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Director: Andrew Davis
Release Date: February 2002
Rating: R for violence and some language
See it on Amazon
 Believe it or not, this movie was made before September 11th:
A firefighter (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing. Frustrated by the government's stalled investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice, he takes matters into his own hands and tracks the bomber all the way to Colombia.
A firefighter. Losing his family to terrorists. Revenge. Arnold Schwarzenegger. How could this movie miss out? I'll tell you.
Where's the action?
Nine minutes into the movie Arnold loses his family in the bombing. That leaves an hour and 40 minutes for America's tough guy to give us some great action, but it never really comes.
A lot of the movie is spent just trying to work up the nerve to go looking for the terrorist. When he finally does, the action film turns into a spy movie. Although the plot twists are great and completely unexpected, the action is just not there.
On a positive note, the movie does end in a true Arnold fashion with the bad guys getting their just deserts.
The Arnold we once knew
Speaking of "true Arnold fashion", the big guy is still trying to get back into his style of movies. After playing roles where he was pregnant, twin to a midget, and a last action hero, Arnold lost his rough edge that he was so famous for.
This movie is a definite step in the right direction to getting Arnold back into his grove, but doesn't quite make it. In 2003, Arnold is scheduled to star in Terminator 3 - The Rise of the Machines (which reportedly has a 180 million dollar budget). If done right, this movie could easily bring him back to the top action status that he fell from.
Overall this movie is satisfactory. People who love action will want to check it out. Just don't expect it to be another action classic; more like a forgotten title in Arnold's long list of movies.
Related Links:
Collateral Damage Official Website |
