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The 'DIE HARD in the White House' sub-genre of films has recently seen a resurgence in popularity with the double whammy of OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN and WHITE HOUSE DOWN, but LOYAL OPPOSITION: TERROR IN THE WHITE HOUSE got there first some 17 years ago. Unfortunately it's a particularly poor, family-friendly production that plays out just like a television movie, even though it isn't.

The story involves the usual clichéd terrorist attack, with the twist that said attack forces the hand of an elite general to take the president hostage in order to further his own ends and prevent what he sees as global annihilation. Only one person can end the siege, and that's the vice president Joan Van Ark.

Much of this film is ridiculous thanks to the poor choice of protagonist. Van Ark couldn't get much more fake-looking if she tried, and watching her tottering around the corridors of the White House in her high heels and wielding a sub-machine gun is, well, silly. Sadly, for fans of the DIE HARD sub-genre of films, there's little in the way of actual action here, and what action there is is tame indeed.

LOYAL OPPOSITION: TERROR IN THE WHITE HOUSE rounds out its cast with plenty of familiar faces from TV, including Corbin Bernsen (THE DENTIST), Lloyd Bochner, and the ever-typecast Nick Mancuso (UNDER SIEGE 2), the latter chewing the scenery with relish as the villain of the piece. But the film is overlong and underwhelming, and the low budget means it often fails to feel believable. It's not one to waste your time on.