London Has Fallen (2016)

London Has Fallen is a 2016 American action thriller film directed by Babak Najafi and written by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, Chad St. John and Christian Gudegast. It is a sequel to Antoine Fuqua's 2013 film Olympus Has Fallen and stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman, with Alon Moni Aboutboul, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Jackie Earle Haley, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Sean O'Bryan, Waleed Zuaiter and Charlotte Riley in supporting roles. It is the second installment in Has Fallen film series.

Filming began on October 24, 2014, in London. A Christmas break started in November with filming resuming in February 2015. The film was released on March 4, 2016, by Focus Features under their recently revived Gramercy Pictures label.

A sequel, titled Angel Has Fallen, is expected to start production in 2017.

Western intelligence services collaborate to identify Pakistani arms dealer and terrorist leader Aamir Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul) as the mastermind behind several terrorist attacks around the world, specifically a devastating hotel bombing in Manila, and authorize an American drone strike against Barkawi's compound, apparently killing Barkawi and his family.

Two years later, after the death of British Prime Minister James Wilson, world leaders from the major Western countries, including President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) make plans to attend his funeral services in London. Secret Service agent and Asher's close friend, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is assigned by Secret Service Director Lynne Jacobs (Angela Bassett) to oversee the President's schedule there, despite the fact that Banning's wife, Leah (Radha Mitchell), is due to give birth to their child in a few weeks.

After arriving via Air Force One at Stansted Airport, Banning pushes the President's arrival forward, directing Marine One to take them to Somerset House and then by car to St Paul's Cathedral. As they arrive, several attacks, coordinated by Barkawi's son Kamran (Waleed Zuaiter), eliminate the leaders of Canada, Germany, Japan, France and Italy by loyal terrorists disguised as Metropolitan Police, the Queen's Guardsmen, and other first responders – the attacks also damage several of London's landmarks. At St Paul's, Banning helps get Asher and Jacobs to cover when the disguised terrorists turn on them, and they manage to race back to Somerset House. Marine One takes off with two escorts, but terrorists with Stinger missiles take out the escorts before damaging Marine One, forcing it to crash-land in a park. Though Asher and Banning are fine, Jacobs has been fatally wounded, and she makes Banning promise to get back at the perpetrators before she dies. Banning leads Asher to the London Underground as most of the city's power is disabled and its residents take shelter.

U.S. Vice President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) and members of the President's staff work with British authorities to determine what has happened, when Trumbull is contacted by Barkawi operating out of Yemen, admitting he is behind the attacks, and threatening to kill millions more if Asher isn't handed to him. They learn that Wilson was poisoned to death as a means to lure the leaders to London, and believe Barkawi had been planning this for years. Trumbull orders the staff to review all of Barkawi's known associates, hoping to find a lead. He also supports Chief Inspector Kevin Hazard's (Colin Salmon) decision to stand down all first responders, believing that anyone who remains is a terrorist. Meanwhile, Banning disables a group of terrorists that followed them to the Underground, and contacts Kamran, who promises that if he captures the President, they will broadcast his execution across the Internet. Banning leads Asher to a nearby MI6 safehouse, pausing at street level long enough to relay a message to Trumbull via satellite monitoring.

Banning and Asher meet MI6 agent Jacqueline "Jax" Marshall (Charlotte Riley), who briefs them on the situation. Upon discovering Barkawi's involvement, Asher explains that Barkawi survived the airstrike, with his daughter and son-in-law among the casualties. Jax plays back a message she received from Trumbull regarding extraction, and Banning verifies its authenticity. However, when cameras outside the safehouse pick up a Delta Force team approaching, Banning realizes that they arrived far too quickly, as well as that they're going round the back of the safehouse after finding the front door locked, and believes they are terrorists. Banning has Jax evacuate while he distracts the terrorists long enough to drive off with Asher. They are side-swiped by a truck, and the terrorists drag Asher off to an unknown location. While interrogating a terrorist, Banning is saved by the combined Delta Force/SAS squad who had been en route for extracting the President.

Trumbull's staff discover one London building owned under one of Barkawi's companies, which British intelligence says is under construction but has been drawing an unexpected amount of power, and they believe this is where Barkawi's headquarters are. Banning joins the squad as they assault the terrorist-guarded building, and infiltrates the building as Kamran starts to beat up the President. Just before 8 pm, Banning arrives at the room Kamran is in, wounds him and rescues Asher, before ordering the SAS commander to blow up the building as he and Asher take shelter in an elevator shaft; the blast wipes Kamran and the other terrorists out. As Asher and Banning are safely escorted out for extraction, Trumbull contacts Barkawi, informs him that they have recovered the President, and that he should look outside. Barkawi has only moments before he is killed in a drone strike, despite his vows that the war will continue. Meanwhile, Jax discovers that Barkawi had been aided by MI5 Intelligence Chief John Lancaster (Patrick Kennedy), and is forced to kill him when he attempts to kill her before she can tell anyone else.

Two weeks after the attack on London, Banning is home spending time with Leah and their newborn child, named Lynne after his deceased boss. He sits in front of his laptop and contemplates sending his letter of resignation. On TV, Trumbull speaks regarding the recent events, leaving an inspiring message that the United States will prevail. This convinces Banning to delete the letter.