White Hunk Down Pat

Channing Tatum saves the USA as D.C. cop John Cale in "White House Down"

By Dan Hagen

“White House Down” starts as an engaging suspense picture about a military-industrial complex coup against the black, liberal president of the United States, and does a slow burn to thermonuclear Hollywood summer action movie hokum — specifically a climax that makes “Die Hard” look relatively calm by comparison.

Lovers of White House antiques would be well advised to avert their eyes.

Channing Tatum continues to impress in common-man hunk roles (see “Magic Mike”), specializing in low-key decency. He makes a perfectly serviceable hero, just as Jamie Foxx makes a perfectly serviceable president. Maggie Gyllenhaal gives the most naturalistic performance as an honest Secret Service agent.

The most welcome surprise is that this film is not the lousy action-comedy advertised in the trailer. That preview would have kept me away from this entertaining picture if Jay Sain hadn’t set me right about it.

Of course, the movie has some unrealistic elements, chief among them the fact that the president is presented as a liberal.