The Has Fallen movies have a memorable protagonist in Gerard Butler's Mike Banning, but they have a problem with memorable villains - here's how the series can fix that. Die Hard inspired a wave of similiar movies like the Under Siege films or Air Force One, but by the end of the '90s, that subgenre largely died out. 2013's Olympus Has Fallen was a throwback to that style of action movie, and while it had its share of flaws - including some wobbly CGI - it struck a chord with audiences. The movie grossed over $170 million worldwide, and a sequel was soon confirmed.
A follow-up couldn't see the White House being seized again, so it upped the stakes to an entire city. London Has Fallen saw Butler's Secret Service agent Banning - who should crossover with The Expendables - having to keep the President safe during an attack on the UK capital, and was an even bigger success than the first entry. The third movie Angel Has Fallen dialed things back, with Banning going on the run when he's framed for an assassination attempt. For many critics, the third entry was arguably the best, especially thanks to Nick Nolte's oddly heartfelt performance as Mike's estranged father.
That said, the overall critical reception to the Has Fallen saga has been mixed to poor, as they're often dismissed as meatheaded action flicks. Of course, there's truth to that accusation, especially where the second entry is concerned. One thing the series has been lacking is a truly great villain, which is a lesson it failed to learn from Die Hard or its descendants like The Rock. In Olympus Has Fallen - which beat White House Down at the box office - Banning faced off with Die Another Day's Rick Yune as a North Korean ultra-nationalist and while Yune brought a solid mix of charm and nastiness to the part, his most memorable scene was his demise. London Has Fallen's Barkawi (Alon Moni Aboutboul) barely has any screentime, while Angel Has Fallen's antagonist Jannings is only interesting because he's played by the great Danny Huston. The actor gave that stock role some gravitas, but if the Has Fallen movies want villains to linger in the memory, they need to cast an actor who can convincingly match Butler.
Die Hard had Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), Under Siege had Tommy Lee Jones and Air Force One had Gary Oldman. Even if they weren't all necessarily physical matches for the movie's heroes, they still felt like powerful adversaries. The Has Fallen movies would do well to give Butler's Mike an opponent who is both a physical and intellectual challenge. A match-up between Dave Bautista and Butler, for example, would give the planned fourth outing Night Has Fallen the charge it needs. Likewise, somebody of Josh Brolin, Jason Statham or Butler's Law Abiding Citizen co-star Jamie Foxx's caliber would help inject the next entry with something fresh.
The Die Hard rip-offs of old knew it was just as important to have a great villain as a hero, and Night Has Fallen could really benefit from a bad guy who feels like an actual threat. There may not be many name performers willing to commit to the fourth entry of an ongoing action series, but Mike deserves a villain who is going to make him work for his victory.