London Has Fallen

When world leaders gather in London for the British prime minister's funeral, Secret Service agent Mike Banning is on duty guarding President Benjamin Asher. What starts as a solemn state visit turns into a nightmare when a coordinated strike hits the city, collapsing infrastructure and isolating the leaders. Banning races through streets clogged by smoke and rubble, escorting the president away from attack zones while trying to piece together who is pulling the strings. The film follows his attempt to keep Asher alive, protect other officials, and stop further strikes, with tense close-quarters fights, timed set pieces, and a constant sense that the next catastrophe is seconds away.

Directed by Babak Najafi, London Has Fallen was released in 2016 as the follow-up to Olympus Has Fallen, based on a screenplay from Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, and Christian Gudegast. The cast reunites Gerard Butler with Aaron Eckhart, plus Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, and Melissa Leo in supporting roles.

The movie was a commercial action entry aimed at mainstream audiences and it performed strongly enough at the global box office to stand as a profitable sequel, driven largely by international ticket sales and demand for big scale action.

Its set pieces, especially the depiction of London under siege and several rooftop and bridge sequences, became talking points among viewers. The film sparked discussion online about its realism and tone, and scenes from its chase and rescue moments circulated in clips and memes, keeping it visible in action movie conversations for years after release.

Critics were mixed, often praising the kinetic action and Butler's physical presence while criticizing the screenplay, political framing, and heavy reliance on spectacle over nuance. Audiences reflected that split, with an average user rating near 6.2 out of 10, and the film leans into themes of duty, loyalty to leaders, and the pressures of protecting civilians amid chaos.