Collateral Damage Review
by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)February 8th, 2002
COLLATERAL DAMAGE (2001). 2 stars out of 4. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, Cliff Curtis, John Leguizamo and John Turturro. Story by Ronald Roose and David Griffiths & Peter Griffiths. Screenplay by David Griffiths & Peter Griffiths. Directed by Andrew Davis. Rated R. Approx. 1 hr., 55 mins.
Comic book cinema. A justifiable description for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Collateral Damage, an ultraviolent exploration of revenge.
Pulled from release last October because of the events of Sept. 11, Collateral Damage’s implausible plot deals with a Los Angeles firefighter out to avenge the death of his wife and child in a terrorist bombing.
Filmgoers only attend Schwarzenegger movies for one purpose — to see Arnold kick ass. And in that context, his fans will not be disappointed.
Of course, Schwarzenegger’s Gordy Brewer gets as good as he gives, yet at the finale he only suffers from a couple of cuts and bruises. As I said, comic book cinema.
Brewer takes enough beatings that if he was hospitalized, his stay would overextend his medical benefits. But no such reality touches the cartoonish world of Arnold Schwarzenegger cinema.
You don't go to a Schwarzenegger movie to be uplifted or hear scintillating dialogue. Most of the dialogue by David Griffiths and Peter Griffiths could be placed in balloons above the characters.
Meanwhile, the vengeful Brewer somehow smuggles himself into Colombia where he is as inconspicuous as Osama bin Laden at a Republican Party caucus.
Within 24 hours, he accomplishes what neither the Colombian government nor their U.S. intelligence allies have been able to do, locate the secret rebel headquarters of the terrorist mastermind, El Lobo (The Wolf).
Of course The Wolf (Cliff Curtis) and Brewer eventually come face-to-face, spouting clichés and bromides.
You learn how evil and single-mindedly brutal The Wolf is when he executes one of his own men by forcing a live snake down his throat.
For what it is, Collateral Damage will satisfy undemanding Schwarzenegger fans. But their star is beginning to show his age — the camera cannot hide all his lines and wrinkles — and the use of stuntmen doubling him is becoming more evident.
The film’s action switches from Colombia to Washington, D.C., where Brewer saves the day and becomes a national hero. But you expect nothing less from an Arnold Schwarzenegger character.
Collateral Damage holds limited appeal to those who like explosions, sadism and seeing people beat each other to a pulp. Brewer even borrows a page from Mike Tyson, biting off a foe’s ear during one bone-crunching encounter.
Just be aware what you are letting yourself in for if you venture into Collateral Damage.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on golafayette. Bloom's reviews also can be found on the Web at the Internet Movie Database: http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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