Emmerich treats the audience to a satisfying succession of well-paced action sequences which are held together by an at times tense, political thriller of a plot.
As in 2012 and Independence Day, Emmerich adds to the tension by including a family element.
Here it’s provided by Tatum’s teenage blogger daughter who accompanies him on his trip to the White House, only to find herself separated from dad and an army of terrorists between her and him.
This allows James Vanderbilt’s script to explore the role social media in the coverage of breaking stories in a nice updating of 1997’s Mad City.
Like Airforce One, this film asks you to believe a series of convenient security lapses in order to set up the basic premise, but the required pinch of is well worth it – White House Down is 2 hours of undeniable, loud and frantic fun.
Released across the UK on 13th September
