Surprise! Surprise! "Collateral Damage" is nowhere near the disaster I thought it would be. For all extensive purposes it is a typical Arnold Schwarzeneger action flick. By the same token, it moves like gang-busters and has all the tension and suspense one expects from director Andrew Davis, the man who guided Tommy Lee Jones through his Oscar winning performance in "The Fugitive." If "Collateral Damage" had opened before the terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center and the Pentagon, it may have garnered the same buzz that surrounded "The China Syndrome" after the real life meltdown at Three Mile Island in a rural area of Pennsylvania back in 1979. (Spookily, the third plane commandeered by the terrorists was likewise brought down in a wooded area of the same state.) "Collateral Damage" has the same portents of doom that eerily resemble the events surrounding September 11^th. A Colombia terrorist targets U.S. Government officials to protest the American presence in his homeland. He is working in unison with one or more confederates. A concealed figure uses the media to broadcast the pre-recorded gospel of terrorism across the airwaves. Drugs are a chief staple that supports his ragtag army back home, and he claims to bring the message of freedom to the victims of his cause.

The plot of "Collateral Damage" casts Arnie as Gordy Brewer, a fireman - another eerie coincidence - who loses his wife and son in the explosion that sets the action in motion. He wants his revenge and goes against the odds traipsing through the Colombian jungle in search of his quarry. A CIA contingent headed by the always reliable Elias Koteas, are not far behind with their own agenda. Arnie plays it straight even managing to tug the heartstrings here and there. Much to the credit of the screenwriters who must’ve done their homework, Brewer’s choices are always in character. He utilizes the skills of his profession to survive and the acquired knowledge of the arsonist’s stock in trade for his revenge.

There are a few twists that work within the framework of their given scenes but the connective tissue that holds these scenes together is not always evident. The finale, for instance, bears a few striking similarities to "Arlington Road" but lacks that movie’s craftily executed build up. Without giving anything away, Brewer’s gravitation toward an orphaned boy is supposed to be salve for his grief but a return to and the sharing of that grief would have - at least - brought the movie and Brewer’s character full circle. The filmmakers seem to have been satisfied to let Arnold Schwarzeneger’s screen persona

carry the movie when a little more thought to plot and character could have raised the bar and still capitalized on his image. It’s an opportunity missed.

Copyright 2002

"Under Siege" (1992) - Arguably one of the better Steven Seagal movies about a hostage takeover of a navy vessel. Humor is an added plus in this one with Seagal as ‘the cook’ with a Navy Seal background who brings down the bad guys. This was shot on the U.S.S Missouri, the destroyer on which the Japanese officially surrendered to the United States to end WWII.

"The Fugitive" (1993) - An instant classic with Harrison Ford on the run for the murder of his wife and his search for the one armed man who actually did the dastardly deed. Tommy Lee Jones won the Oscar as the intrepid lawman out to nail him. Based on the long running TV series.

"Twins" (1988) - Schwarzeneger is joyously goofy as the custom made twin who doesn’t discovers he has a brother in Danny DeVito when he hits his mid-thirties. Lots of fun with some inspired lunacy with Arnold picking his bad points and Danny picking up the good points.

"Kindergarten Cop" (1990) - Schwarzeneger is not afraid to be upstaged by the young kids in his class when he plays a cop who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to catch a criminal in search of his son. Things get sticky when Arnold falls for the mother. Some of the situations are contrived but the movie still manages to let the star’s warm side seep through to the audience.