White House Down (2013)

White House Down parents guide

Heads up on brutal violence. That is past what the PG-13 on the box suggests. Beyond that, no sex or nudity and some strong language.

Our estimate: fine from about 16, higher than the PG-13 suggests, because of the violence.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

A couple

One or two sudden jolts.

Gore

Light gore

Some blood or injury, briefly.

Violence

Brutal violence

Our top level for violence.

Sex and nudity

None noted

Language

Moderate

Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is White House Down scary?

Only a little. White House Down has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is White House Down?

Light gore and brutal violence.

What is White House Down rated, and is it OK for kids?

Rated PG-13. Expect some strong language and brutal violence, so it suits teens more than kids.

What is White House Down about?

Capitol Policeman John Cale has just been denied his dream job with the Secret Service protecting President James Sawyer. Not wanting to let down his little girl with the news, he takes her on a tour of the White House, when the complex is overtaken by a heavily armed paramilitary group. Now, with the nation's government falling into chaos and time running out, it's up to Cale to save the president, his daughter, and the country.

Cast and crew

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White House Down is on our Spies, Thriller on Netflix, Thriller on Starz, Drama on Starz and Action on Starz lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “scary but not gory”

Lists with the same feel: Most violent and Edge of your seat.