4/5
Surprisingly a very good action movie.
by Mike (Wellington, New Zealand)
"Collateral Damage" (2002)
The released date for this film was delayed after the tragic September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre. I had heard quite a bit about the movie and was generally looking forward to it because I enjoyed The 6th Day, Arnie's last effort. I didn't expect it to be a life-changing experience to free our fear from terrorists after the horrific events of 9/11, but I expected to be entertained.
This movie far succeeded my expectations. It's more intelligent, more entertaining, more interesting, more original, more well-acted than I could ever expect. Of course one thing that did disappoint me was once again Arnie went completely soft and the motivations are all good-willed and stuff, he's not a cool bad[boy] anymore! However he still makes for a decent watch, also giving in a great performance as Gordon, our main man. Schwarzenegger was able to portray the tense expressions and great action stunts as well expect from him. But he also turned in what I found to be somewhat of a more subtle performance than usually, he had some great shock and dramatic acting scenes, and I think he could be really more than an action actor with big muscles, even if that's what we'll remember him as.
As for the rest of the cast, they turn in pretty decent performances. Cliff Curtis once again playing the bad guy is generally threatening. Francesca Neri (last year's underused Hannibal star) does pretty good as the mum caught in the middle. John Turturro and John Leguizamo were great comic relief and entertained me a lot. But Leguizamo's drug-making scenes were totally unnecessary to the whole plot of the movie.
This is yet another one of those twist-in-the-end movies (much like last year's The 6th Day, Arnie's box office hit) and it completely surprised me. The twist does have a couple of plot holes, but overall it worked. I was very pleased with the way it explained the twist, it made me understand the movie a whole lot better. Sometimes it doesn't make such perfect sense though.
The action sequences in this movie are entertaining, and very well filmed. They also have a certain cleverness to them (they're not just there because they are) and each of them delivers in a big way. They are also very well directed and the director of photography catches the atmosphere and important shots. The editing is very good (the fire especially looked very real) and the music used the perfect instruments (refreshingly different sounds!) to portray the excitement.
All that said, I felt the movie was a little too long at about 2 hours, and it had some unnecessary scenes (Elias Koteas wasn't really essential, and neither was the whole John Leguizamo drug back-story). However, this movie remained an entertaining, enjoyable, smart and thought-provoking dramatic actioner.
MY GRADE: B+
3/5
Decent but formulaic action flick
by (Atlanta, GA)
Anyone who goes to an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie expecting stimulating dialogue and insightful human drama is only kidding himself. Like all of Schwarzenegger's films, this is formulaic and unoriginal with great action footage. This is an unabashed Joe-Six-Pack guy flick. On that level it succeeds nicely.
Of course, this film can't be compared strictly with mindless action flicks, because it pretends to be an international thriller, and here it fails spectacularly. It attempts to become philosophical, perfunctorily tossing in the idea that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but the script doesn't dwell very long on this question and quickly proceeds to the next firework show.
The incursion of fireman Gordy Brewer (Arnold) into the terrorist camp is so far past implausible that it is comical. The G-men border on goofy. And the idea that terrorists would detonate a bomb with a cell phone is just silly. One wrong number (or telemarketing auto-dialer) and "wham", mission over.
The twist ending is decent and at least it is not totally predictable, unlike the rest of the film. Director Andrew Jackson, best known for his direction of "The Fugitive", keeps the film moving briskly and alternates effectively between action and suspense, without letting the improbability of the script act as an impediment.
Arnold is still in great shape and athletic as ever despite his heart valve replacement. I have to give him a lot of credit. After that surgery a lot of actors would have been happy to take less demanding roles. Arnold simply shrugs it off and continues where he left off. One still must wonder how long he can keep playing this kind of role.
This is a meld of his two favorite characters, action hero and tough guy with a big heart. He gives his standard performance, which is not so much a matter of acting, but rather Arnold playing Arnold with someone else's name. Cliff Curtis is sinister as the terrorist and Francesca Neri is lovely and believable as his duplicitous wife.
By Arnold standards, this is not among his best. By international thriller standards, it is brainless and inadequate. As an action flick it is entertaining. Overall, however, I can't give it much more than a 6/10. Action and Arnold junkies will want to see it. Others will probably want to pass.
4/5
Solid action movie on a great DVD.
by Fred Winkle (Vancouver, Canada)
I walked into the theatre to see "Collateral Damage" for no other reason than to be entertained, and give the movie credit, it was very entertaining despite Arnold's hilariously implausible character. I wasn't aware that all firemen were made to through a Green Beret or SWAT program, because he looks like he's taken a few courses in each. Gordon Brewer (Schwarzengger) handles guns, axes, and knives in style like he's been doing it for years, but since this is an Arnold film I'm able to forgive his characters which frequently defy all belief.
In a nutshell this movie is about Brewer's revenge scheme as he hunts down the terrorists who killed his wife and child in a bombing, and tries to stop him before he strikes again. The plot isn't great, what with a fireman somehow breaking into a guerrillas home and all, but director Andrew Davis keeps the film going at a brisk pace, and it's never boring. The DVD quality is also very fine with some good features, and if you're an action movie fan this is one to own.
3/5
Arnold is back!
by (Indianapolis, IN United States)
When I saw 'End of Days', I thought Schwarzenegger's days were over. Then he proved me partly wrong in 'The Sixth Day' which was a better film than the previous one. And now Arnold makes a solid comeback in 'Collateral Damage', doing what he does best. This is a typical Schwarzenegger film, filled with mind-blowing action sequences.
Arnold plays firefighter 'Gordy' Gordon whose wife and kid are killed in a terrorist bombing. As is always the case in his films, the government machinery takes its own sweet time to try to catch the Columbian terrorist and Arnold, in spite of warnings from everyone, decides to go after the terrorist on his own. Arnold does get the terrorist in the end, but there is a surprising twist that makes the climax very worthwhile.
Schwarzenegger plays the role of a firefighter with consummate ease, starting from the daring rescue mission in the first scene, right down to the action-packed last scene. Surprisingly, he even shows good acting skills in some scenes. The action is tailor-made for Arnold, whose age does not seem to have hindered him in being at his physical best.
Overall, Schwarzenegger delivers in 'Collateral Damage'!
4/5
Arnold's most human role ever
by Ivan K. Samuelson (OH USA)
Let's face it. In the 80's and early 90's, when you went to see an Arnold movie, what did you expect? He was some super-hero that was unstoppable. He wasn't your average, every-day Joe on the street. You KNEW he was going to do something so out-of-the-ordinary, but it was still so much fun to watch. The human element of his character was generally never taken into account or necessary.
I think with End Of Days, we got to see Arnold play a character that was NOT superhuman. Many people (and critics) panned this movie. I loved it. I thought it was excellent and it allowed Arnold to show more emotions than he did in previous movies. Plus, he wasn't some superhero cop. He was actually a down-and-out drunk.
Then came The 6th Day. Again, Arnold was allowed to show some emotions that came from having your life ripped away from you. In this case, he was a man who ran a legit transportation business, taking people up to the mountains to snow board down from.
Now comes Collateral Damage. Arnold plays a firefighter, Gordy Brewer, who loses what is most precious to him: his wife and son. He loses them to a heinous terrorist attack from "The Wolf", a Columbian terrorist.
The terrorist attack happens pretty early on, but you've already been given a glimpse of how Gordy lives his life: he loves his wife and son. In a split second, that is all ripped away from him. From that point on, you see Gordy slowly change from a person who saves lives to almost becoming the same type of person as the terrorist that took his family away.
The action is NOT your typical Arnold action flick with outrageous stunts. In fact, I look at this movie as being on the same lines as The Fugitive, on both the drama and the action. In fact, Andrew Davis who directed The Fugitive directs this movie.
The action is there because it is an integral part of the story. It's not there to be gratuitous. The action and violence is a by-product of what terrorism can cause. In this case, Gordy is seeking revenge on the death of his family, not too much different from the revenge that "The Wolf" is seeking for the supposed oppression the USA has put on Columbia. You see Gordy begin to realize this as the story unfolds.
Throughout the story, Gordy must rely on his skills as a fireman. He has no special-ops training from the military. He doesn't have ready access to weapons. He must use his skills and his decision-making ability as a fireman to determine how he will go after "The Wolf". Unlike other Arnold movies, this time around the weapons are not easily accessible to him, and his character is not superhuman. It takes every ounce of his strength, will and determination to fight back, even when the terrorists beat him down. There is a twist in the story, which I won't spoil. However, it makes you cheer even more for Gordy.
The DVD shows that Warner Bros. is working on adding more features to their releases. There are two featurettes that are both enlightening and entertaining. The "Hero" featurette definitely touches on how this movie is probably good for America after the horrible events of 9/11. They also explain why they held back on its release in the theatres after 9/11.
Still, I wish the DVD had even more special features. There are additional scenes, cast and crew info, and one theatrical trailer. This is much better than what WB has brought out in the past. I still like how they packed The Matrix with a ton of stuff. Of course, how much extra stuff could you pack into a movie such as Collateral Damage?
This is a worthy purchase. I didn't see it in the theatres, but I definitely love this movie. Is it Arnold's BEST movie? Probably not, but for a movie where he plays a very human character that must rely on skills as a fireman rather than some special combat training, I would say this is his BEST work with a character who must display a wide range of emotions. Arnold is still the king of action in my book. It's just that he's doing a DIFFERENT type of action, which I feel is good for him. I still like Commando and Predator, though!
A must have for any Arnold fan.
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