WE ARE NEVER STRONGER THAN WHEN WE ARE TESTED.

When a North Korean terrorist and his elite team take over the White House and hold the President (Aaron Eckhart) hostage, one Secret Service agent (Gerard Butler) has a shot at saving the day.

This old-fashioned, highly charged action thriller virtually plays like a remake of Die Hard (1988), with a bit of In the Line of Fire thrown in for good measure. The initial attack on Washington is stupendously over-the-top but exciting.

However, consistently horrible dialogue, poorly drawn characters and a really lazy formula are huge obstacles.

2013-U.S. 120 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Cast: Gerard Butler (Mike Banning), Morgan Freeman (Allan Trumbull), Aaron Eckhart (Benjamin Asher), Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Ashley Judd. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Butler. Winona Ryder was reportedly considered for the part of the First Lady. Followed by two sequels, starting with London Has Fallen (2016).