Olympus Has Fallen

Olympus Has Fallen has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available in Australia on Stan, and in the US on Amazon Prime Video and fuboTV. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch Gerard Butler work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Available now on Stan — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Olympus Has Fallen arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The plotting in Olympus Has Fallen is tight enough that the twists feel earned rather than assembled. When the White House (Secret Service Code: "Olympus") is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As the national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning's inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President and avert an even bigger disaster. Credit to Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. Olympus Has Fallen came out in 2013. The plot mechanics of Olympus Has Fallen never overwhelm the human cost underneath them. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in Olympus Has Fallen. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Gerard Butler anchors it, but the writing does the real work. If you are going to commit to one crime drama this month, make it this one.