Rating of
3/4
Fallen But Never Down or Out
Chris Kavan - wrote on 11/20/19
If Secret Service Agent Mike Banning were a superhero, he'd be the Energizer Bunny - nothing can stop this man. He's come a long way since just having to defend the President and the White House, this third entry, with Morgan Freeman now being the man to protect, has Banning (Gerard Butler - as dependable as ever) has him battling something far more dangerous: his own health.
Yes, for all the gunfights, explosions, car chases and the like, the biggest test that Banning faces is age - that and the fact his body has gone through more than what pro wrestlers and football players do combined. Very early on we find out his latest doctor tells him he's one bad hit away from literally breaking down - as in spinal column and neck - and he copes with this by taking pills - making him a bit woozy on the job. But he's still good enough to sniff out an assassination attempt - this time done with exploding drones. Drones that take out his entire detail and nearly killing the president - but, miraculously, leaving him alone. Or not so miraculously as Banning is soon the prime suspect with a hard-ass FBI agent (Jada Pinkett Smith) coming after everyone in his life, including his wife (Piper Perabo, taking over from Radha Mitchell in the previous films).
But it doesn't take him long to suss out the true villain here, Wade Jennings (Danny Huston), who owns a large, private mercenary group who finds the president's new "no private military" tactics to be a bit draining on the old wallet - but of course it's not about money, it's about the fact this lion can't roar anymore, and he's willing to go to great lengths to get back into the action. Thus Banning turns to the one man he thought he would never have to turn to again - his father, Clay (Nick Nolte - in a fantastic turn), a Vietnam Vet who is still trying to work through issues he brought back with him. The best parts of the film is seeing these two interact as estranged father and son find out they might not be all that different.
The movie has no shortage of action, from a semi chase to a climactic shootout to a mountainside ambush - the film knows its audience and action fans are going to eat this up. More important, while so many sequels offer diminishing returns, the Fallen franchise maintains its edge, never backing down from action while still offering up some compelling characters and story to go along with it. I don't know if this is going to be the final film in the series or not, but I have to say if it is - it's going out just as strong, if not a bit better, than it came in.
