White House Down [Blu-Ray]
Director: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods
Release Date: Available on Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD November 5
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 10/10
Plot Summary:
While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.
‘White House Down’ is not going to win any Oscars this year, but it is certainly an action packed good time and a pretty fun ride from start to finish. The film follows a single Dad (Tatum) who is trying to apply for a job as security detail
for the President (Foxx). He manages to get an interview for the job at the White House and is able to obtain a guest pass for his daughter who has become obsessed with politics so that she can accompany him in an attempt to get back in her good graces by showing her something she loves. Following his interview they join a tour group of the White House and of course everything goes wrong and the White House is taken over by armed men.
The film is directed by Roland Emmerich (2012, The Day After Tomorrow) and stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx, along with a lot of other familiar names. Maggie Gyllenhaal, James 
Woods, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins and more co star. The highly talented cast certainly helps to maintain a more believable environment. While they are all impressive actors and there is no question of capable talent among them, these are certainly not any of the cast members best performances, but they more than hold up and are all very capable. James Woods probably stole the show in my opinion, though his performance felt a bit tired at times, that was very likely intended in relation to his characters situation.
While it may not be a masterpiece of cinema, ‘White House Down’ is certainly a fun ride. If you are looking for a fun action film to just enjoy and not have to follow any intricate plot twists or stories, then ‘White House Down’ is certainly a good choice. It knows exactly what kind of film it is trying to be and does a great job of executing just that. If you haven’t already, I would recommend first checking out ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ which was released on Blu-Ray and DVD earlier this year as it follows the same basic idea and formula for the most part but is actually a far superior film and one of the most surprisingly enjoyable action films I’ve seen all year.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘White House Down’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.4:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. As is almost always the case with Sony’s Blu-Ray releases, the picture looks absolutely stunning. The colors are perfect; everything is sharp, bright and looks pretty much perfect as far as Blu-Ray video presentations go. Everyone should be pretty thrilled with the quality of the video on this release.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack which will really bring a whole new level to the viewing experience of this film. Considering the constant activity and frenetic action present throughout the majority of the film, this lossless soundtrack barely gets a moment to rest where activity is not flooding throughout all of the channels, and this soundtrack is more than up to the challenge. Everyone will be pretty ecstatic about this DTS-HD MA track, and I would highly recommend watching this one quite loud if possible. A Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD MA track, and French, Spanish and Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtracks are also included on the release, in addition to a large number of subtitle options.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
To put it simply, this Blu-Ray release of ‘White House Down’ is flat out loaded with all kinds of extras. There is a hefty list of bonus features (the majority of which are Blu-Ray exclusives so note that the DVD will be far more limited as far as bonus material goes) The Special Features on the Blu-Ray include (but are not limited to): Gag Reel, The Inside Story: From Script to the Big Screen, The Beast: Inside the Presidential Limo, Recreating The White House, A Dynamic Duo (Channing Tatum & Jamie Foxx) and many, many more. There is certainly quite an abundance of extras on this Blu-Ray release that will be sure to keep everyone busy for quite some time after watching the movie.
Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 10/10
‘White House Down’ will be available to own on Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Tuesday, November 5th.
Don’t forget to check out the official Facebook & Twitter pages for ‘White House Down’ as well!
