‘Angel Has Fallen’ Finds Gerard Butler Teaming Up with Dad Nick Nolte

Famous Scotsman Gerard Butler is back for a third go around as good old American Midwesterner Mike Banning, the man who coined the term "Fuckheadistan" as an insult for all Middle Eastern countries. Angel Has Fallen finds the patriotic hero of Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen once again standing alone when he's framed for an assassination attempt on President Morgan Freeman, making me wonder if this franchise is now part of the Deep Impact-iverse.

Anyway, Banning then goes on the run, like Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, eventually crossing paths with his long lost father, played by Nick Nolte. Now, here's where this franchise might actually get me back. Nick Nolte playing a grizzled survivalist/father to Gerard Butler? That's like sweet, sweet music to my ears.

While that is certainly a step toward realism for this notoriously insane franchise, the biggest problem I have with this movie already is that in this day and age, Mike Banning would never be able to clear his name after all of this. Even if there's footage of him saving the day broadcast on television around the globe, 30% of the people will think it's a hoax or a conspiracy or categorically refuse to take the outcome at face value.

This is gonna have to end with him going off the grid with Nick Nolte, potentially setting up a fourth movie where the two live off the land and find themselves in many wacky, odd couple type scenarios. I've got a great title, Franchise Has Fallen. That or Dignity Has Fallen, you guys decide.

Angel Has Fallen swoops into theaters on August 23.