Along with it being the second Die Hard-in-the-White House action movie that came out in 2013, there are plenty of other movies like White House Down to please fans of the genre. White House Down stars Channing Tatum as aspiring Capitol police officer John Cale and Jamie Foxx as the President of the United States James Sawyer. They team up to rescue Cale’s daughter and save DC from a paramilitary terrorist threat. The movie is often unfavorably compared to Olympus Has Fallen given their near-identical plots. But for those who have more affinity for this star-studded thriller, there are other similar action movies out there.
The best movies like White House Down are all full of heart-pumping thrills that have defined the genre since Die Hard and other action movies of the 1980s. Whether it’s an attack on the President, a siege in an exciting environment, or a lone hero against seemingly impossible odds, the best movies like White House Down have enough in common to please action movie fans.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
In Olympus Has Fallen, Gerard Butler cemented his reputation as one of modern movie history’s top action stars with his performance as Secret Service agent Mike Banning, who must rescue US President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) from a presidential hostage situation in the White House. Combined with over-the-top action movie dialogue and set pieces, this is an entertaining thriller from start to finish. The movie’s plot similarities with White House Down are immediately obvious and Olympus Has Fallen ended up being a bigger box office success on a smaller budget, prompting two sequels, London Has Fallen and Angel Has Fallen. Butler is slated to return as Banning for Night Has Fallen.
Speed (1994)
While Keanu Reeves is currently one of the biggest action stars of the 21st century thanks to the John Wick franchise, he also ruled the genre in the ’90s with Speed as one of his best outings. Reeves plays Jack Taven, a hotshot cop who must work with passenger Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) to save a bus full of innocent people that is armed with a bomb that will blow if the bus slows down. The fun premise makes great use of the small setting, allowing for a fast-paced action ride. Like White House Down, it supplements the action with a good sense of humor that entertains while never taking away from the high stakes of the story.
In The Line Of Fire (1993)
Tatum’s John Cale is a fun hero for White House Down, but likely the best Secret Service hero in action movie history is Frank Horrigan from In the Line of Fire. Clint Eastwood plays the veteran agent who is called back into duty when there is a new threat on the life of the president. The movie effectively addresses Eastwood’s age in the role, adding an interesting element of Frank being haunted by guilt over failing to save JFK from his assassination. But the highlight of the movie is John Malkovich’s Oscar-nominated role as the would-be assassin.
Skyscraper (2018)
With disaster movie veteran Roland Emmerich at the helm of White House Down, it is not surprising it goes for a lot of over-the-top and ridiculous action. This is a similar approach with many of Dwayne Johnson’s action movies, including the similar lone hero adventure of Skyscraper. Johnson plays Will Sawyer, a security expert who must save his family from a high-tech building controlled by dangerous criminals all while the building burns. Skyscraper is another movie that owes more than a little to Die Hard but its silly blockbuster tone feels more akin to White House Down.
Red Dawn (1984)
The idea of enemies attacking the heart of America as seen in White House Down is an idea that has become popular in a lot of action movies. However, the movie most famous for this is Red Dawn. The 1980s action movie imagines a scenario in which the Soviet Union successfully invades the United States leaving a band of young rebels to fight back against the conquerors. With a cast of young ’80s stars like Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey, and Charlie Sheen, the movie places itself well in this iconic era of action movies, being ridiculous enough to have fun with but taking itself seriously enough to be thrilling.
Taken (2008)
There is something so thrilling about the idea of a bunch of bad guys simply picking the wrong good guy to mess with. In White House Down, the villains could likely have gotten away with their plan were it not for John Cale. In Taken, the villains make the deadly mistake of kidnapping the daughter of Bryan Mills (Neeson). It is extremely satisfying seeing Mills and his particular set of skills cut through the bad guys in his quest to save his daughter. While Cale also has his young daughter in danger, there is likely no father more protective in movie history than Bryan Mills.
Die Hard (1988)
A classic that redefined how audiences view action movies, creating a Star Wars-like wake of copycats that turned into something like a genre unto itself, Die Hard remains a top-tier action thriller. A number of elements in White House Down are direct references to the original Die Hard, not least of which is Tatum’s white tank top, a look made famous by Bruce Willis’ lone cop John McClane battling well-armed thieves in a skyscraper. While Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down may share a number of plot points, Die Hard is the true creative source of both of their characters and stories. Along with being considered one of the greatest action movies of all time, the Die Hard Christmas movie debate continues to make it a holiday favorite.
Under Siege (1992)
After the success of Die Hard, the concept of a single man overpowering a much larger force in a contained siege situation became a new Hollywood obsession. Willis’ performance as John McClane catapulted him to a level of action movie stardom associated with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Steven Seagal was always known as an action star, but his Die Hard clone was by far his most successful mainstream movie. As Casey Ryback, a Navy SEAL turned ship’s cook, Seagal faces Tommy Lee Jones’ colorful villain William Strannix, with wild supporting antics from Gary Busey as Strannix’s second-in-command, Peter Krill. Under Siege is essential viewing for a White House Down fan looking for the best siege movies.
Vantage Point (2008)
An assassination attempt made against the President of the United States is seen from multiple viewpoints as the same time periods before, during, and after the attack are replayed and seen from the perspectives of different characters. The main draw for White House Down fans here is Dennis Quaid as dedicated Secret Service agent Thomas Barnes, who will stop at nothing to save the President. Beyond that though, Vantage Point is a well-cast thriller that’s built all around its many twists.
Executive Decision (1996)
One of the most popular spin-offs of the Die Hard formula is the self-explanatory ‘Die Hard on a plane’ scenario and one of the best in that arena has to be Executive Decision. Kurt Russell plays David Grant, a fish-out-water CIA consultant who has to lead an elite team to infiltrate and take back a hijacked passenger plane without it landing. The movie finds plenty of ways to keep its claustrophobic environment exciting, and fans of White House Down will appreciate its similarly robust cast of supporting players.
Con Air (1997)
Nicolas Cage got his own white tank top hero character in this beloved ‘Die Hard on a plane’ movie that’s packed with dazzling supporting players like Malkovich, John Cusack, and Steve Buscemi as Con Air‘s scene-stealing Garland Greene. The story sees Cage’s former Army Ranger Cameron Poe fight to take back a prisoner plane that’s been hijacked by Malkovich’s nefarious criminal mastermind Cyrus Grissom. White House Down fans will appreciate the movie’s similarly tongue-in-cheek tone that allows the action sequences to become entertainingly ridiculous.
The Rock (1996)
Cage and Sean Connery lead this characteristically excessive action extravaganza from renowned action movie director Michael Bay. When Ed Harris’ rogue military leader takes over Alcatraz Island and uses it as a base to threaten San Francisco with stolen chemical weapons, it’s up to the unlikely pair to break into the famous prison and save the day. White House Down fans are sure to have a blast with Bay’s trademark fireball explosions and penchant for overdramatics.
The Sum Of All Fears (2002)
The fourth Jack Ryan movie, The Sum of All Fears features the third onscreen Ryan courtesy of Ben Affleck. In this entry, Ryan discovers a plan from a neo-Nazi faction to detonate a nuclear weapon in an American city and must stop it from creating a conflict between the US and Russia. Ryan is paired up with CIA director William Cabot, played by Morgan Freeman, and together, they spruce up every big moment with intensity. This is an action-packed thriller that handsomely adapts one of Tom Clancy’s most famous novels, and fans of White House Down will like the high stakes as much as the big stars.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The second Captain America movie in the MCU elevated the cinematic universe to an all-new level. The movie puts Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff in the middle of a classic conspiracy. The Winter Soldier balances the heroics of Captain America and the underlying political themes of the story through the trappings of the spy movie genre. Plus, the team-up of Cap, Falcon, and Black Widow makes for some stellar action sequences. White House Down fans will likely enjoy the scale of this Marvel movie, whether they’re fans of superhero films or not.
Air Force One (1997)
Before Harrison Ford’s presidential role in the MCU, he was Commander in Chief in Air Force One. When Russian radicals hijack Air Force One, led by Gary Oldman’s loyally Soviet version of Hans Gruber, Vice President Kathryn Bennett (Glenn Close) negotiates with them while Ford’s roguish President James Marshall retaliates against the terrorists on board in true action movie fashion. Among the Die Hard rip-offs, Air Force One is one of the best because of Ford’s iconically quotable performance, and White House Down fans will love the movie’s unabashed exuberance.
