Film Reviews

Collateral Damage

• Rating:
• Director:
• Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Details: US / 100 mins / (15PG).

The most infamous of Hollywood movies to have its release date pushed back after the events of September 11, Collateral Damage features Arnold Schwarzenegger as LA firefighter, Gordy Brewer, who loses his wife and young son in a terrorist attack. Bent on avenging their deaths, Gordy learns that a Colombian terrorist called The Wolf was responsible and heads off to South America to get some justice. Despite the opening few minutes where Schwarzenegger tries (and fails miserably) to show some emotion as he copes with the fact that his missus and nipper have been murdered, Collateral Damage is Arnold on the warpath-by-numbers fare. Coming across like a substandard version of Commando, Collateral Damage looks and feels like has been locked in a time warp, desperately trying to appeal to an audience that have mostly grown out of this overt machismo and bare-chested vengeance. Some class is provided by Koteas, Turturro and Leguizamo, but it's all too fleeting in this shoddy excuse for a motion picture.

Review by Garreth Murphy