Rating: 
Summary: Wow, how far has Arnold fallen?
Review: What an unbeleivable piece of garbage. Aside from cameos by John Leguizamo and John Turturro, this film was an unbeleivable waste of time about a fireman attempting revenge for the deaths of his family.
This is a feeble attempt by Arnold to relive his glory days when he was a box office draw.
The release was pushed back due to the events of 9/11, but this movie is so bad it should have never been released.
Rating: 
Summary: Slightly different action role for Schwarzenegger
Review: While this is not one of Schwarzenegger's best films, in many ways it is one of his most interesting characters. Unlike most of his other films, in which he persistently portrays a man who is a master warrior, adept at employing a huge range of weapons, in this one he plays a regular person who has embarked on a mission of revenge. The fact that he is not, for a change, a super warrior enhances his character's appeal. He may be a bit larger than most everyday individuals, but one would never mistake him for any of his other action roles. The plot overall is not nearly as exciting or tension-packed as one hopes for in an action film, though the ending was one of the better parts of the film. The cast is mildly uneven. For the most part, the actors portraying the bad guys are all slightly more exciting than cardboard cutouts. On the other hand, there are some good performers in supporting roles, like John Leguizamo and John Turturro. One of my favorite actors in movies today, Elias Koteas, has a significant role, but unfortunately it is not one that takes advantage of his considerable skill (for that, see either his role as a strip club DJ in EXOTICA or his performance as a captain concerned for the welfare of his troops in THE THIN RED LINE). One thing truly bothered me in this film, and in most other films where there are over-the-top oppressive bad guys. One member of the bad guy's army messes up, and is punished without mercy by having his mouth pried open and a poisonous snake slid down his throat. This is the same kind of intolerance to mistakes that we have seen in a thousand other movies, and everyone of them is extremely implausible. From Darth Vader to Goldfinger, make even a small mistake, and you get to die a spectacularly cruel death. How devastating to morale this kind of nonsense would be! As if any group could long be held together by absolute terror. Even the Gestapo in Hitler's Germany was highly tolerant of the mistakes of its members. Of course, in films, this kind of intolerance functions as a method of dehumanizing the bad guys, making them into one-dimensional entities. My other problem with the bad guys is political. In most countries where there have been political problems of one sort or another, the problem has come far more often from the political Right than the Left. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church in many cases is on the side of the Left. But in this film, the bad guys are Leftists (notice the pictures of Lenin and Che on the walls of one of the huts), which says much more about perceptions in the United States than realities in South and Central America. Still, overall, not a bad film. I am giving it four stars, but this is one of those cases where I would like to make it three and a half.
Rating: 
Summary: This Ain't Action
Review: In a world of Spiderman, The Matrix and Charlie's Angels, what we don't need is an aging action star wasting millions of dollars making a movie where the main character is running through jungles with an axe on some sort of lame attempt to seek revenge on those who killed his wife and son. Not a complete waste of time, but I hated spending money to see this movie at theaters. I'd have to be out of my mind to buy it. It's an ok effort and surprisingly it's Arnold's acting skills that make it more tolerable than the so called action. If you really wanna see an action movie that will make you go Ooooh and Ahhhh watch Resident Evil or wait for the new Bond movie that comes out later this year, but please don't waste more money on this movie which is barely worth the price of a movie rental at Blockbuster on coupon day.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD SCHWARZENEGGER MOVIE.......
Review: AFTER BEING OFF FOR SOME WHILE-ARNOLD IS BACK! THIS IS A VERY GOOD ACTION MOVIE. I LIKED THE ENDING-IT WAS NOT WHAT I THOUGHT
IT WAS GOING TO BE.........
Rating:
Summary: Not Bad, Not Good
Review: Arnold of 10 years ago might have been more believable in this movie. Now, it is difficult for me to believe that someone his age (or as old as he looks) would have a child as young as his son in this movie. Arnold is over 50 (and looks it) but his kid is eight years old. Not saying it isn't possible, just unlikely. The plot, well... I gotta say its been done better before. Why do they bother telling us he is a fire fighter? It doesn't really play any part in the plot? Anyone with half a brain would know what happens when you light a fire in a gas-filled room. There is at least one twist that wasn't completely predictable. Kudos for that. All in all, Arnold hasn't made a decent movie since True Lies (1994). I will look with great skepticism on T3 because, frankly, James Cameron ended the story with his last movie and T3 is just an excuse to make more money. Hopefully they won't do to T3 what they did to Alien 3 (which also followed a James Cameron effort that ended the story). All in all well worth the rental price of $3.99 but that's about it. 2 out of 5
Rating:
Summary: Arnold's most human role ever
Review: Let's face it. In the 80's and early 90's, when you went to see an Arnold movie, what did you expect? He was some super-hero that was unstoppable. He wasn't your average, every-day Joe on the street. You KNEW he was going to do something so out-of-the-ordinary, but it was still so much fun to watch. The human element of his character was generally never taken into account or necessary. I think with End Of Days, we got to see Arnold play a character that was NOT superhuman. Many people (and critics) panned this movie. I loved it. I thought it was excellent and it allowed Arnold to show more emotions than he did in previous movies. Plus, he wasn't some superhero cop. He was actually a down-and-out drunk. Then came The 6th Day. Again, Arnold was allowed to show some emotions that came from having your life ripped away from you. In this case, he was a man who ran a legit transportation business, taking people up to the mountains to snow board down from. Now comes Collateral Damage. Arnold plays a firefighter, Gordy Brewer, who loses what is most precious to him: his wife and son. He loses them to a heinous terrorist attack from "The Wolf", a Columbian terrorist. The terrorist attack happens pretty early on, but you've already been given a glimpse of how Gordy lives his life: he loves his wife and son. In a split second, that is all ripped away from him. From that point on, you see Gordy slowly change from a person who saves lives to almost becoming the same type of person as the terrorist that took his family away. The action is NOT your typical Arnold action flick with outrageous stunts. In fact, I look at this movie as being on the same lines as The Fugitive, on both the drama and the action. In fact, Andrew Davis who directed The Fugitive directs this movie. The action is there because it is an integral part of the story. It's not there to be gratuitous. The action and violence is a by-product of what terrorism can cause. In this case, Gordy is seeking revenge on the death of his family, not too much different from the revenge that "The Wolf" is seeking for the supposed oppression the USA has put on Columbia. You see Gordy begin to realize this as the story unfolds. Throughout the story, Gordy must rely on his skills as a fireman. He has no special-ops training from the military. He doesn't have ready access to weapons. He must use his skills and his decision-making ability as a fireman to determine how he will go after "The Wolf". Unlike other Arnold movies, this time around the weapons are not easily accessible to him, and his character is not superhuman. It takes every ounce of his strength, will and determination to fight back, even when the terrorists beat him down. There is a twist in the story, which I won't spoil. However, it makes you cheer even more for Gordy. The DVD shows that Warner Bros. is working on adding more features to their releases. There are two featurettes that are both enlightening and entertaining. The "Hero" featurette definitely touches on how this movie is probably good for America after the horrible events of 9/11. They also explain why they held back on its release in the theatres after 9/11. Still, I wish the DVD had even more special features. There are additional scenes, cast and crew info, and one theatrical trailer. This is much better than what WB has brought out in the past. I still like how they packed The Matrix with a ton of stuff. Of course, how much extra stuff could you pack into a movie such as Collateral Damage? This is a worthy purchase. I didn't see it in the theatres, but I definitely love this movie. Is it Arnold's BEST movie? Probably not, but for a movie where he plays a very human character that must rely on skills as a fireman rather than some special combat training, I would say this is his BEST work with a character who must display a wide range of emotions. Arnold is still the king of action in my book. It's just that he's doing a DIFFERENT type of action, which I feel is good for him. I still like Commando and Predator, though! A must have for any Arnold fan.
Rating:
Summary: Arnie... please!
Review: The scripts that must be coming to Arnie must be very limited or somebody really pulled the wool over his eyes. In this film, aside from some of the action sequences, there is very little to enjoy. This films has too many holes in the script to be believable that will generally insult the intellegence of the viewer. If you are an 'Arnie' fan, probably renting the video would be a viable option. However, without such devotion, I would recommend a 'pass' on this one. Wait for a free TV viewing, and only if you have some time to kill. Recommendation from Howie is One star (probably ½ star is that option was available).
Rating:
Summary: Solid action movie on a great DVD.
Review: I walked into the theatre to see "Collateral Damage" for no other reason than to be entertained, and give the movie credit, it was very entertaining despite Arnold's hilariously implausible character. I wasn't aware that all firemen were made to through a Green Beret or SWAT program, because he looks like he's taken a few courses in each. Gordon Brewer (Schwarzengger) handles guns, axes, and knives in style like he's been doing it for years, but since this is an Arnold film I'm able to forgive his characters which frequently defy all belief. In a nutshell this movie is about Brewer's revenge scheme as he hunts down the terrorists who killed his wife and child in a bombing, and tries to stop him before he strikes again. The plot isn't great, what with a fireman somehow breaking into a guerrillas home and all, but director Andrew Davis keeps the film going at a brisk pace, and it's never boring. The DVD quality is also very fine with some good features, and if you're an action movie fan this is one to own.
Rating:
Summary: No sense of humor
Review: The problems with this film are many. First of all, it is an angry movie, in which American anger against Al Queda is being projected on Colombian left wing guerillas. Also 'Collateral Damage' is trying to repeat a success of another Arnold's flick 'True Lies'. Unfortunately with humorless, and zombie-like hero it is hardly possible. The movie main (and only) story is Arnold's quest to Columbia to destroy the guerilla leader who planted a bomb, which killed Arnold's family in the US. That's it. Unfortunately the film is not convincing even in fulfilling this simple task. The Columbian 'terrorists' look like they were just pulled out of Miami's nightclub. The plot is less than basic and dialogs are virtually non-existent. In 'True Lies' Arnold had a funny sidekick, in this movie there is no one to fill this void. When I was younger I used to enjoy films with Schwartzenegger, but lately I came to realization that there is nothing more sad than aging Arnold without his usual crisp one-liners. Particularly Arnold who takes himself too seriously. In short, 'Collateral Damage' is a less than a mediocre movie. To be avoided if you don't want to inflict a collateral damage on your remote control.
Rating:
Summary: Some Action - Plot failings galore
Review: I often wonder who writes 5 star reviews for a movie such as this. Either a die-hard movie fan of the star, or an employee of the studio or movie industry. Out of 5 stars - this is * 1/2 at best. This movie does not compare with Total Recall, Terminator(s) or even the Sixth Day. Predator, Kindergarten Cop (and even Commando) were better movies. The action is contrived, the script is very poor, there is no humor or memorable line(s) which serve to rescue this. Better than Batman and Robin perhaps. Maybe worth a rental. The DVD is average. Save your well earned money on a better movie or take yourself or your kids out somewhere.
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