It happened fast. One minute, the world's leaders are gathering for a somber funeral in the heart of the UK, and the next, the most iconic landmarks in London are being vaporized by a coordinated terrorist cell. Most action sequels feel like tired retreads, but London Has Fallen—the 2016 follow-up to Olympus Has Fallen—didn't just try to copy the first movie's homework. It went bigger. It went meaner. Honestly, it’s one of those films that people either love for its unapologetic grit or roll their eyes at because of its sheer intensity.
But here’s the thing. While critics weren't exactly lining up to hand it an Oscar, the movie struck a massive chord with audiences. It grossed over $205 million globally. That’s a lot of tickets for a movie about a Secret Service agent who basically punches his way through an entire city. People keep coming back to it on streaming platforms because it taps into a very specific, visceral kind of "save the day" fantasy that modern cinema often tries to overcomplicate with multiverses or capes.
What Actually Happens in London Has Fallen?
The plot kicks off with the death of the British Prime Minister. It’s a massive security nightmare. Every major world leader is invited to the funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral. Mike Banning, played by a perpetually exhausted-looking Gerard Butler, is ready to quit. He’s got a baby on the way. He’s tired. But duty calls, and he heads to London with President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart).
Then, the trap springs.
The sheer scale of the betrayal in the film is what makes it stand out. It’s not just one guy with a gun. It’s police officers, first responders, and royal guards—all revealed to be deep-cover terrorists under the command of Aamir Barkawi. The movie turns London into a kill zone. Bridges collapse. The Gherkin is targeted. It’s a chaotic, terrifying sequence that shifts the movie from a political thriller into a survival horror-action hybrid. Banning and the President are left alone, on foot, in a city where they can't trust anyone in a uniform.
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The Gerard Butler Factor
Let’s talk about Mike Banning. He isn't James Bond. He doesn't have fancy gadgets, and his suits are usually ruined within the first twenty minutes. He is a blunt force instrument. In London Has Fallen, Butler leans into a version of the character that is significantly darker than in the first film. He’s brutal. There’s a specific scene where he’s interrogating a terrorist while the man’s brother is on the phone, just so the brother can hear the pain. It’s uncomfortable. It’s gritty.
Director Babak Najafi took over for Antoine Fuqua (who directed the first one), and you can feel the shift. The lighting is harsher. The urban warfare feels tighter and more claustrophobic. Banning feels like a man who has completely run out of patience.
Why the "Fallen" Series Stuck the Landing
Most franchises die by the second movie. They get bloated. They lose the "hook." Yet, this series somehow paved the way for a third film, Angel Has Fallen, and more planned spin-offs. Why?
- The Chemistry: Eckhart and Butler actually feel like friends. When they’re hiding in a darkened construction site sharing a moment of levity, you buy it.
- The Stakes: Unlike superhero movies where planets are at risk, these movies keep it grounded in people we recognize.
- The Practicality: While there is plenty of CGI (some of it, admittedly, a bit dated by 2026 standards), the hand-to-hand combat is heavy and impactful.
Technical Grit and Cinematic Style
The middle of the film features a long-take sequence—or at least a very well-edited "oner"—where Banning moves through a dark alleyway during a raid. It’s a masterclass in tension. You see the muzzle flashes lighting up the brick walls. You hear the chaotic shouting. It’s meant to put you right in the dirt with the characters.
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Critics often pointed out the movie’s aggressive patriotism, and yeah, it’s definitely there. It’s a loud, proud American action movie set on foreign soil. But if you strip that away, what you have is a very tight 99-minute exercise in pacing. It doesn't waste time. It doesn't have subplots that go nowhere. It knows exactly what it is: a movie about a man who is very good at his job, even when the world is literally falling down around him.
Facing the Controversy
You can't talk about London Has Fallen without mentioning the backlash. When it was released, many felt the imagery of London being torn apart was too close to home, especially given real-world events. The film doesn't pull punches. It depicts the vulnerability of a major metropolitan city in a way that feels deeply unsettling.
However, the filmmakers argued that the movie is fundamentally about the resilience of the characters. It’s about the refusal to give up. Whether you think it’s "too much" or "just right" usually depends on your appetite for high-octane, R-rated action. It’s definitely not a family movie night choice.
Real-World Locations vs. Movie Magic
Interestingly, while the movie is set in London, a huge chunk of it was filmed at Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria. They built massive, detailed sets of London streets. If you look closely during some of the chase scenes, you can spot the differences, but for the most part, the production design is seamless. They managed to recreate the "vibe" of the city—the narrow alleys, the stone architecture—well enough to fool most viewers.
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How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re revisiting the film or watching it for the first time, pay attention to the sound design. The way the explosions sound muffled when Banning is concussed, or the specific "thud" of the suppressed weapons, adds a layer of realism that elevates it above your standard B-movie.
London Has Fallen is currently available on various streaming platforms like Netflix or Max (depending on your region) and remains a staple of cable TV rotations. It’s the quintessential "Saturday night movie."
Actionable Takeaways for Action Fans
- Watch the Trilogy in Order: While they work as standalones, seeing Banning’s arc from a disgraced agent in Olympus to a weary veteran in London to a framed fugitive in Angel makes the character shifts make way more sense.
- Check out the Director’s Other Work: Babak Najafi has a background in more intimate Swedish cinema (Easy Money II), which explains why he focuses so much on the "small" moments of tension between the big explosions.
- Look for the Cameos: Keep an eye out for Jackie Earle Haley and Robert Forster. Having high-caliber character actors in the "War Room" scenes gives those segments a weight they wouldn't otherwise have.
The legacy of this film isn't about being a masterpiece of high art. It's about being a masterpiece of its specific genre. It’s loud, it’s fast, and it’s unyielding. It reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place: to see the impossible happen and to watch a hero who refuses to stay down.
Next time you’re scrolling through a streaming library and can't decide what to watch, give this one another look. It’s better than you remember, mostly because it doesn't try to be anything other than a pulse-pounding race against time.
Next Steps for Fans:
If you've already burned through the "Fallen" trilogy, look into the Has Fallen TV spin-offs currently in development, which aim to expand this universe into different international territories. You can also explore the 2023 film Kandahar, which reunites Gerard Butler with director Ric Roman Waugh for a similarly tense, grounded action experience that avoids the typical "invincible hero" tropes. For those interested in the technical side, search for behind-the-scenes footage of the St. Paul’s Cathedral sequence to see how they blended practical effects with digital extensions to create the film’s most ambitious set piece.