[DVD] Collateral Damage (2002)

This was one of the films whose release schedule was affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001, because its content touched a raw nerve, having depicted terrorists detonating bombs in downtown Los Angeles, and planning another at Washington DC. Even when released finally in 2002, the big budgeted action sequences did not succeed in making the film a decent box-office success.

It was also Arnold Schwarzenegger's last few films before he ran for Governor, and in this film, he plays yet another heroic figure, a fireman called Gordy Brewer whose intrinsic responsibilty is to save lives. However, his family became collateral damage in a Columbian freedom fighter's bringing of terror onto the shores of the USA, and this caused an about turn in Brewer's character into a life-taker, seeking revenge.

Given that the government's hands are tied, Brewer decides to go at it alone, planning to go after The Wolf whose organization admitted responsibility to the bombings that killed his wife and child. The movie then plods along as we follow Brewer's infiltration into Columbia and to the terrorist organization's base camp. He meets up too with The Wolf's wife and kid, and somehow forms a bond with them, given his own loss.

The action contains nothing much that has never been seen before, so those who are expecting thrills and spills along the lines of the fantastic Arnold vehicle True Lies will be disappointed. However, things pick up towards the last 30 minutes into the show, as the plot contains a slight twist that catches you off guard and makes you go "now why didn't I think of that". It kinda plays on the assumptions of man, and why couldn't it be possible I'd say.

The violence begets violence message in this movie is obvious from the onset, and makes you wonder about the world today with the terrorist threat always looming. Some scenes like the planned attack on the train station might also ring too close for comfort, given that real train attacks in Madrid and London did happen since the movie's release.

Nonetheless, this movie is still watchable, and perhaps it is inevitable that you wonder why Arnie's star seemed to fade out during his last few films. Perhaps it's too much of the same thing without much variation on the heroic action. Nothing much can be said of Arnie's acting, but it's pretty amazing the amount of mayhem a lone fireman can inflict!

Code 1 DVD Extras: Audio commentary by director Andrew Davis, additional deleted scenes, and two documentaries: A Behind the Scenes and one titled "The Hero In A New Era" containing mostly interviews with Arnie and Andrew Davis.