Collateral Damage [Blu-ray]
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Leguizamo, Francesca Neri, Elias Koteas, Cliff CurtisDirector: Andrew Davis
Studio: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Format: Color, Widescreen
Running Time: 108 minutes
DVD Release: April 7th 2009
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DVD Review
Surging excitement and one-man heroics fuel this powerful action thriller from the director of The Fugitive and Under Siege. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a fireman whose wife and child are killed in a terrorist bombing and who obsessively tracks the mastermind (Cliff Curtis) behind it, from Los Angeles to Colombia to Washington, DC. The fanatic plans to strike again in Washington?but how? When? Where? In the scramble for answers, one thing is clear: Collateral Damage is a ticking time bomb of suspense.
User Reviews
One of those glass half empty, glass half full Schwarzenegger films - Rating: 3/5
Collateral Damage is basically Arnold's Die Hard...although his character Gordy Brewer is a firefighter, NOT a New York Cop like Bruce Willis' John McClane...so that automatically makes it a different movie, right? A movie with a lone firefighter standing up to terrorists versus a lone police officer standing up to terrorists is hardly the same movie at all, right?
The politics of the movie are ham-fisted and cartoonish, and the release date was delayed due to the events of September 11, 2001. It's essentially a fantasy that preceded actual events, and there was talk of not releasing the film at all...but investors want a return on their investment, so it was released in 2002.
The main problems with this film are:
1). When a movie hinges on a "major plot twist," it makes it difficult to enjoy the movie a second time, because while you're watching the opening credits, you are already dealing with a "spoiler." There's no "payoff"...you got that when you watched it the first time.
2). The "major plot twist" is every bit as ham-fisted as the movie's politics, and if you don't see it coming from a mile away, the chances are excellent that you don't watch many movies.
3). In real life, when the lone firefighter follows you halfway around the world to seek vengeance and thoroughly disrupts your drug dealing operation, you don't toy with him. You pretty much eliminate him within moments of recognizing him. Firefighter Gordy is toyed with again and again and again because if the terrorists didn't toy with him, this would have ended up being a short subject, not a feature film.
4). The plot gimmick of having Schwarzenegger tell the bad guy that he's going to kill him and then having the bad guy ask "When are you going to kill me" or "I thought you said you were going to kill me" (or some other variant) has been used in other Schwarzenegger films, and other action films that were not Schwarzenegger films, so there's a real slap-your-forehead "here we go again" moment when firefighter Gordy informs the bad guy that he's going to kill him.
5). John Leguizamo's character is not believable, and this is far from his finest acting moment.
6). In terms of movie terrorists, if Alan Rickman's "Hans Gruber" from "Die Hard" is a "10" on a "10 Scale," the terrorist husband and wife couple in "Collateral Damage" falls somewhere around 2.5 on a 10 Scale. That's also my rating for the film, but since we can only give 2 or 3 stars, not 2.5, I'm OK with the unintended extra half-star bounce.
You'll find the requisite explosions (and another plot twist in which the husband and wife are incinerated in a fireball while chasing a running lone firefighter Gordy on a motorcycle...WHO KNEW that among his other talents, Schwarzenegger has the ability to outrun motorcycles...OR ARE THEY?)...but this is one of those movies in which the filmmakers played to the cheap seats. It's not exactly a "so bad it's good" movies...it's more on the side of "so bad it's just bad"...but if you like cheesy "Midnight Movie" types of bad movies, this might be right up your alley. My advice is to take the advice of "Otis B. Driftwood" in Rob Zombie's The Devil's Rejects (Unrated Widescreen Edition): "I set my standards pretty low, so I'm never disappointed."
Entertaining, As Always, Especially With Francesca Neri - Rating: 4/5
Yes, another typical Arnold Schwarnegger film which translates to (a) interesting all the way; (b) very violent; (c) very far-fetched. Here, Arnold is just a plain old fireman but he turns into superhero, doing things only Superman or Batman could accomplish....but it's still fun to watch.
After seeing his wife and kid blown up by Columbian terrorists, Arnold goes after the latter, traveling to the jungles of that South American country and taking them on! In the end, he's in Washington trying to diffuse another terrorist plot. He's amazing. What CAN'T this guy do? Yes, it's ludicrous....but it's not meant to be taken seriously, folks! It's just entertainment for fans of action movies, nothing more.
There is a nice twist at the end of this story and it involves a very intriguing-looking woman, Francesco Neri. I just love that woman's face. She's also in "Hannibal" but I think the rest of her films are Italian. I would like to see more of her work.
There are also some short appearances by two always-entertaining actors, John Turturro and John Leguizimo. Scharwarznegger's action films usually have a fair amount of tongue-in-cheek humor and those two actors help along those lines in this film.
Overall, it's two hours of good escapist fare.
Great Arnold Revenge ending! - Rating: 3/5
I won't bore you with the details. The story is kind of thin and predictable at times, but with enough foreshadowing, you see what's coming. The gratuitous scenes of Arnold getting the crap beaten of him (almost), leading up to the payoff conclusion, is great for those who hate seeing the hero take so long to exact revenge. In the end, the scumbag Columbian terrorist and his wife get their "just desserts." Ahhh...revenge is so sweet - Served up by our hero: The Governor of Kah-lee-fornya
Way Underrated, Great Acting from Arnold - Rating: 4/5
I have to say, my expectations were low going into this, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've seen a lot of Arnold's movies, some great, some not so great. This one is definitely near the top.
Arnold plays a firefighter whose wife and son were killed by terrorists. This is actually a multidimensional character. He is enraged by the killing of his wife and son and wants revenge, tries to be a killer as well, yet at his core, he remains a man who wants to save lives. I was reminded of how good an actor Arnold can be.
Yes, some parts of the plot are a stretch, but frankly, no more fantastical than the story of a kid from Austria becoming a huge Hollywood star, then California governor, all after getting through the door by way of bodybuilding. This movie came out around the time Arnold began to let his political aspirations be known, and I can't help but think it's politics that colors many of the negative views expressed here. Also, this movie definitely took a hit at the box office given its subject matter, following so closely on the heals of 9-11.
If you're on the fence with this one, don't get turned off by some of the poor reviews here. Check it out. Citizen Kane or Chinatown it ain't. But it is a thoroughly entertaining action movie, with a little bit of depth and shades of grays.
pretty good - Rating: 4/5
Not the most realistic movie ever, but it serves its purpose: to make the viewer really angry, take them on a great adventure, and give them some sense of satisfaction. Unfortunately, like most movies that broach the subject, it depicts our CIA in a negative light.
