Arnold Schwarzenegger's loyal fans get what they want in this routine but rousing revenge thriller, which pits the aging action star against a Colombian guerrilla terrorist. Schwarzenegger plays a Los Angeles fireman who witnesses the killing of his wife and young son, caused by the terrorist's bombing in a crowded L.A. pavilion. Despite intense scrutiny by FBI and CIA officials, Arnie infiltrates the terrorist's remote jungle compound, enlists the aid of the villain's seemingly trustworthy wife (Francesca Neri), and plots to foil another bombing in Washington, D.C. Director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive) maintains adequate plausibility even when Schwarzenegger's survival grows absurdly unlikely, and lively roles for John Turturro and John Leguizamo add welcomed spice to the movie's impressive display of military ordnance. Despite its formulaic plot and Arnold's advancing seniority, Collateral Damage still manages to pack an entertaining punch. --Jeff Shannon
2.
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.
3.
In one fleeting moment, Gordy Brewer (ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER) loses everything he ever cared about.
Running late to meet his wife and son at a downtown high-rise complex one morning, the L.A. firefighter and devoted family man arrives in time to witness a bomb explode in a nearby vehicle, showering the area with debris and shattered glass.
The explosion is credited to El Lobo, The Wolf, an infamous rebel leader in Colombia's decades-long civil war. Its targets were members of the Colombian consulate and American intelligence agents; its casualties included one civilian woman and one small boy -- Gordy's family, innocent people who lost their lives for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Gordy's only consolation for the loss of his family is the hope that justice will prevail and that the Wolf will be stopped before he has a chance to strike again. But weeks later, as the tragic event becomes yesterday's news, he watches the official inquiry into The Wofl's whereabouts come to a frustrating standstill.
Against the advice of friends, the FBI, and pointed warnings from CIA agent Brandt (ELIAS KOTEAS), Gordy sets out to track down The Wolf himself, a quest that will take him deep into the inhospitable jungle terrain of war-torn Colombia. It's a plan that has little chance of succeeding and is almost certain to cost him his own life. But Gordy Brewer doesn't care about the risks or the odds against him.
He's got nothing left to lose.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger delivers nail-biting excitement and bold one-man heroics as a Los Angeles fireman who seeks revenge after his wife and son are killed in a terrorist bombing. Schwarzenegger tracks the man responsible from Colombia to Washington, D.C. in a race to stop the terrorist before he strikes again.
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