Collateral
Damage
Review
by : Gareth Von Kallenbach
Starring:
Arnold Schwarzenegger (Brewer), Cliff Curtis
(El Lobo), John Turturro
Directed by: Rob Pritts
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In Hollywood as in so many things, timing can be everything.
The right move at the right time can enable success while
a mistimed move can lead to disaster. After the horrific attacks
of September 11th, many studios shelved films with content
they considered to insensitive for a nation that was still
recovering from the tragic events that changed our history.
It has been said that time heals all wounds and with that
in mind studious are starting to release films that have been
shelved hoping that audiences are ready to embrace them.
The first
of the delayed films is the Arnold Schwarzenegger adventure
"Collateral Damage" The films centers on the life of Captain
Gordon Brewer (Schwarzenegger), a fireman, loving and devoted
husband and father, and solid citizen. That is until the day
Gordy is caught in a violent explosion that leaves him wounded
and his family dead. A Columbian terrorist know as "El Lobo"
(Cliff Curtis), is waging a war on America in an effort to
get CIA advisors out of his nation. Grieving and looking for
justice Gordon is dismayed to learn that little will be done
on his behalf as the State Department wishes to negotiate
with the Columbian government and pursuing the terrorists
would hamper the negotiations. Furthermore, Gordon realizes
the police officer who he spoke with shortly before the explosion
was the terrorist, and is enraged by the memory that the man
smiled at him when he was informed by Gordon that he was only
parking a short while to pick up his family.
Brewer
learns that his family was considered "collateral damage"
(unintended victims) by the terrorists and those loyal to
their ideals and as such, they have little remorse over killing
them. This sends Brewer into a rage, and he decides to take
matters into his own hands, and kill the man who is responsible
for the attack. Brewer gathers as much information as he can
on his target and Columbia and ventures into the heart of
terrorist controlled areas to exact his revenge. Aided by
information from an ex-CIA agent and a mechanic who works
for the terrorist organization (John Turturro), Gordon is
soon within striking distance of his target when fate steps
in. The wife and son of El Lobo arrive unexpectedly, and Brewer
decides to save them and expose himself, rather than follow
in the steps of the man he has sworn vengeance against.
Brewer
soon becomes a captive and must find a way to escape his captors
and stop the next wave of bombings while attempting to kill
the man who caused his pain. Schwarzeneger is good in the
role as he is a sympathetic and semi-realistic character.
There are no scenes of him gunning down large hordes of bad
guys, as his character does not shoot a gun in the entire
film. Brewer relies on his training as a fireman and his knowledge
of incendiaries as well as his rage to complete his task and
is not some super killing machine. Schwarzenegger is growing
in his roles as he is learning to let the story propel his
films rather than FX and explosions. While a less violent
film may put off some of his loyal fans, I found the character
development and story to be refreshing for an action film
as it was not a film with cartoon characters and gratuitous
violence. While there is action, it is not overly graphic
compared to other films in the genre and is done in order
to propel the story and explain the characters rather than
for shock value.
Loosely
inspired by the western "Seven Men From Now", "Collateral
Damage" asks viewers to look at both sides of a conflict and
shows that there can often be a thin line between revenge
and terrorism and how politics can drive people to take actions
that they never would have thought themselves capable of.
The film explains why El Lobo takes the actions that he has
and offers the notion that Gordon and El Lobo are really not
so different when both sides of the story are revealed. While
Collateral does not have the most original story, and has
some gaps in the story, it is generally a solid and interesting
film that at time explores the wider range of issues behind
terrorism and makes one ponder the view from the other side
while not crossing the boundaries of being sympathetic towards
those who would take such actions.
In light
of recent events, "Collateral Damage" is an informative and
enjoyable film that shows that justice, honor, and grief can
drive a person, but it is ultimately compassion and humanity
that redeems them and separates us from them.
Gareth
Von Kallenbach
Gareth@nwlink.com
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