Plot
Mike Banning, a former U.S. Army Ranger, serves as a Secret Service agent in the Presidential Protective Division. He cultivates a warm, personal bond with President Benjamin Asher, First Lady Margaret, and their son, Connor. During a snowy drive, the presidential state car loses control on a bridge. Banning manages to rescue President Asher, but the limousine falls off the bridge, killing Margaret.
Eighteen months later, Banning finds himself removed and demoted from the presidential detail and assigned to the Treasury Department.
At the White House, President Asher's meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Lee Tae-Woo is interrupted when independent North Korean terrorists, under the command of Kang Yeonsak, launch a coordinated assault, aiming to seize control of the building. Aided by ex-Secret Service agent-turned-private security contractor Dave Forbes, they hold Asher and several top officials hostage in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center, executing Lee on live video for the world to witness their power. Before being killed, Agent Roma alerts the Pentagon that "Olympus has fallen."
Banning joins the initial defense before entering the White House. He disables its surveillance systems, and using Asher's satellite earphone, he establishes communication with Secret Service director Lynne Jacobs and Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull. The acting president is there managing operations in the Pentagon's emergency briefing room.
Kang, leveraging with Asher's captivity, demands Trumbull withdraw U.S. forces from South Korea. His ultimate goal is to detonate the American nuclear arsenal, transforming North America into a radioactive wasteland as retribution for his mother's death, by accessing the Cerberus system, the nuclear abortion fail-safe, which requires codes held only by Asher, Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Joseph Hoenig. Asher urges McMillan and Hoenig to disclose their codes to save lives, confident in his resolve to resist.
After finding Connor concealed within the building's walls, Banning takes him to safety, thwarting Kang's scheme to coerce Asher into divulging his code. Banning kills numerous commandos, including Forbes. Army Chief of Staff general Edward Clegg persuades Trumbull to sanction an aerial assault on the White House. However, the terrorists intercept and annihilate the attack force with their advanced Hydra 6 anti-aircraft system before Mike destroys the guns with an RPG. In response, Kang executes Vice President Charlie Rodriguez.
Banning shuts down Kang's communication network, forcing Kang to expose his operatives so he can execute McMillan publicly in retaliation for Banning's action. Banning ambushes them, resulting in heavy losses for Kang. With their numbers dwindling, Kang stages his and Asher's apparent deaths in a suicide helicopter explosion, sacrificing both his commandos and hostages to conceal their escape.
Banning deduces the ploy and heads to the bunker. With two codes secured, Kang solves Asher's code and triggers Cerberus before attempting to escape with Asher. Banning arrives, and after killing the remaining terrorists, he kills Kang by stabbing his head with a knife. Finally, with Trumbull's aid, Banning deactivates Cerberus with just seconds to spare.
Following the White House recapture, Banning escorts Asher to safety. Subsequently, Banning resumes his role as head of presidential security. Asher addresses the nation, acknowledging the attack's effect and pledging America's ongoing resilience.
