Though the plot of DAMAGE has more bends than a deep-sea diver yanked up too soon, most viewers will not be sent to the decompression chamber. Director Jeff F. King does a bang-up job of keeping film spectators aware of who will clobber John Brickner (Steve Austin) next, and why. The only person who will continue out of the loop is John's parole officer (played by Paul Jarrett), who just can't be bothered. Those of us with 106 minutes of time on our hands (five minutes more than promised on the DVD box) will see ultimate fighting in nearly every sort of venue conceivable (except on the arm of the Statue of Liberty; they must be saving that scene for DAMAGE 2). Though all this carnage is punctuated by more than a few Biblical references, this isn't exactly THE ULTIMATE GIFT. When a character tries to kill herself, she makes the attempt totally naked, subconsciously aware her husband's killer is the one man who might save her. And sure enough, her homicidal white knight demonstrates no qualms in scooping her up in the buff from the shower stall floor (she's too poor to have a proper bath tub for her final farewell) and carrying her to the slower-arriving EMT's (whom he'd given a head-start via a 9-1-1 call). All in all, DAMAGE should have something to entertain nearly everyone not shocked by the sight of grown men biting each other.
Review of Damage
