Collateral Damage (2002)

After his family is killed by a terrorist act, a firefighter goes in search of the one responsible.

Director:

Andrew Davis

Writers:

Ronald Roose (story), David Griffiths (story),

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Francesca Neri, Elias Koteas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Gordy Brewer
Francesca Neri	...	Selena Perrini
Elias Koteas	...	Peter Brandt
Cliff Curtis	...	Claudio Perrini
John Leguizamo	...	Felix Ramirez
John Turturro	...	Sean Armstrong
Jsu Garcia	...	Roman
Tyler Posey	...	Mauro (as Tyler Garcia Posey)
Michael Milhoan	...	Jack
Rick Worthy	...	Ronnie
Raymond Cruz	...	Junior
Lindsay Frost	...	Anne Brewer
Ethan Dampf	...	Matt Brewer
Jorge Zepeda	...	Rocha
Miguel Sandoval	...	Joe Phipps

Storyline

Firefighter Gordon Brewer is plunged into the complex and dangerous world of international terrorism after he loses his wife and child in a bombing credited to Claudio "The Wolf" Perrini. Frustrated with the official investigation and haunted by the thought that the man responsible for murdering his family might never be brought to justice, Brewer takes matters into his own hands and tracks his quarry ultimately to Colombia.

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Plot Keywords:

colombia | terrorism | explosion | massacre | woman's neck broken | 

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Taglines:

The Act Itself Wasn't Personal...HIS VENGEANCE WILL BE [UK tag-line]

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United Kingdom] Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 February 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Daño colateral

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$766,543 (France) (5 July 2002)

Gross:

$766,543 (France) (5 July 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Bel Air Entertainment, David Foster Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was supposed to include the famous Colombian actress Sofía Vergara, who played an airplane hijacker. But after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, the scene where Vergara would hijack a plane was scratched from the movie. Moreover, scenes which might be considered unpatriotic have been excluded.

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Goofs

As Gordy walks behind an ambulance at the end of the movie, the cameraman, wearing a dark shirt, is reflected in the rear window.

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Quotes

[referring to Gordon as Armstrong's replacement]
Felix: It's like ordering a pizza. You ask for Canadian Bacon you end up with a German sausage.

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Connections

References This Is Your Life (1955)

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Soundtracks

"Sindrome de caim (Bang Bang-Long)"
Written and Performed by DJ Jamaika
Courtesy of Warner Music Brazil Ltd
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

one of Arnold's weakest vehicles

I remember a time, in the not too distant past, when any new movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was treated as an event. Nowadays, his films slip in and out of town with nary a person even noticing. What's happened? The sad but obvious explanation is that, as he's aged, Arnold has had to make way for younger, more dynamic action stars, leaving him stuck with leftover crumbs like `Collateral Damage,' a dull, lackluster action film that manages to kick itself into high gear only in its final half hour or so.

`Collateral Damage' was, of course, one of those films whose original release date had to be postponed in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. In this case, the sensitivity arose as a result of the film's storyline, which revolves around a group of Colombian terrorists determined to strike at targets on American soil. Schwarzenegger plays fireman Gordy Brewer, whose wife and child are killed in an explosion at the Colombian consulate in Los Angeles. Brewer, feeling that the U.S. government has little concern with exacting revenge from the terrorist leader responsible for the explosion, decides to mount a one-man crusade to see that justice is ultimately done. The film, obviously indifferent to its own need for plausibility, sends this virtually unarmed fireman into the unfamiliar jungles of South America to take on what appears to be the entire Colombian police force as well as the guerilla fighters whose actions resulted in the deaths of Brewer's family. Brewer, of course, despite his own inexperience and the formidable odds against him, manages to talk and/or fight his way out of every dire predicament before rescuing his nemesis' wife and their adopted son.

There isn't much to say about `Collateral Damage' except to report that the film does achieve a certain tension in the closing stretches, when Brewer returns to Washington D.C. to help foil a plot to detonate a bomb in that city. Thanks to a few nice plot twists, the film ends up not being a total loss when all is finally said and done.

It's never much fun to have to witness an actor in the sunset of his career. But if Schwarzenegger's films don't start improving soon, he may well have to switch to that career in politics he has reportedly been looking into between films.