A sequence of ridiculous shoot-'em-up scenes.
Collateral Damage (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:25
Rotten:116
Average Rating:4/10
Consensus: Despite its timely subject matter, Collateral Damage is an unexceptional and formulaic action thriller.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence and some language
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:Feb 8, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $39,965,988
Synopsis: Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a lone Los Angeles fireman whose wife and child are killed by a terrorist bomb in this eerily prescient action drama. Vowing revenge against the Columbian guerilla... Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a lone Los Angeles fireman whose wife and child are killed by a terrorist bomb in this eerily prescient action drama. Vowing revenge against the Columbian guerilla leader who set the bomb, Gordy Brewer (Schwarzenegger) heads down to Central America where he is soon caught in a crossfire between the terrorists and a cadre of CIA operatives led by hard-nosed agent Peter Brandt (Elias Koteas). Escaping prisons, diving off waterfalls, and biting off ears, Gordy seems unstoppable until he realizes his target has a wife and child of his own, and moral confusion sets in. Action fans expecting typical brainless mayhem might be surprised to find emoting, ethical dilemmas and criticism of US foreign policy in an Arnold vehicle, but they needn't worry: he still finds time for plenty of bone-breaking and blowing things up before the credits roll. Gorgeous Italian actress Francesca Neri (LIVE FLESH) is a major asset as the terrorist's wife. Andrew Davis (THE FUGITIVE) directed the film. Though it has nothing to do with the actual terrorist attack on America or political events in the Middle East, this film's mix of firemen, grief, and terrorism may still strike a sensitive nerve in some viewers. [More]
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, John Leguizamo
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, John Leguizamo, John Turturro, Cliff Curtis
Director: Andrew Davis
Director: Andrew Davis
Screenwriter: David Griffiths, Peter Griffiths
Producer: Steven Reuther, David Foster
Composer: Graeme Revell
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for Collateral Damage
never quite achieves its cathartic mission because its rote narrative is largely of the straight-to-video variety
The role is tailor-made for Big Arnie, but, much to his credit, he does more than go through familiar motions.
[A] slick thriller with a couple of neat plot twists and a return to form for the fiftysomething Arnold.
Compared to Traffic and Spy Games, films that deal with similar themes, this is mediocre movie-making ... The studio should not have released this film.
Even without the recent events that delayed its release (and even by the standards of Arnold's action movies), this movie is a disappointment.
There's nothing special about this action flick, except how subpar it all seems and how tired it looks.
The relic of a bygone age, sealed under glass and preserved well past its expiration date. If you listen closely, you can still hear it screaming.
Plays like a bad adolescent revenge fantasy on Ritalin, all jagged editorial edges and silly, pumped-up testosterone.
Davis's by-the-numbers direction doesn't help, as even the very good actors can't elevate this movie to what it could be.
I really wouldn't recommend it to any of my friends -- unless of course, they're complete testosterone freaks.
Whether this one makes any money will be the answer to the question of whether Schwarzenegger can just keep cranking these things out without thinking first, or whether we're going to start demanding some originality.
It's a terrible thing seeing your wife and son blown to pieces, especially for a man who's smiling and waving just as the bombs go off.
A leaden, predictable action flick that would be of no interest to anyone but Schwarzenegger fans.
There's nothing here that you haven't seen before or has been pulled off better in some of the actor's earlier and far superior work.
Latest News for Collateral Damage
September 28, 2006:
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August 29, 2001:
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as a firefighter who hunts down the terrorist who murdered his wife and child. ![]()
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