable themes to today’s world and what those who have jobs in the service must go through in their careers. Gerard Butler closed out his response by talking about how the story offers up a ton more action because it’s not just Banning against the bad guys; everyone is after him this time around.
Angel Has Fallen has a mixed response from critics, with Variety even calling it “a generic Bourne knockoff” in their review. However, CinemaBlend’s Sean O’Connell called it the best of the franchise that started back with 2013’s Olympus Has Fallen in his 3.5 out of 5 review. It comes out this weekend alongside other new releases such as Ready or Not and Brittany Runs a Marathon.
