In the past, he's battled Predators, Cyborgs and even The Devil but in "Collateral Damage," Arnold Schwarzenegger takes on the nastiest of foes: terrorists! After his family is killed in a terrorist attack, and the government fails to rectify the situation, Arnie takes matters into his own hands, setting out to Colombia where he intends to take down El Lobo (Cliff Curtis), the man responsible for his loss.
Released in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, "Collateral Damage" suffered massive cuts and re-shoots and it shows in the final product. While Arnold, pushing well into his 50's at this point, is in top form and director Andrew Davis ("The Fugitive") knows how to pace the action and cue the suspense, the film can't help but feel somewhat compromised, and, well, neutered. Unlike, say, the "Rambo" flicks, this film is rather mild in its depiction of war and terrorism and, in spite of some of its more thrilling action sequences, is host to some rather shoddy CGI work, especially in its final act, which could be chalked up to the rushed re-shoots.
The action is decent enough, and as always, Arnie carries the weight of the film as best as he can. In the end, it's a passable effort that is, at the very least, engaging and exciting. Yet, one can't help but feel like it could have been more. The second to last film Arnold would star in before becoming The Governator, "Collateral Damage" is on the lower end of his action oeuvre, but is certainly a more respectable effort than, say, "Junior" or "Jingle All The Way."
Released in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, "Collateral Damage" suffered massive cuts and re-shoots and it shows in the final product. While Arnold, pushing well into his 50's at this point, is in top form and director Andrew Davis ("The Fugitive") knows how to pace the action and cue the suspense, the film can't help but feel somewhat compromised, and, well, neutered. Unlike, say, the "Rambo" flicks, this film is rather mild in its depiction of war and terrorism and, in spite of some of its more thrilling action sequences, is host to some rather shoddy CGI work, especially in its final act, which could be chalked up to the rushed re-shoots.
The action is decent enough, and as always, Arnie carries the weight of the film as best as he can. In the end, it's a passable effort that is, at the very least, engaging and exciting. Yet, one can't help but feel like it could have been more. The second to last film Arnold would star in before becoming The Governator, "Collateral Damage" is on the lower end of his action oeuvre, but is certainly a more respectable effort than, say, "Junior" or "Jingle All The Way."