Rating: 
Summary: Arnold Fan
Review: I've been an Arnold fan since Conan. You know up front that Arnold isn't "doing" Shakespeare okay. "Arnold fans will love this movie"? Meaning what? We're knuckle-dragging morons that don't know any better? I've seen the critically acclaimed films and wished afterward that I had stayed home. For Arnold fans this was a very satisfying effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Collateral Damge-More like Minimal Damage
Review: Collateral Damage, has an interesting plot which makes sense but does not work on its own terms. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns as a superhero who kicks butt as usual, whoa what a surprise. Cliff Curtis, John Leguizamo and John Turturro costar.
Cliff Curtis plays "El Lobo" which means the wolf in spanish. He is a deadly [man], who enjoys [hurting] ant torture. He is basically a maniac, his followers work with him in Colombia and he will do anything to get what he wants. Well back to the main story, Arnold plays Gordy Brewer a L.A. firefighter, who loses his wife and son in bombing in L.A. The bombing is the work of the deadly terrorist the wolf, so Arnold want to travel to Colombia to avenge their deaths. But authorities will not help Arnold and try to kill the terrorist, so Arnold travels there himself, and I think from here on the film becomes borringly preditible or banal. Collateral Damage is rated R for Violence and Some Language. There thundering gun battles, numerous explosions and of course mild profanity. Director Andrew Davis tries to succeed but fails in all attempts to make a good action thriller that will appeal to many people. Though Andrew Davis has done some good action films, mainly and specifically: The Fugitvie starring Harrison Ford. Well, don't expect much from seeing Collateral Damage, just action and violence, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Available to own on Video and DVD, July 30, which is actually Arnold Schwarzenegger's birthday. Don't see this film only if you have to.
Rating:
Summary: Its only true aspiration : Entertainment .
Review: Forget the negative criticism you've heard about this movie - this is the best Schwarzenegger film of the last 10 years .
A decade has past since the great "Terminator II - Judgment Day" had hit the screens . Schwarzenegger continued to deliver films throughout this period of time , winding up with good though more frequently bad films (apparently the worse ones have made better in the box office) . More than occasionally critics have whispered the last rites for is career , with "Collateral Damage" Arnold comes forward and says : "not yet" , but it might be one of the last times .The plot -
-------- In a nutshell , Columbian terrorists blow a bomb in L.A , for reasons later explained in the movie , killing Gordon Brewer's (Schwarzenegger) wife and son . On account of the incompetence of the authorities to find the ones responsible and bring them to justice , Gordon decides to engage his own enterprise to punish the bombers . Sounds familiar ? It is (more on that further on) . The movie can be divided to three parts :
1 - U.S : The Tragedy .
2 - Columbia : The Hunt .
3 - U.S : Final Reckoning . The really interesting , entertaining and exciting stuff is in the third part , which takes place after about 1 hour and 15 minutes . Before that , the movie was the usual action flick : Okay to watch but no more . This epilogue makes the whole experience worth the while - in terms of mind-blowing action scenes and more ... Significance -
------------
The message of the film mirror images the message of George W. Bush in the aftermath of the Twin Tower Collapse : Do everything in your power to make the responsible ones pay . There seems to be no doubt about that - Israel government has been doing this for ages . What does bother me though , is the maltreatment of the reasons for which the terrorist's attack in the movie happened in the first place ; The movie fails to illuminate the issues that engaged the strong and violent actions properly . Instead , it concentrates for the most part in the vengeance campaign of Schwarzenegger , probably due to its definition as an action type motion picture . I think it wouldn't be too far fetched , these days , to expect more from a movie that practically recycles the material many of its predecessors have used in the past . Otherwise , why would they want to make a new film based on old substance ? And why should viewers rush to watch it ? Is it only to make money by riding the success wave of summer action flicks ? Either way , the producers could have done better in terms of a balanced and well-explained story . In the end , the viewer has the feeling the Americans have done wrong in Columbia and those actions have made the terrorists what they are . Nonetheless , the viewer does not understand what exactly has been done wrong , why and what will be the after effects of the events that took place in the movie . I believe these things matter in the end of the day if you really stop to think about the movie's contribution to your knowledge about the origins of terrorism . After all , you have invested nearly 2 hours of your time seeing it and would definitely prefer to acquire something to remember . I guess you can't really expect such things from the usual action movies , at least not yet . Suitability -
----------- The producers went out of their skins in this section ; Contrary to what you'd expect , the gory images , shocking sights and violent acts were brought down to the minimum possible without damaging the plausibility of the film . This effort makes the movie approachable for children aged 8 and higher , in my opinion . That said , I do have to point out one extremely bad tasted , redundant and disgusting scene at which a man is murdered using a snake - I advise to skip it when seeing it coming . Its absence does not hamper the wholeness of the film and I believe it was kind of a whim of the director .
Special features -
---------------- This sector consists of two key options .
One includes a number of deleted scenes that add nothing to the movie . As with previous DVD releases , here you can find the shocking images that were appropriately removed from the film .
Another one presents comprehensive interviews with the cast and crew that are interesting to watch . You get to see the side of them that is about making something they see as important and meaningful , rather than just making money . Conclusion -
---------- The movie should have been more successful in the box office after the 9-11 terrorists' attacks that had made it clear that Hollywood disaster movies can become a horrifying reality . All the same , it wasn't a hit , probably due to what it lacked in substance (as I suggested), and also because people didn't seem to buy anymore the concept saying Schwarzenegger was the man to save the day - the passage of years did show its signs on him . All told , see it for pure entertainment - as it appears to be its only true aspiration .
Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Bag For Me!
Review: I was a bit disappointed by this film for reasons that are best described as frivolous and unrelated to the film itself or its subject. The simple truth is that Arnold is getting a bit too old to play these kinds of parts. He looks a little too long in the tooth here to be believed as the father of a young son with an equally young and beautiful wife. His continuing image as the man of iron is hard to square with his actual on-screen image, which shows a man who looks all of his fifty-five years and then some. Perhaps if he were playing an aging international tycoon with a trophy wife he had earned along the way it would be more palatable, but in this scenario with him being an ordinary fireman in Southern California his situation seems laughable. So does the plot, which is tired, overwrought, and so wildly improbable that one's mind reels as the special effects shows him thinking out loud how to get into Columbia to look for his family's murderer even as he does so. He seems to have discovered little known routes into the country on-line, so he must have one hell of a search engine. Again, what unfolds after he makes this journey is so far-fetched that it boggles the mind. Then again, this is an Arnold movie! The action sequences are imaginative and well-choreographed, and he shows a lot of energy and strength still remaining after all his recent health woes, which makes one wonder if he isn't trying to make a point here. His portrayal is strictly by the numbers, and we wonder where the smart and thoughtful guy we saw in "True Lies" or Predator" escaped to. This is mindless entertainment, but the action is good and one can wile away two hours in the big guy's company. One only hopes his next epic effort with the return of the Terminator in "T-3" will give him and his career a much needed boost back into superior film making. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: So close....but so far.
Review: Well it looks like an interesting idea. The injured hero righting wrongs can also appear as a terrorist from the other viewpoint. The film raises some good questions but fails to explore them fully. The film portays well the "Genovese" effect in war and politics. Which means your life is only worth saving if it makes a good soundbite. The Arnie hero gets abandoned all the way along the line until it suits to rescue him. The villian "the wolf", turns out to have the same motivation as the hero, revenge for the loss of a murderd child. I think the original script was probably a lot better before the execs got hold of it and made it more digestable. America is not ready to understand "why" they are hated internationally. In the name of free trade nations are seeing their cultures overrun and will fight to preserve their way of life, just as America would. But I spose that just ain't Arnie.
Rating:
Summary: Decent but formulaic action flick
Review: Anyone who goes to an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie expecting stimulating dialogue and insightful human drama is only kidding himself. Like all of Schwarzenegger's films, this is formulaic and unoriginal with great action footage. This is an unabashed Joe-Six-Pack guy flick. On that level it succeeds nicely. Of course, this film can't be compared strictly with mindless action flicks, because it pretends to be an international thriller, and here it fails spectacularly. It attempts to become philosophical, perfunctorily tossing in the idea that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but the script doesn't dwell very long on this question and quickly proceeds to the next firework show. The incursion of fireman Gordy Brewer (Arnold) into the terrorist camp is so far past implausible that it is comical. The G-men border on goofy. And the idea that terrorists would detonate a bomb with a cell phone is just silly. One wrong number (or telemarketing auto-dialer) and "wham", mission over. The twist ending is decent and at least it is not totally predictable, unlike the rest of the film. Director Andrew Jackson, best known for his direction of "The Fugitive", keeps the film moving briskly and alternates effectively between action and suspense, without letting the improbability of the script act as an impediment. Arnold is still in great shape and athletic as ever despite his heart valve replacement. I have to give him a lot of credit. After that surgery a lot of actors would have been happy to take less demanding roles. Arnold simply shrugs it off and continues where he left off. One still must wonder how long he can keep playing this kind of role. This is a meld of his two favorite characters, action hero and tough guy with a big heart. He gives his standard performance, which is not so much a matter of acting, but rather Arnold playing Arnold with someone else's name. Cliff Curtis is sinister as the terrorist and Francesca Neri is lovely and believable as his duplicitous wife. By Arnold standards, this is not among his best. By international thriller standards, it is brainless and inadequate. As an action flick it is entertaining. Overall, however, I can't give it much more than a 6/10. Action and Arnold junkies will want to see it. Others will probably want to pass.
Rating: 
Summary: Arnold's best film in a long time!
Review: This movie is really good, with a great surprise plot twist, it's totally out of the blue, and will catch you totally off guard!! Arnold proves he's definitely not out of the action game with this flick, check it out!
Rating:
Summary: ARNOLD STILL DELIVERS!
Review: "Collateral Damage" is just, in one word, AWESOME! See it and enjoy it! Movie/DVD Grade: A+
Rating:
Summary: Just like movie popcorn...
Review: What was supposed to be "Arnold's big comeback movie" is actually an average, run-of-the-mill, action film. It is full of explosions, shootouts and chase scenes so it is not a total waste of time as far as action films go. However, it is not a memorable film at all; the sound and picture quality are really good and there is an interesting plot twist at the end but the rest of the movie is quite brain-dead and even boring in spots. A very average action film. Better luck next time Arnold.
Rating:
Summary: Please, somebody stop Arnold...
Review: ...from making any more action movies! This film was a piece of garbage, lacking a good plot, good acting, good casting, and good storytelling. If you want an Ah-nold movie, go rent Predator or T2. This is, hands-down, the worst movie he's ever done. Including "Junior".
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