The movie ‘Olympus has fallen’ is an action film that depicts the terrorist attack on the White House. The main idea of the film is that it is no matter how secured the white house is yet it is the most sought after by terrorists. It is the heart of the United States and most probably, a place where most of the political decisions affecting international affairs are led.
The position that the US holds in the world has made it have friends and enemies in equal measures. The nation often has often been credited and criticised for the good and the bad that happens around the globe. Its discriminative tactics and the self-seeking interests have made the country a target of terrorists. Those terrorist attacks usually have religious ground.
However, in this case, the attack was maintained by the Korean terrorist, whose main idea was to unite Korea, as well as destroy all American nuclear weapons. However, the truth lies behind the fact that this terrorist was lead by personal aim to revenge for the death of his father. In Reference to previous attacks on the United States interests, it is clear that terrorists are still looking for means through which they will destroy the country.
It is clear from the film that the government is taking various measures to ensure the state is safe, yet the attackers only require knowing few things about the United States of America intelligence agency and their mission is accomplished (Little, 2008, p. 88). Even though the director makes the audience believe that it only took thirteen minutes to capture the Whitehouse, there must be a lot that had happened earlier to stage the crime.
This seems to be a wakeup call to the government to heed to the cry of those who have suffered the invasions and withdraw their troops. A revenge mission has always been on the way, which could adversely affect the United States. A lot of innocent blood has been shed since the United States invasion as many continue living in deplorable conditions. Even though top government officials choose to ignore such cries, the remnants are agitated and are in for a revenge mission.
Audience
The film is not only directed to government officials of the United States but the citizens at large. The security of the nation is not only the security of its officials but the citizens at large. They are to provide the information needed to ensure that the country is safe from attacks. It is also an important message that the director is communicating to the audience (Carter, Deutch & Zelikow, 1998).
However, the country as it faces more terrorists’ threats. This should also be considered in terms of how much the government spends on such activities. The burden goes back to the taxpayer who is the ordinary citizen. ‘Olympus has fallen’ is therefore more than just an action based political movie but it also affects the social and economic standing of the United States.
Narrative
The movie could also be a reflection of the events that happened in 2001. The September 11 was one of the worst terrorist attacks to hit the United States that affected its economy and social standing. The attack caused a lot of havoc that took the country quite some time to recover (Wilkins & Downing, 2002, p. 430).
This was also ridicule to the intelligence and security forces of the country as they had been presumed to be the best in the world. Apart from the lives that were lost and wounds that are yet to heal, the United States realised how much they need to be extra careful on terrorism. The aftermath of the attack saw the rise of the economy, more travel restrictions. The need to beef up security also meant higher taxes (Stewart & Kowaltzke, 2008, p. 78). All this would affect earnings, people’s living standards and food prices.
The film however ends up on a brighter note to depict the success of the government to retain its lost glory and to bring people back to their feet. It has always been a tough journey for the country, yet they have managed it. Many symbols have been used to convey the message. Olympus signifies the secret service of the United States, which plays a key role in detecting and preventing crime from happening.
The movie opens with an accident that led to the death of the president’s wife. This led to a reshuffle in responsibilities that may have also led to the turn up of events. The need for officials to defend and protect the country with their lives has also been highlighted in the movie after the president and top officials were held hostage in the White House (Boggs & Pollard 2006, p. 336). There is a spirit of solidarity expressed especially by the president who would rather die than reveal the security codes to cause destruction to the nation.
Social values and discord
The spirit of solidarity among the leaders of the United States is what has ensured it remains at the top despite the numerous challenges faced. Such leaders recognize the fact that the safety of their country is more important than their lives. They are hence obliged to defend it even if it means they die instead. Looking back at the history of America, one can see such a spirit in most of the leaders that have been endowed with high offices (Meernik, 1996, p.392).
Many of them had to be killed simply because they stood for others. The concluding scenes denote the American spirit and the determination the country has to face and overcome every challenge. The intelligence and security officials may have been blamed for lagging behind during the attack yet they came in swiftly to save the situation just on time. With every challenge, came great lessons that always enable the country to prepare well for disaster.
Reference List
Boggs, C & Pollard, T 2006, ‘Hollywood and the Spectacle of Terrorism’, New Political Science, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 335-351.
Carter, A, Deutch, J & Zelikow, P 1998, ‘Catastrophic terrorism: tackling the new danger‘, Foreign Affairs. Web.
Little, D 2008, American orientalism: the United States and the Middle East since 1945, I.B.Tauris, New York.
Meernik, J 1996, ‘United States military intervention and the promotion of democracy’, Journal of Peace Research, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 391-402.
Stewart, C & Kowaltzke, A 2008, Media, new ways and meanings, 3rd edn, Jacaranda press, New York.
Wilkins, K. & Downing, J. 2002, ‘Mediating terrorism: Text and protest in interpretations of The Siege’, Critical Studies in Media Communication, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 419-437.