Collateral Damage Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The Act Itself Wasn't Personal...HIS VENGEANCE WILL BE [UK tag-line]
What Would You Do If You Lost Everything?
Nothing is more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose
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.
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | Gordy Brewer |
| Francesca Neri | Selena Perrini |
| Elias Koteas | Peter Brandt |
| Cliff Curtis | Claudio Perrini |
| John Leguizamo | Felix Ramirez |
| John Turturro | Sean Armstrong |
| Jsu Garcia | Roman |
| Tyler Posey | Mauro |
| Michael Milhoan | Jack |
| Rick Worthy | Ronnie |
| Raymond Cruz | Junior |
| Lindsay Frost | Anne Brewer |
| Ethan Dampf | Matt Brewer |
| Jorge Zepeda | Rocha |
| Miguel Sandoval | Joe Phipps |
| Andrew Davis |
5.10 out of 10 (13294 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Worst Arnie Action film.
posted on 26 Aug 2009I'm a big Arnie fan, I love nearly all his action films (although I missed Hercules) or at least like them. But this was dreadful, it had poor poor action, awful storyline and having Arnie looking constipated through out the whole filmAnd most criminal of all, there were no Arnie one-liners (apart from "you can be the a*****e" which is pretty lame by his standards).Definately his worst action film ever, even Last action hero was better than this.
Repugnant on many levels.
posted on 26 Aug 2009I love Arnold's body of work, right down to the laserdisc of the Last Picture Show that I bought. So I was increasingly flabbergasted as this "thing" revealed itself on home video. Am using the term "thing" because the photoplay lacks a discernable story, and therefore does not qualify as a movie. I mean, are we to hate a terrorist just because he has caused an explosion? Well then, does that not make Arnold the villian? Surely his body count is higher. But, this story makes him the protagonist, you see, he has a REASON to kill. Don't the terrorists have their reasons? Oh yeah, we're not supposed to examine their grievences as they are not on our bandwagon, but this film is so vague about characters' motivations that the set pieces seem contrived.
... {SPOILERS} ... To be fair, I became uncomfortable when the film revealed the context of the title to be the spark for Arnold's rage. Here, a Columbian ascribes the death of Arnold's wife and child to collateral damage. Collateral damage is a denouement invented by the US military machine to make our killing of the innocent less aggregious. We use it all the time! Should we then cheer when some victim of OUR collateral damage gets loose on our shores and begins blowing things up?
A good story gives you something to root for. In this film, it's the credits.
Better than Average Arnold film
posted on 16 Aug 2009When I first heard that Arnold Schwarzenegger's film, Collateral Damage, was being delayed due to its content after 9/11 and it took place in Colombia, South America, I knew I would have to watch it. My wife was born in Colombia, so I thought it would be interesting to see what she felt was accurate or totally fictitious in how the film represented her country. We waited until it was shown on cable, and her first response was that she was entertained. She enjoyed seeing many Mexican people and sites being touted as Colombian. She enjoyed hearing many Hispanic people who only knew English try to speak their lines in Spanish, and do this poorly. She enjoyed seeing an Italian actress portray the Colombian wife of a terrorist. From my point of view, as a Maryland, USA citizen, nothing looked abnormal to me. I was fully entertained by Arnold's typical brawny acting and the story unfolded with its twists like a well oiled drug smuggling cartel.John Leguizamo and John Turturro portray some eccentric characters who Arnold encounters and they were memorable. All in all, a good action movie to while away a rainy afternoon.
not a bad vehicle for Arnold but nothing truly memorable either
posted on 17 Jul 2009Gordon Brewer is a dedicated fireman and devoted husband and father whose life is shattered after his wife and child are killed in a brutal terrorist attack. Vengeful and frustrated by the investigation to track down the sinister culprit (Curtis), he takes matters into his own hands and travels down to South America to try and settle the score himself. The film provides some good, sound, energetic action scenes, and Arnold is in fine form, but the story strains credibility and leaves you with that seen it all before feeling. Controversial due to its release following the September 11 attacks on America, but of little significance in that regard. **½
A solid film with a twist
posted on 17 Jul 2009"Collateral Damage" is a film that parallels 9/11, there is no doubt about that. But, aside from people believing the film to be metaphor for the war on terrorism, it is a good film. Arnold gives a solid, realistic perfomance that, while not an award winner, will certainly please most of the audience. The two best part about "Collateral Damage" is the filmakers, in my opinon, got the politics of the film right. They portray both sides equally and fairly. The other part that is most shocking is the ending itself. I dare not give it away but I will say it freshens up the story almost right when it needs it. My main problem with the film, besides the way part of the film structure, is the cilmax. Let's just say it very "Friday the 13th"-esqueMy vote: A solid 7(out of 10)
Doesn't have "anything to say" but is still entertaining.
posted on 11 Jul 2009About every critic so far who has written a critique of this movie has written it up as a bomb. As far as I can see the critics are divided into two camps, either complaining that the movie "doesn't have anything to say except action and explosions" or complaining about perceived stereotyping of Columbians as terrorists. They are right on the first count, the movie doesn't have anything "to say" in the sense that "American Beauty" had things to say about dysfunctional families or that "Dead Man Walking" had things to say about capital punishment. It doesn't matter. The movie only attempts to be an entertaining Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Like "True Lies" and unlike "The Sixth Day" it pulls this off. The movie takes a fairly simple plot about terrorism and revenge and uses the appropriate quality of acting (or lack of it), direction, set and costume design, and special effects to pull it off. Sure, it relies too heavily on explosions, chases, and fighting, but not every action flick can or should be "Heat". As for the stereotypes, what can you do? Someone has to be the bad guy and the Muslims and Irish have taken it on the chin more times than the Columbians. Sorry if you are easily offended, check out "Patriot Games" and "The Siege" to round out your ethnic terrorists. Anyone who has enjoyed at least two or three Arnold Schwarzenegger movies in the past should be happy with this. You won't be debating the finer points of the plot for weeks, but the movie serves up more entertainment than most.
i have never been so confused
posted on 09 Jul 2009this movie grabbed my attention right away. the premise was exciting, albeit a little too realistic after 9-11, but maybe that's what made it so interesting. after the chilling opening sequence, the movie spiraled into a mish-mash of unidentifiable latino-type people. i couldn't figure out who were the bad guys, who were the good guys, and who was that guy in the helicopter?it would have been easier to keep up with the players if, say, the good guys wore white hats and the bad guys black and white stripes. and while arnold is good in his usual role as the ass-kicker, you'd think that by now he would have mastered the english language with a little less accent.this is not really a bad movie, but it is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination. watch the first ten minutes, then skip over to the last twenty. that's all you need to see.
Fairly risible
posted on 07 Jul 2009STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All CostsIt's easy to see why this was postponed because of September 11 (even the terrorist group in the film ALC only needs IADA put on the end of it).What's hard to understand is how Collateral Damage got released at all.It's hard to believe this film is directed by Andrew Davis,the director of such action greats as The Fugitive,Under Siege and Nico.Ageing action man Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Gordy Brewer ,the most ridiculously named action character ever,who goes to Columbia to seek revenge on El Lobo,the terrorist mastermind who killed his wife and child with a bomb blast on the Anti-Terrorism Agency in New York.The story is poor (how can a fireman have so much knowledge on how to locate and take out master terrorists?)as is the character development,and in fact,so is the action.Truly run-of-the-mill stuff and nothing that hasn't been done to better and much more impacting effect in previous films of this type.For this,54 year old Arnie still has impressive biceps,and things do heat up a bit at the end.But overall,on the basis of this and his previous films,one thinks the Arn ought to think about retiring from film and trying harder to become mayor of California.**
Two films in one mess
posted on 07 Jul 2009The story of a fire fighter getting revenge for a terrorist attack in which his wife and child were killed.Now if I mention that Arnold Schwarzenegger was in this film, you will automatically assume the story and actually you would be half-right. Arnold in the 80's became the McDonalds of film plot; you basically knew what you're going to get. Fortunately the world has moved on from the 'I'm alright jack' attitude of the time, yet Arnold and his contemporaries haven't.<Spoilers>As I mentioned one half of the movie is the macho, unrealistic, unbelievable revenge story. The other half tries to be a more realistic down-to-earth reflection of world's problems with Soldiers/Freedom Fighters/Terrorists (delete as appropriate). This is where the film fails totally, it isn't an action movie so leaves one half of the audience unhappy and it isn't intelligent enough to be a social commentary, so displeasing the rest of the viewers.I would love to see a non-stereotypical American film showing the reality of the world. America's actions in such countries at Columbia need to be shown for they are, government supported terrorism. One mans terrorist is another man freedom fighter or soldier.Anyway as an action movie this is a poor one. Very unbelievable plot, that somehow some Fire Fighter from LA can outwit a group of harden guerrillas in their own backyard is beyond stupid, but anyway if you can swallow the fact he doesn't manage to get himself killed you won't believe the ending. He, of course is allowed into the central intelligence HQ, with one of the freedom fighters who's carrying a bag. Now call me old fashioned, but even I would have been slightly more suspicious of not only the woman, but also Arnold (Patty Hearst anyone), but woman aren't terrorists are they, a woman wouldn't lie. We then have the predictable and stupid ending Arnold is the only one able to spot the obvious and doesn't bother to mention it to anyone. He decides he alone must stop the woman's succeeding. You can guess the rest. The security and police disappear at this point and Arnold wanders around resolving the problem. The funniest part, for me anyway, was when after all this, he just wanders out of the building without anyone stopping him. Basically for the Terrorists to get away, all they have to do was walk out the front door then.Rubbish, plain and simple – 2/10.
Extremely Intense Action Movie -- But Is It Worth Seeing?
posted on 27 Jun 2009My husband and I went to a press preview of this film last night. Originally scheduled to open in October, 2001, the film's opening has been delayed for four months because it was deemed too intense a subject for release immediately after the incidents of September 11th. My opinion is that the studio should have shelved this movie and it will suffer from comparison with what we have been through.It was truly painful to watch this film. Arnold Schwartzenegger and the other actors do a good job, but the subject material -- a fireman who loses his wife and child to a terrorist bombing -- is just too difficult for this time in our history. It's difficult to imagine that the studio thought this film would EVER be acceptable. Even hardened critics in the audience winced at the similarities to what we have endured -- the bad guys, although supposedly of Colombian extraction -- look a lot like the Middle Eastern men whose pictures we have seen over and over again -- sans the turbans. Honestly, I don't know how good the box office for this movie will be. Maybe die-hard action movie buffs will go to it, but I cannot recommend this movie to my audience -- not because it is terrible, but because it is not entertainment in my mind. The scenes in the fire and the explosions in and around buildings are just too close for comfort. One woman shrieked out from the audience, "Give me my two hours back!" I can understand her comment completely. In this case, I really wish I had gone to a coffee house for a couple of hours and listened to music. Now that I have seen "Collateral Damage" I guess I can reflect on how much we could really use some superhero to get the evil guys who planned the terrible events that actually happened in 2001.I give this film three stars (***) out of 10. See something else instead.
you know what you gonna get, so why expect more?
posted on 23 Jun 2009you know what you gonna get, so why expect more? just sit back, relax and enjoy a 108 minute action movie. what else is there to say? terminator, eraser, 6th day, total recall, red heat, running man. hey, the guy makes action films, so what do you want? arnold in good will hunting, dead poets society?
Very underrated
posted on 21 Jun 2009This has to be such a great movie but it is so underrated. I don't know who rated this but it isn't that bad. The ratings when I commented on this was 5.4. I don't know if it will change or not. Arnold Schwarzenegger is awesome as Gordon Brewer, a man who just lost his family in a terrorist attack. Now he blames himself for being late; therefore, not getting his family out in time. Gordon now is seeking revenge on the man who killed his family. he is the only person who was able to see the terrorists face.Overall the movie is just way too cool for words. The action is great and the ending knocked me around. Very, Very creative. Rating 10 out of 10.
Great Movie
posted on 19 Jun 2009This is a great movie, I thought it was interesting from start to finish and told a very cool story. The movie isn't terribly complicated, but there are enough twists and cool things to look at that will keep you interested.I thought the story was great, the action was intense, the acting was good.
There really isn't anything bad I can say about this movie other than a few scenes that didn't sit right with me, but they were so irrelevant to the story that it doesn't bother me that much.To put is simply, if you like Arnold's movies, you'll probably like this one too. If I had to compare it to his other movies, I'd say it's got similarities to "Commando" ,"True Lies" and "Eraser". Needless to say, I really enjoyed the movie, and I hope you do too. Take it easy, and thanks for reading.-Chris
Arnie's done better
posted on 17 Jun 2009Sure nobody's expecting an intelligent and original plot so the fact that the storyline is 100 percent predictable is forgivable. The action sequences are however a MAJOR LETDOWN!!!The action scenes are anything but thrilling or cool. When Arnie kicks baddie butt, there just doesn't seem to be that oomphh any more.An utter waste of your money.
What Would You Do If You Lost Everything?
posted on 11 Jun 2009I like Arnold Schwarzenegger's new movie, ‘Collateral Damage'. If anyone should be at the forefront, showing what terrorism can do, then it should be him. It was no surprise, that this film was held back for release, after the events of September 11, in New York. But a year on from that tragic event, this film helps to show what it would have been like to be a part of 9/11, as this movie is not unlike the real event that we all saw take place.Running late to meet his wife and young son at a downtown high-rise, Fire-fighter Gordy Brewer witnesses a catastrophic bomb blast kill his family before his eyes. The explosion is credited to `The Wolf', an infamous rebel leader in Colombia's decades-long civil war. The intended targets were members of the Colombian consulate and American intelligence agents. Gordy's wife and child are considered `Collateral damage', innocent people who lost their lives for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When the US investigation into the Wolf's whereabouts stalls, Gordy realises that bringing the terrorist to justice is no longer a priority to anyone but himself. This movie has many facets that I liked. I enjoyed the danger that is always present in the story. Sure there are some victims in the movie, but it makes for very interesting viewing. I am certain that the screenwriters for the film could not have imagined ever resembling a story, such as that of September 11. While it might disturb some people from even viewing the film, it made me want to watch it all the more. The men who wrote it were Ronald Roose and David Griffiths. The direction that Collateral Damage took was also good in my opinion. The director allows us to see a man suffer a tragic loss, be a very down to earth hero, in addition to being the man who wants to bring his family's killer to justice and try to help save his county in the process. Having Gordy as a fireman, and showing him saving lives was an ingenious move from director Andrew Davis. The pace this film has is good, as it never stays still for too long. I also found the locations that were used for the story, changing between America and Columbia, to be a good mix from Davis. What's more, the landscape used for the Columbian part of the film was excellent.Arnie is a big action star, and some people might say he is one dimensional in the movies that he performs in. However his role in this film, for me shows that at least he can act. He is a very ‘gentle giant' of sorts in Collateral Damage. I guess seeing your family killed in a bomb blast would have that effect on a person. Gordy's character is a very smart one, as he uses all of his abilities to help him at all times. You genuinely feel for Gordy, as he is one man that does not deserve what he has gotten out of life. The back up cast for Schwarzenegger is of the finest quality. While some people will not like the evil character of ‘The Worm', I like who performed Claudio, that being Cliff Curtis. His character has ice in his veins and will stop at nothing to bring the certain American ideals to their knees. The role that surprised me the most from ‘Collateral Damage' was that of Selena. Italian born Francesca Neri played her very well. When you finally think you can trust a person, out of the blue comes the one person you should never trusted. The minor and comedic roles taken on by both John Leguizamo and John Turturro were of the finest quality. Look out for Leguizamo, in the funny Martin Lawrence film, ‘What's the worst that could happen?'I am sure that many people will say how could there be such film as this, showing such a similar storyline to that of 9/11. My answer to those critics is that 9/11 happened many months after this film was started, and was not released until the tragedy had time to pass. So, I say that it is merely a coincidence, not a sick joke, although I am certain many ‘moviegoers' might not think so. I applaud what and how ‘Collateral Damage' was presented. Furthermore, if such events in America had not have happened, then this film would be remembered as just another one of those ‘action' movies that we would all dismiss as nothing new. CMRS gives ‘Collateral Damage': 4 (Very Good film)
A Good Movie
posted on 16 May 2009I liked this movie even if it was impractical in
many of it's premises. I liked the " i WILL have Justice " mentality of Arnie's character!! I like the attitude " DON'T MESS WITH THE US !! It's about time we got the guts to be PATRIOTIC and nail the measly, hateful, jealous, evil guys. And not to mention the good old Arnie action!! Fun and also serious.
*** Stars Ebert & Roper, this movie Deserves It!
posted on 04 May 2009More than what people think. Arnold Shines!To me this movie was great. As it seems most people in this board, give this movie a bad comment, it seems to me, that they have inferior brains to understand this superior movie.Arnold was great in this movie. This one was one of his better movies, i enjoyed this movie much better than the 6th day. The movie also had a great twist at the end which really lifted the movie back into another perspective.If you like Arnold's work go out and rent or buy the DVD, you would be disappointed, if you are then you shouldnt watch any type of movies.Heck Ebert and Roper, gave this, "TWO THUMB UP", also three stars.This movie rocks. See it and experience yet another Arnold Classic!Send questions or comments to Non9751@cs.com
An okay guy movie
posted on 28 Apr 2009Really, what do you expect from an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie? Lots of explosion; he gets beaten at first, gets captured, hogtied, escapes, then he breaks some necks; he takes on a whole army and he wins; he has to go through and kill two hundred extras first before he gets a shot at the lead villain; they recite poems first before they kill each other, like, "you americans are so naive... we kill you because of your messing up with the affairs of our nation..." then Arnie responds, "but you kill innocent women and children...", and then they jump at each others neck; etc., etc., etc.
All sorts of ridiculous twists that you know will be there in a Schwarzenegger movie and yet you watch it because afterall it was just an action movie and you just wanted a plain vanilla macho-guy-entertainment, right? Well, you got all those in this movie. So don't believe the bad reviews, you get what you know you will get. And, you don't expect Arnie to stand up in the podium one day and say "I'd like to thank the academy...".The best part of the movie was the John Torturro scenes. Too bad Torturro's was just a bit part.
Good grief
posted on 28 Aug 2009Ok,Here I am stuck in Kuala Lumpur and happy to see that they're showing the new Arnold blockbuster hot off the presses. I love Arnold movies and was happy with The 6th Day and even End of Days, (although I did draw the line at Last Action Hero).Well... he's now surpassed Last Action Hero with his worst work to date. Not entirely his fault, but did he read the script ???? Did he notice that "Chain Reaction" (almost the worst movie ever made) was also directed by Andrew Davis ??As you may have noticed ... I didn't like this movie AT ALL.The production quality was ok, Andrew Davis gave us depth, meaning, photography ... but the main thing this movie lacked was a decent story that anyone cared about, followed by ANY action sequences worth a damn. Basically, once you've seen the first explosion right at the beginning, you might as well leave. That's as good as its going to get. It really lacks scenes where you can honestly say ... "oh, he really nailed it there".In the end I had to leave even before the credits started rolling. I never do that. I simply just didn't care about this pathetic little movie.Don't waste your money, not even renting this drivel. Go see "Behind Enemy Lines" again if you want pure Arnold-esque entertainment, which has at least 4 "nailed" scenes.As for the "Fugitive", Andrew Davis' masterpiece ... I guess it just shows what a couple of good actors and a half decent script can do for a director. Andrew ..... Choose your next project carefully !!!!Shaun