LONDON HAS FALLEN

* * ½

(Mindless action movie)

This is one for our young action movie friends who like the escapism of a mindless action movie. Gerard Butler plays a superhero without a costume as he saves the U.S. President (Aaron Eckhart) from those nasty Pakistani terrorists as they destroy half of London and hundreds of people are killed.

Butler’s Mike Banning is in charge of guarding the president. His resignation letter is in his computer, as his wife is about to have a baby. His supposedly last assignment is accompanying the president to London to attend the funeral of their prime minister, along with all the leaders of the free world.

Alas, hundreds of terrorists are waiting for him, seeking revenge for an attack two years earlier. Out of nowhere hundreds of men in black, most wearing police gear, start shooting everyone in sight and blowing up most of London’s landmarks. The problem for Banning is that he, and the audience, can’t tell who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. The president’s bulletproof car races through the streets of London, chased by cars and motorcycles.

After the first few hundred are killed, the president and Banning take to the deserted streets of London on foot, chased by hundreds of terrorists until they finally try to escape by helicopter. But that crashes and so they are back on foot again in yet more chases and killings. It goes on and on until the final showdown.

Morgan Freeman plays the vice president, a step down for him. Angela Basset, unfortunately, doesn’t last too long.

Do the good guys win? Are the terrorists defeated? Is there anything left to London?

Rated a big R, with profanity, and bloody violence.