American Culture In The Film 'Olympus Has Fallen'

The 2013 action film, Olympus Has Fallen, portrays a terrorist attack on the White House. While meeting with the Prime Minister of South Korea, the White House and surrounding area come under foreign attack via airplane. While heading to the safety bunker, the president goes against the norms by inviting the Prime Minister and his guards into the bunker. While in the bunker, the South Korean government becomes compromised by members of the North Korean terrorist group. The president, along with the chair members, is held hostage in the bunker while the White House is overtaken above them. Former president guard and Secret Service Agent Mike Banning enters the White House in attempt to regain American control, along with finding the President’s missing son. Mike uses interior knowledge to compromise the terrorist’s systems. Mike also manages to stop the nuclear attack the terrorists initiate, along with saving the president and his son. …show more content…
Once the attack happens, the president disregards the norms of the high culture and demands that the Prime Minister enter the same bunker. Usually, the elite classes, such as politicians, are put in separate bunkers to remove the threat of assignation by a foreign authority. However, the president went against these norms consequently causing the government compromise. Another aspect of American culture that impacted this movie was the American material culture. America’s want to have the best and most stuff. This is especially true when it comes to current Politian’s and nuclear weapons. Currently, we are in a metaphorical war with opposing countries to see who has the most destructive, along with the largest amount of, nuclear weapons. However, in Olympus Has Fallen, the terrorists attempt to use our own weapons against us by detonating them in their silos. The American material culture was going to be the death of the