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Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage

List Price: $14.96
Your Price: $9.08
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I was gripping my seaat
Review: When i went to the movie theater to see Collateral Damage, I have not expected to be transfixed into a seat gripping daze. This movie really made me worry if Arnold comes out alive! Great movie, full of action and great effects.
I'm a huge fan of his, ever since i was a little girl I'd watch action movies with my father, who's a martial arts teacher. This movie is very real since it came out after the terrorist attacks and makes one realize how precious life is. For any action fans this movie is a definate jewel.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ah-nuld's back!
Review: Ah-nuld is back again. This time, he's a firefighter whose family is killed by an international terrorist who is only known as the Wolf. The government's hands are tied at the moment, and they can't really exact the revenge they want for political reasons. Arnold's character gets fed up with this and decides to take on the bad guys for himself. So he travels to Columbia only to be captured by the Wolf. The US government uses this hostage situation as an excuse to raid Columbia and only succeeds in angering the Wolf even more as he returns to the US for more damage. And it's up to our hero to save the day.

It is a typical Arnold film. Lots of explosions, lots of things blowing up. Arnold as the underdog. A very formulaic film. The only redeeming factor to this movies is that it tries to save itself with a twist in the end. Granted it was fairly obvious towards the end, but I'm still glad the writers took the effort to put it in.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: More Than Just Another Action Movie
Review: Current events, as well as personal experience and frame of reference, have a lot to do with the way any movie is received, and without question, after 9/11 the overall perception of certain kinds of movies changed radically. Such is the case with "Collateral Damage," directed by Andrew Davis, which after that infamous day in September became much more than it was before, with an impact dramatically heightened in significance. Because now it's more than just another action film with political overtones; now it's a story to which millions of people can relate and identify, and which for some may even provide a kind of catharsis, inasmuch as it puts a face on terrorism and addresses it on a very personal level, which to many just may bring about some very needed closure that has not yet been afforded by real life.

Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Gordon Brewer, a Los Angeles fireman whose wife and young son become victims of a terrorist attack aimed at officials influencing U.S. involvement in Colombia. Naturally, Brewer wants those responsible brought to justice, and when he discovers that this is not a priority on the government's agenda because of some political ramifications, he decides to take matters into his own hands. He learns that the man responsible is a Colombian terrorist known as "The Wolf" (Cliff Curtis), and that he's already fled the country and returned to Colombia. And though Brewer realizes that what he wants to do is seemingly impossible, he is adamant in his purpose and determines to go to Columbia himself, to find the Wolf and settle the score.

Director Davis and screenwriters David and Peter Griffiths are to be commended for their caring and astute treatment of an extremely sensitive issue. To be sure, at it's core this is an action film-- and they give you plenty of it-- but they keep the focus on the drama of the story, which elevates the stature of this offering tremendously, taking it well beyond what you'd expect from a film of this genre. Certainly, the things Brewer does in this film in reality would fall into the realm of improbable/impossible; but it definitely touches a collective nerve, and cinematically, it works. The action underscores the drama, and it's all expertly crafted and delivered. The F/X are excellent, but most importantly, Davis manages some credible character development, which is really what sells this story.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has to be given a nod of acknowledgement for this one, too, as his performance here is arguably his best ever. It may not be Oscar material, but he displays a sensibility in creating his character and a sensitivity in his delivery that makes Brewer believable, and someone to whom you can relate. Schwarzenegger approaches this story (and his character) from a dramatic, rather than an "action" perspective; gone are this trademark puns, quips and asides that would have been so out of place here. This is simply not the kind of film that lends itself to any kind of comic relief, which the filmmakers obviously understood; it's almost as if they had some prescient knowledge that the theme of their film was going to be too serious to play around with. And their good sense and intuition not only made the film more than it may have been in lesser hands, but it gives Schwarzenegger the opportunity to demonstrate that there is more to him than just being an "action" hero. Older now, he has seemingly matured as an actor; there's still some "Terminator" in him-- there always will be-- but his portrayal of Brewer just may be a pivotal point in his career, possibly affording him expanded opportunities for future projects. His work here is impressive, and hopefully it's an achievement that will be recognized as such.

As "The Wolf," Curtis does a good job of capturing the sense of a man who has all but lost any semblance of his humanity, and in the heinous acts he perpetrates becomes the personification of evil. His is the face of terror and fear, and though his motivations are touched upon in the film, there is no attempt whatsoever to absolve him of his crimes, which is reflected in the remorseless way Curtis portrays him. He's a truly believable villain, which is one of the reasons this film works so well.

Also turning in notable performances are Francesca Neri as Selena, a woman whose presence initially seems indicative of one thing, but which ultimately becomes much more; John Turturro, in the brief, but interesting and pivotal role of Sean Armstrong, a Canadian plying his trade in Colombia; and John Leguizamo, as Felix Ramirez, a guy who manages to prove the old adage that if you play with fire, eventually you get burned.

The supporting cast includes Elias Koteas (CIA Agent Brandt), Jsu Garcia (Roman), Shelley Malil (Doctor), Tyler Posey (Mauro), Kevin Beard (Phipps), Rodrigo Obregon (Rodrigo) and Jorge Zepeda (Rocha). When this movie was made, the filmmakers, of course, had no idea how significant their story would soon become. The initial release of the film was delayed in the wake of 9/11, which was wise; any time before now would have been too soon. Now, however, "Collateral Damage" seems entirely appropriate, inasmuch as it is a reflection of something that is all too real, and a reminder of things we'd just as soon forget, but must not. It may be more disconcerting than entertaining, but then again, so is life. Be advised, this one hits close to home; but thankfully it was in the hands of filmmakers who obviously knew what they were doing, and cared about the message they were imparting and how it was delivered. This is a film that is going to tap into some raw emotions-- and it demonstrates what a powerful medium the cinema is, and what can be accomplished by those with the necessary talent, capabilities and good sense to use it wisely.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Lost all the fun...
Review: That stupid sequence of the snake being pushed inside the guy's throat and that of Arnold ripping apart the poor bad guy's ear are, alone, sufficient to destroy this already bad movie.
Arnold is too old for us to believe him as the perfect family man, and anyway this movie rips scorn upon Colombia in a manner seldom seen before!!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Oh, boy..!!!!
Review: THe only definitive collateral damage that this movie produces is to the already prejudiced fame of Colombia to americans!!
The movie itself portrays an already old Arnold delivering one his worst performances ever... the kind of movie to be forgotten as soon as the final credits begin to appears on the screen. It's much, really much worse than TRUE LIES or THE SIXTH DAY.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: MORE ACTION LESS DRAMA
Review: A family man and firefighter Gordon Brewer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) 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 (Cliff Curtis). 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's a movie, not a guidebook on terrorism.
Review: If you can look past the media attention "Collateral Damage" has garnered as a result of the September 11th attacks on the United States, you may find yourself in familiar yet overall satisfying territory. Featuring a plot that centers around a terrorist attack in Los Angeles, the film was slated for release last October, but was held back for obvious reasons relating to the inevitable backlash of negative criticism. My question is, when are people going to realize the difference between reality and entertainment?

The truth is, Andrew Davis's latest action film, starring the hulky hero Schwarzenegger in a role we've come to love him for, can hardly be labeled a cause of terrorism, nor does its subject matter ever reach a point that could become offensive to even the most fragile of American citizens. In fact, the movie recalls the days when such a movie felt right at home, when seeing the villains get their due justice at the hands of the good guy was actually fun instead of a subject for comparison to reality.

The story takes place in Los Angeles, where firefighter Gordon Brewer (Schwarzenegger) lives happily with his wife and son. On his way to meet them at a sidewalk restaurant one afternoon, Brewer becomes a witness to a horrific explosion intended for a group of officials connected to an ongoing battle in Colombia over the manufacturing of illegal substances. The only catch here is that, instead of wiping out the targets, the attack takes the lives of innocent civilians, including Brewer's wife and child.

His grief turns to rage after an television interview terms the civilian casualties as "collateral damage," leading him to take the law into his own hands. Enlisting the help of an experienced friend, he makes his way into the hot beds of guerilla-operated territory in the jungles and rain forests of Colombia, where he intends to seek out and destroy Claudio Pellini, the terrorist known as "The Wolf" responsible for the attack.

It's a classic seek-and-find story replete with the requisite action sequences, explosive sound, grandiose special effects, and implausible plot twists that are fun despite their ludicrous conception. Take Brewer's ease in getting past the guerilla officials and guards as he makes his way into Colombia by way of Panama, or an underground explosion that crowns the movie's finale. Common sense tells us that his managing to evade guerilla troops and pinpoint Pellini's location would be next to impossible, given that he is a civilian, while the big explosion, of course, stops just short of consuming our hero in a blaze of glory.

Yet, in spite of the story's implausible situations and scenarios, director Davis is able to take the movie where it needs to go, keeping the intensity high and the entertainment factor steady. Schwarzenegger incorporates elements from his previous film "The 6th Day" and his action hits from the past to pull off another type-cast character, and does so in a pleasing fashion that reminds us of his welcome presence no matter how old he gets.

To dismiss "Collateral Damage" on the basis of its plot and story development is silly, to say the least. Anyone who is familiar with the work of its director and main star knows what they're in for, and has no reason to haggle once the credits roll.

Many will charge that the movie hits too close to home with its subject matter. This is a movie, a piece of entertainment, made long before the attacks on our nation. It's not a guidebook on terrorism; it does not advocate such practices, nor does it provide probable cause for those who commit such acts. It is, however, a reminder of society's reliance on media violence as an explanation for the cause of realistic occurrences, that those touched by such events are quick to attribute a terrorist's actions to something they saw in a movie or on television. What ever happened to the word "crazy?"

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Arnold Schwarzenegger is too old for this kind of stuff
Review: The movie is not bad though

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Review: COLLATERAL DAMAGE is the new action-thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Gordon Brewer, a fireman who sets out to find a terrorist known as 'The Wolf,' who killed Gordon's wife and son when he bombed a building. Arnold does a great acting job as always, and Cliff Curtis is good as the terrorist. Anyone who likes Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, or action movies in general, should check this one out!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: anticipation
Review: It is to long in between Mr. Schwarzeneggers movie,s.He needs to be more financialy compensated(paid without hassles). Then maybee he will agree to another grueling terminator movie.


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