History Film / WhiteHouseDown

'''Cale:''' No jail for you, you little bitch!\\

* ANuclearError: [[spoiler: The entire plot to steal nuclear launch codes is based on the premise that whoever controls the "nuclear football" can personally fire nuclear weapons; operators at missile silos and submarines are shown helpless to stop the launches as they count down. The US nuclear control scheme is explicitly designed to prevent this - "launch codes" are just a protocol to ensure the orders are real and coming from a trusted source. Ultimately, it's up to the weapon system crews to carry out the orders.]]

* ANuclearError: The entire plot to steal nuclear launch codes is based on the premise that whoever controls the "nuclear football" can personally fire nuclear weapons; operators at missile silos and submarines are shown helpless to stop the launches as they count down. The US nuclear control scheme is explicitly designed to prevent this - "launch codes" are just a protocol to ensure the orders are real and coming from a trusted source. Ultimately, it's up to the weapon system crews to carry out the orders.

** The entire plot to steal nuclear launch codes is based on the premise that whoever controls the "nuclear football" can personally fire nuclear weapons; operators at missile silos and submarines are shown helpless to stop the launches as they count down. [[ANuclearError The US nuclear control scheme is explicitly designed to prevent this]] - "launch codes" are just a protocol to ensure the orders are real and coming from a trusted source, but it's up to the weapon system crews to actually carry out the orders.
** Grenades in the film make an audible "ticking" noise when counting down.

** A tank fires at the terrorists on the roof of the White House. Not only do they survive the massive explosion without a scratch and return fire within seconds, their piddly little RPG-7 manages to [[RuleOfDrama accurately fire upon and completely mission-kill]] an [[TanksForNothing M1A1 Abrams tank]], a tank so durable other [=M1A1=] tanks firing on it wouldn't stop it, and a tank for which videos showcasing it going up against humans with RPG-7s and [[CurbstompBattle curbstomping them]] abound. This is also jarring as the terrorists are shown to possess FGM-148 Javelin missiles, which are specifically designed to destroy tanks.

** Speaking of RPG-7s, for some reason the presidential limo is equipped with a ''[[BlingBlingBang chromed]]'' [[BlingBlingBang RPG-7]].

** [[spoiler:When Walker and Stenz are talking in the elevator, Walker tells Stenz that he knows his story, which wouldn't make sense for him to say if they'd had prior meetings when planning the takeover. As it turns out, Raphelson was the one who contacted the terrorists and arranged things, with Walker not meeting Stenz or his men until they arrived at the White House.]]

** [[spoiler:When Walker and Stenz are talking in the elevator, Walker tells him that he knows Stenz's story, which wouldn't make sense for him to say if they'd had prior meetings when planning the takeover. As it turns out, Raphelson was the one who contacted the terrorists and arranged things, with Walker not meeting Stenz or his men until they arrived at the White House.]]

* EvenEvilHasStandards: At least one of the mercenaries baulks at [[spoiler: the plan to blow up the Middle East]]. He gets shot for it.
* EvilGenius: Skip Tyler.

** ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: On the other hand, the mercenaries are gunned down very easily by Cale. Really, ''both sides'' are useless at fighting. {{Justified}} in many cases because he's with the President, who the mercenaries want alive.

* ''Main/BeardOfEvil'': Good luck finding a good guy with a beard in this film.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: the Media: By broadcasting Emily's Website/YouTube footage on the news, they not only reveal to the terrorists that their identities have been compromised, they plaster her ''[[Main/FromBadToWorse name and picture]]'' on the screen, so the terrorists can identify her among the other hostages and put a stop to her secretly recording any more footage.

* PostNineElevenTerrorismMovie: LighterAndSofter than many others on that list. As an extra jab at the terrorism, early on before the infiltrators are ID'd, one reporter mentions that there was no way that this couldn't be linked to the War on Terror. [[spoiler:It turns out that four of the infiltrators are white and have extensive backgrounds with the CIA.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Walker wants to end the conflict in the Middle East and prevent any more Americans from dying there, as his son did... but his [[KillEmAll preferred method]] of doing so is to nuke the area into oblivion]].

* WunzaPlot: One's an ex-soldier hoping to make the Secret Service! One's the President of the United States! Together, [[TheyFightCrime they blow up terrorists!]]

* CrusadingWidower: [[spoiler: Kevin Walker, Martin Walker's son, was killed in a covert op that Sawyer authorized, and he's determined not only to get revenge for his son's death, but to also ensure that no other Americans die in the Middle East... by wiping out the entire region with Sawyer's nuclear briefcase commands]]. Interestingly, [[spoiler: his wife, when called in to try and talk him out of it, only encourages him upon hearing his justification]].

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: A tank fires at the terrorists on the roof of the White House. Not only do they survive the massive explosion without a scratch and return fire within seconds, their piddly little RPG-7 manages to [[RuleOfDrama accurately fire upon and completely mission-kill]] an [[TanksForNothing M1A1 Abrams tank]], a tank so durable other M1A1 tanks firing on it wouldn't stop it, and a tank for which videos showcasing it going up against humans with RPG-7s and [[CurbstompBattle curbstomping them]] abound. This is also jarring as the terrorists are shown to possess FGM-148 Javelin missiles, which are specifically designed to destroy tanks.

* BatteringRam: During the lawn chase, Cale plans to ram the main gate to escape, but Sawyer points out that the gate is heavily armored and designed to resist attacks of that nature. Very much TruthInTelevision.

* BavarianFireDrill: Early in the takeover, Motts comes out behind a column yelling that they need help so that the guard will be distraced and Stenz can kill him.

* CoolCar: The president's official limo, which the key fob titles "Ground Force One" in the movie, can withstand almost anything anyone can throw at it, and it takes several hundred minigun rounds and a couple well-placed rockets to stop it (but not destroy it).
** HilariousInHindsight when you consider Cadillac One IS [[TruthInTelevision genuinely DESIGNED to be like that.]] Its nickname of "The Beast" isn't just for show!
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: In a conversation with the Speaker early on, the President blames continued hostilities in the Middle East on defense industries and CEO's that profit off the conflict and actively strive to keep the conflict going. [[spoiler:It's likely they're helping bankroll the takeover of the White House.]]
* CovertPervert: In the film's opening, a Secret Service agent using his infrared scope to spy on a couple having sex.

* HollywoodLaw: The characters, particularly Carol, act as if invoking the TwentyFifthAmendment is some irrevocable order that essentially means they're writing the current president off as dead. In reality, this would only last as long as Sawyer was under duress, and his position would be his again as soon as the crisis was averted. Indeed, if they wanted to solve the situation, they shouldn't have made such a fuss over it and done it as soon as possible.

'''Emily''' [''confused'']: No.

* KarmaHoudini: Muriel Walker [[spoiler: allows her husband to continue with the attack on the White House in favor of their dead son]] and is unpunished for her actions. It's probably not illegal to simply voice support though, so there's likely nothing they could do to her.
** However, her acts of encouragement in the situation could be registered as a corroboration of national terrorism. Carol herself mentioned that after the encouragement that she could have had Muriel detained in a federal prison for the rest of her life as a threat to Martin.

-->[[spoiler:'''Walker:''' (to Carol) Killing Hope was the second hardest thing I had to do.]]

-->'''Stenz:''' Your little bitch says you're gonna put me in jail!
-->'''Cale:''' No jail for you, you little bitch!
-->'''Stenz:''' [[BigNO NO!]]

-->"Permission to speak freely?"\\

-->"As the President of the United States this comes with the full weight, power, and authority of my office...''Fuck you.''"

-->"You dim little ''shit''."

-->'''Stenz''': Good morning, Mr. Secretary. ''(Shoots the Secretary of Defense in the head)''

-->'''President Sawyer:''' Get! Your! Hands! Off my Jordans!
-->'''Donnie:''' Stop! Hurting! My! White! House!

* {{Revenge}}: The motivation for the two lead attackers [[spoiler: Walker's son was killed in a secret operation but what he's really angry about isn't that he died but that operation didn't lead to more action in the Middle East (the fact that the weapons his son's team was looking for didn't exist was just a minor detail); Stenz was a CIA operative who was disavowed after budget cuts and had a very bad time in a Taliban prison after he was exposed]].

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:President Sawyer gets one teaming up with Cale to take out the terrorists. Also Donnie the Tour Guide.]]

-->'''[[spoiler: Raphelson]]''': Let me go! I'm the President! I'm the President!
-->'''Sawyer''': Consider this a coup d'etat.

* WorldLimitedToThePlot: Only the White House takes the focus of the movie (around 80%). There are other areas that are featured throughout D.C. (and outside the US itself), but they are briefly mentioned.

* ShownTheirWork: The film makers clearly did a lot of research into the White House's layout and lore for the film.

** HilariousInHindsight when you consider Cadillac One IS [[TruthInTelevision genuinely DESIGNED to be like that.]]

* ArtisticLicenseMilitary: A tank fires at the terrorists on the roof of the White House. Not only do they survive the massive explosion without a scratch and return fire within seconds, their piddly little RPG-7 manages to [[RuleOfDrama accurately fire upon and completely mission-kill]] an [[TanksForNothing M1 Abrams tank]], a tank so durable other M1 tanks firing on it wouldn't stop it. This is also jarring as the terrorists are shown to possess FGM-148 Javelin missiles, which are specifically designed to destroy tanks.

** Speaking of RPG-7s, for some reason the presidential limo is equipped with a ''chromed'' RPG-7.

* ActionDuo: Cale and Sawyer.

* TheBrute: Killick fits this to a tee.

* NotSoInnocentWhistle: Tyler.

* TheMole: [[spoiler:Walker and Raphelson]].

->'''Reporter''': [[ItMakesSenseInContext Oh my God, that's President Sawyer! He has a rocket launcher!]]\\