Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
He's a lawyer, but he seems to spend most of his time perched on a barstool. Or at free screenings. I can vouch for this Dallas character. Despite being pickled, he's a good guy, and he loves the movies. He's sent us some reviews before, but he never told me his real name until now. Turns out he knew I was a BLOOM COUNTY fan, and he was afraid I'd ask for an autograph. I told him I didn't care about his, but asked if Opus would mind.
I can't really print his response where kids might read it.
He did finally mellow out, though, and send along a review of Ah-nold's new one, COLLATERAL DAMAGE. Somewhere tonight, AB King is doing a victory dance as people seem to be enjoying this one in the spirit it was intended. Now Ah-nold just needs to get tough and stand behind Milius on the longer, better draft of KING CONAN CROWN OF IRON, and not let the Wachowskis bully them down to a weaker version of the film. Three hour fantasy epic? Haven't Warner Bros. and New Line had a bit of success in that particular genre lately?
Anyway... here's Steve Dallas with a look at the film through a thick set of beer goggles...
M.
I caught a screening of COLLATERAL DAMAGE tonight, thanks to the good people at CHUD.com. Along with running a damn fine film site, they run screenings throughout the southeast on a regular basis. Those of you south of the Mason / Dixon line would do well to check them out on occasion.
Collateral Damage is a good action / popcorn movie. Schwarzenegger, believe it or not, turns in a pretty good performance. The story has more complexity & depth than anything he's attempted lately. But the film is plagued by second rate production values and a weak supporting cast. That, combined with the events of 9/11, make this a weaker film than it should have been.
The story is simple. Schwarzenegger plays LA firefighter Gordon Brewer - an average, ordinary guy (albeit one built like a former Mr. Olympia). One fine summer day, his family is killed in a terrorist attack on the Columbian Consulate. Schwarzenegger was present at the scene and saw the face of the terrorist. When the government is unwilling to go after the terrorists, Schwarzenegger goes after them himself - Not as a commando or some former navy seal… Just as an ordinary guy.
As many of you may know, this film was originally slated for an October release. It was shelved following the events of September 11th . Walking in tonight, I wondered why - the material was timely and relevant, and after all that had happened, what would have been better than seeing Arnold kick some terrorist ass?
I couldn't have been more wrong. When the terrorist attack occurs in the film, it seems so tiny and insignificant compared to what we have been through. It just doesn't carry any weight in the post - 9/11 world. It is hard to seriously consider the danger of hypothetical Columbian terrorists when we are faced with such tangible evil in our everyday lives. So much has changed in the last few months, and this movie feels dated already. This isn't a complaint - there was absolutely nothing the filmmakers could have done about it - but it is a glaring flaw. I wish I could have seen this movie on September 10th - Hell, I wish September 11th had never happened. But it did, and this isn't the same film it was 5 months ago. They did the right thing by shelving it.
Two things worked for me in this movie. Walking in, I wouldn't have expected either - Schwarzenegger (!!!), and the story. This is easily Arnold's best work in a while. Somebody finally found the secret into turning Arnold into an actor - cut his lines down. Going back to his roots, Arnold plays a strong, silent type. He speaks only when necessary, and he doesn't throw around any witty catch-phrases. He's just an ordinary guy, in a very bad situation. When he fights, he's not the Commando; he's not Dutch from Predator… He's just a very bitter, angry man who has been around the block once or twice.
The other thing that works in this movie is the story. For an action flick, it actually has a fair amount of depth. Don't get me wrong - this isn't THE KILLING FIELDS, or anything approaching a real film. - But for a popcorn flick, it actually does a decent job of bringing across some of the moral ambiguities of the situation. I'm not going to spoil it for you by describing it, but there is a twist that drives the characters thorough the second half of the story and saves this film from mediocrity. The characters do tend to be a bit one-dimensional, but what do you expect from an action flick?
This is a Schwarzenegger film, and of course, people will want to know about the action. As you may know, Arnold never touches a gun in this film. It works, largely - he manages to McGuyver his way through the world. There is violence and a large number of explosions, but it doesn't dominate the story - it serves it. Stuff doesn't get blown up just to look cool, but keep an eye out for a really vicious king snake, and a Mike Tyson moment.
But COLLATERAL DAMAGE isn't Hamlet - not by a long shot. This is a movie with serious flaws, even considering the genre. What doesn't work in this movie is the entire first reel, the direction, and the supporting cast.
The first 20 minutes are a bloody mess. Schwarzenegger, who spends the rest of the film playing an everyman, begins by playing a super-fireman in a cartoonish dream-sequence. Trusty axe in hand, he leaps across vast chasms and dodges walls of flame to rescue damsels in distress. It doesn't serve the story, it looked bad, and it came off looking ridiculous. No time is spent developing the characters of his wife & son. When they die, no one cares. Stilted exposition is delivered by cardboard cut-outs. Stock characters act like stock characters, and you wonder what you are doing sitting there.
Come in 20 minutes late. You wont miss a thing.
The first reel is symptomatic of the problems of the whole. This is not a complex story, yet somehow it gets told clumsily. Maybe it was the edit, I don't know.. the whole film had this aura of being cobbled together. Voiceovers in strange places. Bad color timing in others. Just bad filmmaking all around. Perhaps there was a post 9/11 edit? A spy who saw the film in late June noticed a few things I didn't in this review. In any case, the story deserved a stronger telling than this. Andrew Davis directed THE FUGITIVE. He should know better.
The production values were really weak. I recognized some of the sets - the Columbian jail from CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER stands out in my mind… It looked like a low-budget film - something you'd see on CINEMAX on a Saturday night. The sound mix was awful, even in what is probably my favorite room in town.
The supporting cast is not good, with three exceptions. John Leguizamo puts in a great supporting performance as a Columbian rebel - it takes you a while to even recognize him. John Turturro chews scenery as a Canadian prisoner in a Columbian jail, and makes life interesting for a while. Finally, Francesca Neri (HANNIBAL) puts in an workmanlike performance as the wife of the rebel leader. Other than that, the characters come off flat and lifeless. Forgettable performances across the board. Maybe Arnold only came across as good because everyone else was so bad?
In a different time, this could have been a much better film. It's easily Arnold's best work since TRUE LIES. But he's not a one man show - at least not anymore. With a better supporting cast, better production values, and a better director, this might have been a really good movie. As it is, it's a just a good popcorn flick. Enjoy it. STEVE DALLAS
