Angel Has Fallen
Angel Has Fallen | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ric Roman Waugh |
Screenplay by |
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Story by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Jules O'Loughlin |
Edited by | Gabriel Fleming |
Music by | David Buckley |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release date |
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Running time | 121 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $40 million[2] |
Angel Has Fallen is a 2019 American action film directed by Ric Roman Waugh, starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman in the lead roles, with Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Tim Blake Nelson, Piper Perabo, Nick Nolte and Danny Huston in supporting roles. It is the third installment in the Fallen film series, following Olympus Has Fallen (2013) and London Has Fallen (2016). The film follows United States Secret Service agent Mike Banning, who must race against time to clear his name after being framed for an attack on the US President, Allan Trumbull.
It was theatrically released in the United States on August 23, 2019, by Lionsgate.
Plot
After the events in the previous film, Secret Service agent Mike Banning undergoes training in a Secret Service facility and is recommended for the position of Director by the President of the United States, Alan Trumbull to replace retiring Secret Service director David Gentry. Banning hides the fact that he is suffering from migraines and insomnia and visits several doctors to treat these maladies. He starts taking medication to cope with the pain from two fractured vertebrate.
When the President goes on a fishing trip to a rural area, a drone attack kills the entire Secret Service protection detail. Banning survives. He saves the President but both are incapacitated. President Trumbull is more seriously injured and comatose. FBI Agent Helen Thompson finds substantial evidence that Banning is responsible for the attack. The discarded van used to carry out the massacre contains Banning's hair and DNA. Thompson is also suspicious in that Banning survived the attack. He is subsequently arrested and ordered incarcerated.
While Banning is being moved to a detention facility, his transport is ambushed. Banning escapes after killing the assailants, who are revealed to be agents who took part in the training exercise at the beginning of the film. Banning makes a call to his wife Leah and lets her know he is alive. This call alerts Thompson to Banning's location which leads to a car chase. Banning escapes again and goes to his father Clay Banning's house in the woods.
Meanwhile, Vice President Martin Kirby is sworn in as Acting President due to Trumbull being in a coma. It is revealed that Wade Jennings, Banning's friend, is the person who framed him for the attack as well as the head of Salient Global, a paramilitary company with many support personnel. Banning and his father observe Jennings' men through surveillance cameras approaching Clay's house; Clay detonates explosives around the perimeter of the house, killing all the would-be attackers. They escape and Banning reveals to Clay that he has a wife and daughter. Leah and her daughter are on the verge of being kidnapped when Clay saves them. Kirby reveals to the press that Banning is responsible for the whole fiasco with support from the Russian government.
Thompson finds the bodies around Clay's cabin and deduces that Banning was set up. Along with another agent, she goes to meet Jennings, but both are killed by him. Trumbull comes out of his coma and Kirby is revealed to be involved with Jennings. He plans to retaliate by attacking Russia due to the 'assassination attempt' on the President. Banning reaches the hospital where Trumbull is being treated after realizing it is unsafe for the President to remain there, but is captured and arrested. After an argument, Trumbull orders Banning released. Banning leads Trumbull to safety with help from Gentry and other agents as Jennings destroys the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital by increasing the oxygen and nitrogen supply to unstable levels, causing an explosion. The two hide in a corner office of the next building as Jennings' men pursue them. After a long gun battle, Jennings attempts to escape via helicopter, but Banning destroys the helicopter and kills Jennings.
Banning is exonerated while Trumbull arrests Vice President Kirby for treason thanks to the evidence uncovered by Thompson. Banning's father Clay decides to live with Banning and his family. Feeling guilt over his failure to protect Trumbull as well as his undisclosed ailments, Banning offers his resignation. President Trumbull forgives his mistakes and offers Banning a promotion to Director of the Secret Service, which he accepts.
In a mid credit scene, both Mike and Clay Banning are seen having bonding time with each other at Mike's house and participated in a Therapy Exercise.
Cast
- Gerard Butler as United States Secret Service agent Mike Banning, Clay’s son and Leah’s husband.
- Morgan Freeman as President Allan Trumbull
- Danny Huston as Wade Jennings, Mike’s former Ranger teammate and the leader of Salient Global.[3]
- Michael Landes as Sam Wilcox, White House Chief of Staff[4]
- Tim Blake Nelson as Vice President Martin Kirby[5]
- Nick Nolte as Clay Banning, a Vietnam-era Ranger/Tunnel Rat and Mike’s estranged father who abandoned him at a young age. Since then, he has taken up living in the woods all over the US.[6]
- Piper Perabo as Leah Banning, Mike’s wife[7]. Perabo replaced Radha Mitchell, who played the role in the previous films.
- Jada Pinkett Smith as FBI Agent Helen Thompson[8]
- Lance Reddick as Secret Service Director David Gentry[9]
- Mark Arnold as CIA Director James Haskell
- Chris Browning as Militia Man
- Antonio Bustorff[10]
- Frederick Schmidt as Travis Cole, head of security of Salient Global and Jennings' right-hand man.
- Joseph Millson as FBI agent Ramirez
- Ori Pfeffer as Agent Murphy
Production
On October 28, 2016, it was announced that a sequel titled Angel Has Fallen is in development, with Gerard Butler reprising his role, as well as once again acting as a producer on the film.[11]
On July 25, 2017, Ric Roman Waugh was announced as director for Angel Has Fallen.[12] On January 10th, 2018, Holt McCallany joined the cast as Wade Jennings, an ex-military turned head of a technology company.[13] On January 18, 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith and Tim Blake Nelson are confirmed to appear in Angel Has Fallen and the filming of it is set to start on February 7, 2018.[8][5] On February 13, 2018, Piper Perabo joined the cast.[7] On March 12, 2018, Lance Reddick joined the cast as Secret Service Director Gentry.[9] Aaron Eckhart, who played president Benjamin Asher in the first two films, is not returning to this film as The President of the United States. On March 21, 2018, Michael Landes is set to portray White House Chief of Staff Sam Wilcox.[4] On January 22, 2019, David Buckley was announced as the film's composer, replacing Trevor Morris who scored the previous 2 films.[14]
Angel Has Fallen commenced filming in Virginia Water Lake and continued throughout the United Kingdom and Bulgaria.[15] McCallany had to drop out of his role on Angel Has Fallen due to scheduling conflicts with the show Mindhunter[16] and was replaced by Danny Huston.
Filming took place at Pinewood Studios, Bray Studios, Longcross Studios and Nu Boyana Film Studios.
Release
The film was released in the United States on August 23, 2019.[3]
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Angel Has Fallen is projected to gross $13–15 million from 3,286 theaters in its opening weekend.[17][18] It made $1.5 million from Thursday night previews, the highest of the series.[19]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 100 reviews, with an average rating of 5.03/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Cut from the same rough cloth as its predecessors, Angel Has Fallen rounds out a mostly forgettable action trilogy in fittingly mediocre fashion."[20] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, the same score earned by its predecessors.[22] Audiences surveyed by PostTrak gave 64% "definite recommend".[23]
Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said this film "may not be appreciably better than the first two installments [...], but it's actually more fun — first and foremost because of a vastly amusing turn by Nick Nolte as Gerard Butler's eccentric Vietnam vet old coot father."[24] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film a grade C, and called it a "dramatic improvement" but is critical of the action sequences, "they all fall victim to having too much repetitive editing and not enough kinetic energy, a problem that no amount of onscreen firepower, twisted wreckage, or offbeat overhead camera angles can solve."[25] David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a "D+", saying that "[w]ith Nolte as his bonkers dad, Gerard Butler's mediocre action franchise and his mediocre American accent find a mediocre conclusion."[26]
References
- ^ "ANGEL HAS FALLEN". Millennium Films. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ http://deadline.com/2019/08/ready-or-not-angel-has-fallen-good-boys-box-office-weekend-1202701545/
- ^ a b Kilday, Gregg (November 29, 2018). "Gerard Butler's 'Angel Has Fallen' Gets Summer 2019 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ a b N'Duka, Amanda (March 21, 2018). "Michael Landes Joins 'Angel Has Fallen'; Craig Di Francia Cast In 'The Irishman'". Deadline. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ a b N'Duka, Amanda (February 23, 2018). "Tim Blake Nelson Boards 'Angel Has Fallen'". Deadline. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ McNary, Dave (March 20, 2018). "Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon to Star in Drama 'Honey in the Head'". Variety. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
- ^ a b N'Duka, Amanda (February 13, 2018). "Piper Perabo Boards Gerard Butler-Toplined Sequel 'Angel Has Fallen'". Deadline. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ a b Fleming Jr., Mike (January 18, 2018). "Jada Pinkett Smith, Daughter Willow & Mom Adrienne Set Facebook Talk Show: Sundance". Deadline. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ a b Lilday, Gregg (March 12, 2018). "Lance Reddick Joins Gerard Butler in 'Angel Has Fallen'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
- ^ "Actor Antonio Bustorff just finished filming 'Angel Has Fallen' with Gerard Butler!". NY Elite Magazine. May 3, 2018. Archived from the original on August 13, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
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suggested) (help) - ^ Lodderhose, Diana (October 26, 2016). "Gerard Butler Heads To Millennium Films' Threequel 'Angel Has Fallen'". Deadline. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (July 25, 2017). "'Shot Caller' Director Boards 'Olympus Has Fallen' Sequel 'Angel Has Fallen'". Variety. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (January 10, 2018). "'Mindhunter's Holt McCallany Joins Gerard Butler In 'Angel Has Fallen'". Deadline. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
- ^ "David Buckley Scoring Ric Roman Waugh's 'Angel Has Fallen'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- ^ Demony, Catarina (February 27, 2018). "Angel Has Fallen filming: Preparations under way for shooting in Virginia Water as crews spotted at popular beauty spot". Get Surrey. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (August 21, 2018). "'Mindhunter's Holt McCallany Making French Film Debut With 'Le Dindon'". Deadline. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (August 21, 2019). "Box Office: 'Ready or Not' Gets the Widest Release in Fox Searchlight's History". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Rubin, Rebecca (August 21, 2019). "'Ready or Not,' 'Angel Has Fallen' Enter Box Office Race". Variety. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 23, 2019). "'Angel Has Fallen' Ascends To $1.5M Thursday Night – Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|dead-url=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Angel Has Fallen (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ "Angel Has Fallen reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 24, 2019). "'Angel Has Fallen' Still Ascending Close To 'London' With $20M; Tarantino's 'Hollywood' Beating 'Basterds' – Saturday AM B.O." Deadline.com.
- ^ Todd McCarthy (August 21, 2019). "'Angel Has Fallen': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy. "Only in a franchise this bad could Angel Has Fallen look like an improvement". The A. V. Club.
- ^ David Ehrlich (August 21, 2019). "'Angel Has Fallen' Review: A Deranged Nick Nolte Meets Hollywood's Laziest Action Franchise". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved August 21, 2019.