A deeply average but nonetheless watchable movie for Schwarzenegger, one which is for a change rooted in realism (yet no less unrealistic in places) than his last two movies, the supernatural END OF DAYS and the sci-fi offering THE SIXTH DAY. Here Arnie is given a strong role as the grieving widower you wouldn't want to mess with, and it's nice to see he's still more than capable as a charismatic lead and as a hero in the action stakes. Sadly I was expecting more, especially with Andrew Davis, the director who bought us THE FUGITIVE and UNDER SIEGE, but COLLATERAL DAMAGE is a relatively dark and unexciting film which goes through the paces, working hard to build up some bizarre characters (John Turturro and John Leguizamo cameo) and maintain a realistic sweaty atmosphere when the action shifts to Colombia.
Things only really start to gel for the finale, in which the action shifts back to Washington and there's a great race against time as Arnie tries to stop the bad guys before they blow up another building and waste more innocent lives. This is the Arnie we know and love, with pumping adrenaline action and some cool stuntwork and explosions. Otherwise the plot offers just one good surprise twist and some above average acting (Elias Koteas sails through his role as shifty CIA Agent Brandt) from the above average cast, but the story doesn't say anything new and there aren't enough fights, chases or shoot-outs (Arnie doesn't even get a gun this time!) to justify a satisfying experience for this action fan. The political message itself is just a backbone on which to base the shallow plot and the end result is that you're left wanting a bit more from the veteran performer.
Things only really start to gel for the finale, in which the action shifts back to Washington and there's a great race against time as Arnie tries to stop the bad guys before they blow up another building and waste more innocent lives. This is the Arnie we know and love, with pumping adrenaline action and some cool stuntwork and explosions. Otherwise the plot offers just one good surprise twist and some above average acting (Elias Koteas sails through his role as shifty CIA Agent Brandt) from the above average cast, but the story doesn't say anything new and there aren't enough fights, chases or shoot-outs (Arnie doesn't even get a gun this time!) to justify a satisfying experience for this action fan. The political message itself is just a backbone on which to base the shallow plot and the end result is that you're left wanting a bit more from the veteran performer.