Simply A Masterpiece

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"Collateral Damage" is a predictable Arnold Schwartzenegger film form 002. It is currently available on NetFlix Instant Download Streaming. The writers are Ronald Roose and David Griffiths. The cast includes Arnold Schwartzenegger, Francesca Neri, Elias Kotaeas, Cliff Curtis and John Leguizamo. 'Collateral Damage' was, of course, one of those films whose original release date had to be postponed in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. In this case, the sensitivity arose as a result of the film's storyline, which revolves around a group of Colombian terrorists determined to strike at targets on American soil. Schwarzenegger plays fireman Gordy Brewer, whose wife and child are killed in an explosion at the Colombian consulate in Los Angeles. Brewer, feeling that the U.S. government has little concern with exacting revenge from the terrorist leader responsible for the explosion, decides to mount a one-man crusade to see that justice is ultimately done. The film, obviously indifferent to its own need for plausibility, sends this virtually unarmed fireman into the unfamiliar jungles of South America to take on what appears to be the entire Colombian police force as well as the guerilla fighters whose actions resulted in the deaths of Brewer's family. Brewer, of course, despite his own inexperience and the formidable odds against him, manages to talk and/or fight his way out of every dire predicament before rescuing his nemesis' wife and their adopted son. I gave it only 5 stars. Dale Haufrect

Collateral Damage (2002): Dir: Andrew Davis / Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, Cliff Curtis, John Leguizamo: Refers to the absent-minded attitude often regarded towards victims of tragedy. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a firefighter who witnesses his wife and son become victims of an explosion that was meant for a public figure. He awakens in a hospital after being struck by a car then realizes that he had spoken to the terrorist briefly before the incident. He ventures to Columbia with vengeance in mind resulting in a complete lack of common decency. A sequence where Schwarzenegger goes down a waterfall looks too lame for words. Director Andrew Davis showed great skill when he made The Fugitive but here he rushes too quickly into action scenes. Schwarzenegger grunts and groans his way through complete absurdity before emerging as the hero. Elias Koteas is cardboard as a cop. Francesca Neri plays the terrorist's wife. Cliff Curtis plays the terrorist whose prime focus is to be Schwarzenegger's punching bag before the film's end. John Leguizamo appears to be part of his worst film since The Pest. Whatever the so-called message may be, this film exists primarily to showcase implausible action and as much violence as one film can possibly contain. The result is a film that should suffer collateral damage. Score: 1 / 10

Collateral Damage was one of several movies that was postponed or re-edited in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In particular, Collateral Damage was delayed due to its themes about terrorism and its marketing campaign had to be reworked. Regardless, the film was still a disappointment. Once upon a time, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the #1 box office champion who could not go wrong. However, his vulnerability showed following the disappointment of Last Action Hero (1993). His star was on the wane following such box office flops as Batman and Robin (1997) and End of Days (1999). Collateral Damage certainly wasn't going to revive Arnold Schwarzenegger's career. In what was ominous signs, Arnold Schwarzenegger's glory days were as good as over. His career was briefly resurrected following the success of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) before he made the big decision to switch from Hollywood to politics, in which he was later elected as the Governor of California.Collateral Damage is about a Los Angeles firefighter Gordon Brewster (Arnold Schwarzenegger)who's wife and son are killed in a bomb blast outside the Colombian Consulate building as well as killing seven others. The person behind the bomb blast is revealed to be a terrorist calling himself "El Lobo" (The Wolf) also known as Claudio Perrini (Cliff Curtis). The Wolf further explains that the bomb was in retaliation for America's oppression of Colombia. Brewster is angered when the victims including his wife and son are considered to be collateral damage. CIA Special Agent Peter Brandt (Elias Koteas) has been tasked to take down The Wolf, but Gordon Brewster wants to cut through the red tape and take down the wolf himself. Also assisting Brewster when he reaches Columbia is a mysterious woman named Selena (Francesca Neri) who Brewster saves from an attack in Columbia along with her young son. Also appearing in small roles are John Leguizamo and John Turturro.The movie itself is very unrealistic and very dated. In fact this could have been a movie that could have been made in the 80's. And don't get me started on the fact a fireman wants to go down and take on the terrorists himself. Get real. If the character was a member of the police, military or even a government agency then the film would have been more believable. But a fireman?! That's where the film fails. Even for an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, this film is notable for his character in an action movie that does not touch a single firearm. Instead he uses makeshift bombs and takes on terrorists in hand to hand combat. It is not realistic to have an everyman take on terrorism and then see him in action kicking butt. Arnold is also on the negative side of 50 which makes him a bit too old to be taking on terrorists that he could have easily done with ease 10 years earlier. The story was very uninspiring, predictable and derivative with several inconsistent plot holes. If Arnold Schwarzenegger was not in Collateral Damage, I would not have given this movie a second thought. Collateral Damage is an unusual miss for Andrew Davis, director of The Fugitive (1993) and Under Siege (1992).While Collateral Damage may have suffered at the box office due to the events of September 11 2001, that aside it would not have made the slightest difference. The film was a disappointment, especially for Arnold Schwarzenegger.4/10.

This film would like to make us believe that that this is a radically different venture for big Arnie. It's not. It's pretty much the same kick-ass, kill-the-bad-guys stuff we've seen from him throughout the years, but, does that mean it's a bad film?The critics would say yes. This film was possibly most famous for getting pushed back a year, after comparisons were drawn with the Twin Towers atrocity on 9/11. However, if you can get past that (and there aren't as many similarities as some people may lead us to believe) and just enjoy the ride, you may be in for a surprise.It's a well put together action flick and, if you're a fan of the genre, it should keep you happy for an hour and forty minutes. Give it a chance and enjoy what Arnie does best.http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/