Collateral Damage (2002) User Reviews (350)

I'll show you collateral damage!

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 22 June 2007]

OK, here is the premise. A fireman's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) wife and son get blown up when a terrorist (Cliff Curtis) is trying to destroy some target. He googles "terrorist" on his home computer, finds out who is responsible, and goes off into the jungle to capture him. He escapes. In the meantime, he hooks up with the terrorist's wife (Francesca Neri), wins her to his side, and they go off back to the States to catch him. If that is not the most unbelievable plot you can imagine, then there are some twists and turns that are even more incredible.

But, who cares? This is the Governator kicking some major butt like he did in True Lies, Commando, and many other movies that you and I watch over and over.

Italian actress Neri (Live Flesh) is hot, Curtis (Whale Rider) makes a perfect terrorist, and one of my favorites, John Leguizamo (Land of the Dead), plays a great part. Even Monk's agoraphobic brother, John Turturro, is here. Wow! But, it's all about the damage, collateral and otherwise, that draws you to the movie. The fireman turned terminator turns up the heat (red, of course) and proceeds to erase the terrorist.

Typical but good...

[Thanos_Alfie · 5/10 · 8 March 2021]

"Collateral Damage" is an Action - Thriller movie in which we watch a man trying to find the terrorists who are responsible for the death of his family after the occurrence of a terrorist attack. He has to search and try very hard in order to succeed on his goal.

Although it's a typical action movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger I have to admit that I liked it. It has a simple but interesting plot with some plot twists that made it even better. It does not have something new to add but it's a nice action movie overall. The interpretations of both Arnold Schwarzenegger who played as Gordy Brewer and Francesca Neri who played as Selena Perrini were very good. The direction which was made by Andrew Davis consisted of much action and plenty of suspense so, the goal of the movie was achieved. To sum up, I have to say that "Collateral Damage" is an interesting action movie and I recommend it only to action movie fans.

one of Arnold's weakest vehicles

[Buddy-51 · 28 July 2002]

I remember a time, in the not too distant past, when any new movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was treated as an event. Nowadays, his films slip in and out of town with nary a person even noticing. What's happened? The sad but obvious explanation is that, as he's aged, Arnold has had to make way for younger, more dynamic action stars, leaving him stuck with leftover crumbs like `Collateral Damage,' a dull, lackluster action film that manages to kick itself into high gear only in its final half hour or so.

`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.

There isn't much to say about `Collateral Damage' except to report that the film does achieve a certain tension in the closing stretches, when Brewer returns to Washington D.C. to help foil a plot to detonate a bomb in that city. Thanks to a few nice plot twists, the film ends up not being a total loss when all is finally said and done.

It's never much fun to have to witness an actor in the sunset of his career. But if Schwarzenegger's films don't start improving soon, he may well have to switch to that career in politics he has reportedly been looking into between films.

Not a dull moment!

[tord-1 · 6/10 · 5 May 2007]

This action, is about a fireman (Schwartzenegger) who loses his family to a terrorist's bomb in LA, and then goes after the terrorist when the authorities do nothing, is OK! The pace is fast and the effects plentiful!

There are a few logical problems, like why is it the fireman, among thousands of security personnel in DC, that is the only one going after the killer, when the latter is trying to turn DC into an inferno?!

Lots of good actors, nice cinematography and special effects, in short better than average, but the misses are sometimes bad, like not getting Colombia's map correct! That he can travel on someone else's pass is also amazing.

But it is fairly logical, in its own context, so you don't mind the misses the first time you see it!

Not too bad for a hero, over 50 :-)!

With nothing else to lose...

[michaelRokeefe · 6/10 · 27 December 2003]

Like it or not Schwarzenegger gets the job done. A Los Angeles firefighter pursues a Columbian terrorist responsible for the deaths of his wife and young son. Sporadic action keeps you in your seat with full attention. Enough gun play and various size explosions keep everyone happy. The supporting cast is super. You can love and hate the lovely Francesca Neri. Just plain dislike Elias Koteas and Cliff Curtis. John Leguizamo is cocky and flawless in his small role. And John Tururro with little more than a cameo resembling a raving lunatic. Thrilling finale with its surprising twist. Respectable offering with its original release date understandably pushed back due to 9/11.

An oddly uninvolving thriller

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 21 April 2016]

A deeply average but nonetheless watchable movie for Schwarzenegger, one which is for a change rooted in realism (yet no less unrealistic in places) than his last two movies, the supernatural END OF DAYS and the sci-fi offering THE SIXTH DAY. Here Arnie is given a strong role as the grieving widower you wouldn't want to mess with, and it's nice to see he's still more than capable as a charismatic lead and as a hero in the action stakes. Sadly I was expecting more, especially with Andrew Davis, the director who bought us THE FUGITIVE and UNDER SIEGE, but COLLATERAL DAMAGE is a relatively dark and unexciting film which goes through the paces, working hard to build up some bizarre characters (John Turturro and John Leguizamo cameo) and maintain a realistic sweaty atmosphere when the action shifts to Colombia.

Things only really start to gel for the finale, in which the action shifts back to Washington and there's a great race against time as Arnie tries to stop the bad guys before they blow up another building and waste more innocent lives. This is the Arnie we know and love, with pumping adrenaline action and some cool stuntwork and explosions. Otherwise the plot offers just one good surprise twist and some above average acting (Elias Koteas sails through his role as shifty CIA Agent Brandt) from the above average cast, but the story doesn't say anything new and there aren't enough fights, chases or shoot-outs (Arnie doesn't even get a gun this time!) to justify a satisfying experience for this action fan. The political message itself is just a backbone on which to base the shallow plot and the end result is that you're left wanting a bit more from the veteran performer.

An okay action revenge thriller

[NewEnglandPat · 7/10 · 17 August 2005]

This film is a decent action thriller with an implausible plot that seemed tailor-made for star Arnold Schwarzenegger. Here, our hero's family is killed in a bomb attack meant for high-ranking Colombian officials which sends Schwarzenegger on a vengeance mission to Colombia to track down and kill those responsible for the bombing. Schwarzenegger's trek in the jungles play out like a continuous Saturday matinée serial but the film moves along at a good clip. The picture's stunts are very good and CGI techniques are on a par with today's features. There are some scenes which aren't for the squeamish but anything goes in a film with a vigilante as its good guy. Francesca Neri and Cliff Curtis have key roles in the picture but the film is carried by Schwarzenegger from beginning to end.

Claudio & Wife blown up in huge gas explosion yet they are 100% O.K.

[skytop111 · 1/10 · 17 July 2011]

In an example of Hollywood being at its worst, after Shwartznegger massively blows Claudio and his wife to ashes in a gas explosion, they both suddenly reappear a minute later attacking Arnold.

Claudio and his wife are briefly shown as motionless cadavers yet they suddenly are perfectly coiffed, dressed cleanly, and as strong as ever with no after effects of being blown up. Ridiculous and insulting! Not a single hair is singed, no clothing is blackened or burned, and they are as healthy as horses able to fight Arnold.

Hollywood earns ZERO credibility for producing this kind of poor quality nonsense. Shame on Arnold for being part of such trashy cinema.

Movies are not worth paying to see if this drivel and folderol is what Hollywood produces. The public deserves more....far, far more. This example I discuss was just one of many problems with this movie. Either Arnold has lost his mojo or he was hungry for dollars to make a defectively written movie as 'Collateral Damage.'

Arnold does it again.

[MadBadMovieman · 7/10 · 9 February 2002]

Yes, Arnold does it again. A Well paced action movie with some good performances. Arnie can take and give punishment with the best. After

all the concern for reaction to this movie following 9-11, we felt nothing was improper, in bad taste or poor timing. Not an easy beginning to watch but they did not go overboard on special effects explosions and gore like Swordfish. We know what Hollywood effects can do. They're just not always necessary. The lack of language was not a loss at all. The torture scene with the Slithering supporting actor did not seem to fit but was unusual to say the least.

The plot was a stretch for how successful Arnold was in reaching his prey. Some visual effects were just not that good. Arnold played a believable Character and his pain and rage were well done. Being a parent himself probably helps compared to past movies.

The Twists and turns at the end were done very well. Everyone played their likeable, lovable or hateful parts. Francesca Neri, a new face for us, was convincing, smooth, cool and downright sexy. This role should lead to more for her.

John Leguizamo & John Turturro were Very good in supporting roles. Especially since Arnold could not provide any comedy in this one.

At a least a 6 but I'll go with a 7 out of 10. See it on the Big Screen!

Hollywood Once Again Serves Up a Distorted and Grotesque Image of Colombia!

[Tony-Kiss-Castillo · 5/10 · 4 December 2023]

The Goveranator, "On the Loose, with Dr. Seuss!" When I lived in Colombia, people would say to me: "I never go to those Hollywood movies, always projecting such a lousy image of Colombia!" Hard to refute that, eh! And how about this one? Is it worth seeing AH-NULD one more time? Must answer YES....and NO! Despite having seen a constant decline in the quality of his final films, they are still a cut above a lot of the action movies produced in Hollywood today. So, if the ACTION genre is your thing...The answer is "YES". For everyone else, I think the words "I "YO PASO" are the most apropos.

"Collateral", filmed BEFORE 9/11, with its Colombian terrorists detonating bombs on U. S. soil, passes from the category of Fiction to that of Fairy Tale! The bad guy here is a narco-guerrilla/terrorist named Claudio Perini, willing to sacrifice it ALL...for the "Cause".(All the Colombians I know named Perini are UP-STANDING law-abiding citizens) The most chilling aspect of this film, is a mother so perverse and diabolic, she sacrifices her only son, with the dispassionate air of someone taking out the trash!

Thusly, Hollywood serves up a distorted and grotesque image of Colombia in this movie. Seems to me like the ones experiencing the most "Collateral Damage" are the viewers of the film itself! 5.5*, rounded DOWN to 5*.

It is one of my favorite best action movies of Schwarzenegger and I enjoy it.

[ivo-cobra8 · 9/10 · 18 October 2015]

Collateral Damage (2002) is one of the most decent Schwarzenegger action flicks. The story worked for me, Cliff Curtis was good as the villain, Arnold was great, the twist at the end was nice, the action scenes were fun, and altogether I think it's a very solid movie.For me, Collateral Damage & End of Days are the only Schwarzenegger movies where he actually gives a acting performance. I think both of the films are very underrated and bashed for their credits for it. This one is the 7h movie that in my opinion are his best movies and Collateral Damage is one of them. It is my favorite best movie that I absolutely love. Collateral Damage is above average action thriller very underrated from the early 2002 people just hate this movie I loved it, This movie rules!

Great movie if you like Arnold Schwarzenegger I would recommend this movie if you like a lot of action packed scenes and explosions. Collateral damage is very good movie and entertaining. I love the twist!

"You cannot take the law into your own hands."

While The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and Collateral Damage may not be classic examples of art imitating life and vice versa, the real-life attacks did put a temporary halt to the film's scheduled October 2001 release. And certainly, the film does share a few primary similarities with that day. Collateral Damage's hero is a firefighter, and a terror attack in a major U.S. city -- Los Angeles to be exact -- leads to panic and the main character's own struggles with loss and a thirst for revenge. But otherwise, director Andrew Davis' (Above the Law) Collateral Damage plays as a fun and superficially routine Action flick that's full of explosions and gunfire but that goes above and beyond the call of duty, crafting a surprisingly deep plot, one with a rather heavy emotional undercurrent -- even beyond the loss of the main characters' family -- and a few quality twists and turns that keep the movie fresh and its landscape always evolving. While this may not be the quintessential Action movie -- it's no Die Hard -- or even the finest flick to Andrew Davis' name, this is a good, high quality, high yield Action movie, and as is always the case with a Schwarzenegger film, it's well worth seeing if only for the star's presence, energy, and charisma.

Firefighter Gordon Brewer is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to Claudio "The Wolf" Perrini. Frustrated with the official investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice, Brewer takes matters into his own hands and tracks his quarry ultimately to Colombia.

After his family is killed by a terrorist act, a firefighter goes in search of the one responsible.

I love this Action flick How Arnold went on his own in to the jungle of Colombia to find the terrorists responsible for his family murder. I find this very Entertained action film for a Schwarzenegger fan like me. I love this film and I have always enjoy it. Collateral Damage is so much better film than Terminator Genisys ,Maggie or Sabotage were. I don't care about the new movies Arnold is doing today they are all crap, Escape Plan and The Last Stand are his last films that were really good to watch, the rest of the films he did weren't. Arnold stop making such a bad films this days please! I love the action scenes the explosion in all movies Arnold kills the bad guys with guns and knives. In this film he uses plastic explosives and his intelligent skills. The end and the twist was fantastic the action scenes were just perfect. This film isn't above average so stop hating on it.

The film tells the story of Los Angeles firefighter, Gordon Brewer (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who looks to avenge his son and wife's death at the hands of a guerrilla commando, by traveling to Colombia and facing his family's killers.

I disagree with all the haters of this film including Stan Goff this film is not horrible. Terminator Genisys , Sabotage and Maggie are far worst films than Collateral Damage is.

Collateral Damage is a 2002 American action film directed by Andrew Davis, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, Cliff Curtis, John Leguizamo and John Turturro. The film was released in the United States on February 8, 2002.

8/10 Grade: B Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, Cliff Curtis, John Leguizamo, John Turturro Director: Andrew Davis Producers: Hawk Koch, Nicholas Meyer Writers: David Griffiths, Ronald Roose Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 48 Mins. Released: February 8, 2002 Budget: $85 Million Box Office: $78,382,433

Typical

[preppy-3 · 6/10 · 11 February 2002]

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a fireman (for no particular reason that I could see), whose wife and kid are accidentally killed in a Colombian terrorist attack. 10 minutes later he's in Columbia searching for the terrorist.

Typical Arnie film but very fast-moving with tons of fights, explosions, gun play, really implausible situations and loads on violence. But it's hard to watch a Hollywood film about terrorists after the Sept 11 tragedy. In fact, it's downright uncomfortable.

All in all it's OK but very familar and really silly. There was a good twist at the end though. One thing--Arnie is 55 and looks it. Isn't he getting a little too old to be doing this? In some shots he looks terrible!

Ideological story.

[mrphantasm · 3/10 · 5 February 2005]

Imagine this picture: A room full of students, future filmmakers. They are watching a movie, Collateral Damage, an average action movie, but with a big problem an absurd story, an ideological story. The students are learning how to be subtle and convince the viewer of their personal points of views without making their future movies an advertisement. That's why they first must learn what not to do. Collateral Damage is a fine example of how to insult the intellect of the audience and spit the message in their faces.

The bigotry that is palpable in this excuse of a fictional work is unbelievable lame. Every old trick in the history of screen writing is used in a self-indulgent manner. There's even more! Davis is a great director as he proved in The Fugitive, he could mix action and drama in a superb way. But here he fails miserably because his lead actor (Schwarzenegger) is too dull for this role and the action is lack. Schwarzenegger in the last years tried to play new roles. But it seems that the only one that succeeded in creating a different image for the Austrian-American actor was James Cameron in True Lies.

If someone supposes that the writers made an investigation of how is the life in Colombia and the liaisons between "carteles" and authorities of both countries, then it would be wise for that person to read more serious newspapers and watch less movies like this one. This film had its controversy because the people of Colombia felt this movie as an insult. Colombia is a poor country that has suffered terrorism for decades and that is not something that should be used by opportunist filmmakers avid of profit. Collateral Damage doesn't make easier understand the affliction of terrorism only tries to mock of a third-world country. As always there's no movie so bad that should not be seen but it would be best for the health of cinema if pieces like this were not created anymore.

Quite a Surprise...

[Jordan-M · 11 September 2002]

Ok, so we've all seen at least ONE Arnold movie - and you know what they say... "If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all."

This isn't necessarily true in the case of "Collateral Damage". We expect Arnold to run into a terrorist compound in the jungle, guns blazing, unlimited explosives, managing to not get hit by gunfire even while standing still in the middle of a field, one-liners running like water...

But THAT movie was "Commando". Remember?

Anyway, in "Collateral Damage" Arnold is actually a vulnerable character. He gets BEAT UP more than he beats up others. Now, while Arnold fans (myself included) prefer Arnold to be invincible, in this case it works really well. Not just because it moves the story along, but also because it makes the protagonist more believable. Ok, sure, Arnold saying "gracias" to some Columbian bus driver is HARDLY believable, but I think you know what I mean.

You will also find yourself saying "who is the REAL villain here?" on more than one occasion. Sure, terrorists kill. That's what they do. But why do you THINK they became terrorists to begin with? "Collateral Damage" touches on the subject briefly - enough to humanize the terrorist leader, even!

Most of the reviews I've read here have been negative... But those same reviewers were probably Arnold-philes who were expecting something along the lines of "Commando 2". As it is, personally I really enjoyed "Collateral Damage." If not a smart purchase, then it's definitely a wise rental. Check it out and see for yourself.

You Vant Collateral damage?....

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 5 June 2013]

Gordon Brewer is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to The Wolf.

Frustrated with the investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice, Brewer takes matters into his own hands and tracks his quarry ultimately to Colombia.....

After the horrific events in New York, this film was always going to fail. But it's not the film, nor anyone involved with the films fault. It was just plain bad timing.

Take these specific elements away, and what you have is Arnold's best film of the noughties. There isn't many to choose from, but compared to The Sixth Day, and Terminator 3, this is really good stuff.

What I believed irked many though was the fact that this wasn't The old Arnold we knew and loved. Gone were the one liners, gone were the muscle bound antics and Arnold being invulnerable, this was a step in a totally different direction, and it drove many away.

The premise is pure Schwarzeneggar, but with such a tough subject matter, you can't really have a grieving father and husband quipping in every instance.

The support are fantastic, Curtis is on form as usual, and Tutorro and Leguizamo make some bizarre but good cameos.

it's not the action film you would expect from star and director, but it's a solid thriller, with a great performance from Arnold.

Just don't expect the man from the eighties.

A Nutshell Review: Collateral Damage (2002)

[DICK STEEL · 6/10 · 1 November 2005]

This was one of the films whose release schedule was affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, because its content touched a raw nerve, having depicted terrorists detonating bombs in downtown Los Angeles, and planning another at Washington DC. Even when released finally in 2002, the big budgeted action sequences did not succeed in making the film a decent box-office success.

It was also Arnold Schwarzenegger's last few films before he ran for Governor, and in this film, he plays yet another heroic figure, a fireman called Gordy Brewer whose intrinsic responsibility is to save lives. However, his family became collateral damage in a Columbian freedom fighter's bringing of terror onto the shores of the USA, and this caused an about turn in Brewer's character into a life-taker, seeking revenge.

Given that the government's hands are tied, Brewer decides to go at it alone, planning to go after The Wolf whose organization admitted responsibility to the bombings that killed his wife and child. The movie then plods along as we follow Brewer's infiltration into Columbia and to the terrorist organization's base camp. He meets up too with The Wolf's wife and kid, and somehow forms a bond with them, given his own loss.

The action contains nothing much that has never been seen before, so those who are expecting thrills and spills along the lines of the fantastic Arnold vehicle True Lies will be disappointed. However, things pick up towards the last 30 minutes into the show, as the plot contains a slight twist that catches you off guard and makes you go "now why didn't I think of that". It kinda plays on the assumptions of man, and why couldn't it be possible I'd say.

The violence begets violence message in this movie is obvious from the onset, and makes you wonder about the world today with the terrorist threat always looming. Some scenes like the planned attack on the train station might also ring too close for comfort, given that real train attacks in Madrid and London did happen since the movie's release.

Nonetheless, this movie is still watchable, and perhaps it is inevitable that you wonder why Arnie's star seemed to fade out during his last few films. Perhaps it's too much of the same thing without much variation on the heroic action. Nothing much can be said of Arnie's acting, but it's pretty amazing the amount of mayhem a lone fireman can inflict! Code 1 DVD Extras: Audio commentary by director Andrew Davis, additional deleted scenes, and two documentaries: A Behind the Scenes and one titled "The Hero In A New Era" containing mostly interviews with Arnie and Andrew Davis.

"Collateral"? No, This is Brain Damage!

[EdYerkeRobins · 1/10 · 9 February 2002]

The initial irony about "Collateral Damage" is that it almost became that itself - an "innocent victim" of the small Hollywood fallout after 9/11/2001, delayed for months because its plot happened to involve violent revolutionaries and bombs at a time when thousands lost their lives due to a tragedy of terrorists and bombs. Had the film been released at its intended date, it could've held more meaning and may have even been "forgiven" for being rather dull and unmemorable, due to leading man Schwarzenegger's ever-increasingly-fading action star status.

The film, textbook Arnold Schwarzenegger, has one major flaw: Arnie's getting old. He has noticeably less hair, and his trademark accent doesn't seem as pronounced as it used to be. His "invincible/robotic action hero" style also seems lacking, and he isn't even given any cool "sarcastic action hero catch phrases"! The last problem (arguably the worst, especially seeing how "I'll be back..." is still a major part of his reputation today) is made even worse since nobody has any such lines; even the sole comic relief character, an employee at a drug camp with dreams of being a rapper, is killed off but a few minutes after introduction. A potentially shocking swerve is handled fairly well until it becomes immediately obvious during its setup. There's a relatively impressive explosion/climactic battle sequence, but other than that, there's not much to like in this film.

There is one interesting thing about the film, that being that, made before 9/11 but released after, it is not a total propaganda piece. Arnold hardly oozes patriotism, and the script is even fair enough to present the truth that, though the Columbian rebels may indeed be a villainous lot who conduct heartless acts of terror, that their reason for fighting and their actions can be traced back to similar actions against their own countrymen by the U.S. government. The film-makers even let an intelligence agent who is seen commanding the slaughter of a rebel camp get killed.

Had the film been released as coincidentally intended almost immediately after 9/11 (and really, the fact that it was "too controversial" at the time is rather ludicrous, since the explosion from the beginning and the explosion averted at the end are nowhere near on level with the events of 9/11, unless the controversy referred to was the admission of the U.S. causing the trouble in Columbia), it would've no doubt gained at least a low level of appreciation just because Arnie kills some terrorists. Now that the media has overdone patriotism everywhere else, however, even that part of its concept seems too weak and gimmicky to be taken seriously.

this movie has quality

[riff-18 · 7/10 · 15 December 2010]

I hope folks get a chance to read this before not watching the movie due to poor reviews elsewhere.

OK, lets get one thing straight, I AM the MOST analytical film critic on Earth. If anything is far fetched, unbearable or downright beyond belief then I am the first to see it and say it ! I was astonished how little (if any) 'beyond plausible' moments there were. In fact I haven't seen a more feasible action movie in a long time. Many action movies are beyond cartoon level of ridiculous.

IE 'Commando' had excruciating moments of 'cant happen' action like 20 militia shooting machine guns at Arnie from 30 feet without hitting him once NOW THATS UNBEARABLE TRASH ! This movie never went beyond reality, sure there were many explosions and gun fights but the director seemed to be trying hard to keep a reality level of good guy/bad guy action throughout.

The scenes went from the bustling city center to the dense quiet of jungle keeping good visual variety.

The acting was all decent and even at my critical best I did not have any problems with it. No actor tried too hard (making it hammy) yet they all tried hard enough (making it quality).

The camera work was smooth and stylish enough to keep the film flowing without much distraction.

The storyline had a nice touch to it near the end that put icing on an already decent cake.

To summarise - good acting, camera work, directing, storyline, scenery and good vs evil emotion made this an enjoyable movie.

Not Aliens or Shawshank Redemption level but has quality all the same.

Go rent "Commando" instead - 1/10

[otoka · 1/10 · 13 August 2002]

Another big payday for Arnold, and yet, another piece of Collateral Garbage. Can Arnold read anything besides dollar signs? Go rent "Commando" instead for a good, unbelievable, escapism flick... I don't expect much from Arnold but the only thing controversial about this movie was the hype about the controversey that could only help promote it beyond it's own stupidity... Bad acting, bad casting, poor effects, and not even controversial. WASTE OF TIME and a CURE FOR INSOMNIA!!! SKIP IT!!!

Schwarzenegger Saves the World Again - or does he?

[dromasca · 6/10 · 8 September 2002]

I do not like Schwarzenegger, and really need to be dragged into seeing his movies. I rented this one, more because of the story around, and because this is one of the first post 9/11 movies dealing with terrorism. I was curious how the Americans - who love wining on screen even the wars that they lost - will deal with this so painful actual theme.

Not to be mistaken, this is just a Schwarzenegger movie - it cannot get to good, it can't be true, and you should not expect any psychological or artistic revelation about the roots of terror, or the pains of the victims. Arnold will take the gun and solve it all his way. Moreover, the film was made neutral and politically correct by picking some consensus bad guys of Colombian descent.

So, if you are in the mood to see Schwarzy saving again the world (or just some historical buildings in Washington DC) from terrorists go to see it. It is a decent action film, not as good as Terminator, but better then many other. If you have enough with the terrorist theme in your real life, or if you are looking for some artistic truth, or just for a good movie - pick something else.

about as good as last action hero

[maybe · 1/10 · 8 February 2002]

Arnie's back and with plot holes galore, a very HOLLYWOOD version of "the grieving fireman" , filled with tones of acting, fx and script problems, this movie just mindless action.Laughing at the absurdity of this is this only saving grace

1 star.

Entertaining, As Always, Especially With Francesca Neri

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 7 July 2006]

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: very sexy, especially for someone her age. 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.

Elias Koteas plays the too-gung-ho FBI guy. Hollywood just will not portray an FBI, CIA, DEA, or any government agent in a positive manner. That would offend their liberal peers in the movie business, so Koteas plays the lawman you can't trust in this movie. In fact, they make it so you don't know if you can trust anyone in the government, which also is typical Hollywood fare.

Don't believe the national critics, however, if they panned this film. It's two hours of good escapist fare.

If you like True Lie and Commando - this is must see.

[Mr_Sensitive · 6/10 · 9 January 2005]

This is as lease better than his last two previous films (6th day and End of Day). The story follow Gordy a fireman taking a revenge on the terrorist group that kill his family in a bombing of the Columbia consulate.

From the very storyline of the story, you already know what it is like, one man taking revenge on the group of terrorists, yes it is impossible, but if it is Arnold -you shouldn't mess around. The movie really has nothing into apart from great explosion with look very much realistic and very convincing just like the one in Rambo 2.

The actions and the flaw of the movie are right, making this movie a fun movie to watch. Also the movie comes with a little twist at the end which is unlike other Arnold's movie.

If you like True Lie and Commando - this is going to be fun for you.

Rating: 6/10

Stupidity IN MOVIE FORM

[konami9898 · 1/10 · 6 December 2003]

Some guy gets his family blown up by terrorists and decides to do something about it. To be honest, this I think in the right hands this might work but here it sure doesn't. The pure stupidity of the movie is astonding. Not a frame goes by without a cliche. This is pure garbage. And lastly, why did they have to make a rebel organization? Were they worried about lawsuits from the FARC?

Not nearly as bad as the previews lead you to believe

[Dignan_Tenenbaum · 11 February 2002]

"You can't take the law into your own hands!"

So says some guy from some government agency to Arnold. In the preview, this seems like typically horrible dialog for an action movie. However, I was surprised that, in the context that it was used, it wasn't too cheesy.

I saw a 'behind the scenes' thing on HBO and everyone involved was saying that this was something really different for Arnie. Why is it that people say that about every movie he's in? They're all the same! But that's okay. We're used to it. In 'End of Days' he played an alcoholic. We knew this, not because we ever saw him drunk, but because some one brought it up every ten minutes. These are things that we've come to accept about Arnold's movies. So stop telling us that this is something new.

At least, that's what I've felt for a while now. This movie is a little different. It's not a stretch, or anything radically different. But it isn't the exact same thing that Arnold's done before. It is, however, the same thing we've seen from other people before. It seems that he looks at what is popular, and he does his version of that. People like government agents, I'll do 'Eraser.' People like supernatural stuff, I'll do 'End of Days.' What's all this I hear about a movie with a twist at the end being brilliant? I suppose I'll do 'Collateral Damage.'

So is it good? Is it bad? It just is. One thing I am glad about is that is was rated R. I am sick of movies being cut down to PG-13 simply because some people feel that things should be accessible to the "family." Cutting stuff to do that ALWAYS detracts from the quality of a movie. I've actually heard directors say that they needed to take the energy level down on a scene in order to qualify. Why would you want to do that?

Yes, this movie's release was postponed. We all have our own opinions on that and nothing, not even seeing the movie, is going to change our minds.

One final note: Am I the only one who, when watching Cliff Curtis, can only think, "You know what I think? I think you're stealing gold." ?