Gerard Butler finds extraordinary toughness in real situations: Vic Armstrong

Gerard Butler’s Mike Banning is set to return with Angel Has Fallen, as the tough secret service agent. First he had to rescue the US president after a terrorist attack on the White House, in the film Olympus Has Fallen, and then he went on to save a whole group of world leaders in London Has Fallen.Now Banning is back in action with Angel Has Fallen, which opens in Indiathis August 23rd by PVR Pictures and MVP Entertainment.

As Butler goes from hunter to hunted, overseeing the scorching action were prolific stunt coordinator, Greg Powell, and legendary action unit director, Vic Armstrong. Talking about his experience working on the film Armstrong says, “On Angel Has Fallen, we took everything bigger and faster in every moment: we have fast boats, fast trucks, fast drones, and huge explosions. The audience is going to love it.” The film kicks off with one of its most heart-pounding sequences as a swarm of AI-driven drones turns President Trumbull’s contemplative fishing retreat into all-out war.

While everyone was bringing their most ambitious ideas, Armstrong adds that the action works mainly because Butler brings so much veracity to everything Banning does, from dodging bullets to hand-to-hand combat to commandeering President Trumbull through explosions. That’s what brings the believability. “Gerry is a different kind of action hero,” Armstrong observes. “He’s not Dwayne Johnson or Schwarzenegger. He is more an ordinary guy who finds extraordinary toughness in these very real situations. He’s driven by grit and determination as much as anything—and no matter how big the sequence, that idea was always the core of the action.”

Helmed by Ric Roman Waugh, Angel Has Fallen also stars Morgan Freeman, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lance Reddick, Tim Blake Nelson, Piper Perabo, Nick Nolte and Danny Huston.