There is a question at hand if Arnold Schwarzenegger still has what it takes to take on terrorism single handedly. Put doubts aside. Thanks to the timing of “Collateral Damage’s” release the topic sparked some curiosity to those who ventured to movie theaters during the Winter Olympics opening week.
The fact that Arnold is a Los Angeles firefighter battling terrorists in the movie is a spooky enough coincidence, but not as spooky as the plot. There would be a controversial stature that if the movie debuted before Sept. 11, it would not have been great.
Since the inception of cinematic technologies allows the use of miniaturized buildings to explode before the world’s eyes in a whirlwind, this movie still hits a little too close to home.
It is almost as if bin Laden had a seat next to Director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive). Even creepier is that Davis says the story was originally set in New York, except in this Hollywood blockbuster it’s a Columbian terrorist that travels to the U.S. to set off bombs.
A single blast leaves its mark on the L.A. Firefighter who’s “Collateral Damage” is the loss of his wife and son.
Emotionally wrecked and ready to find the “Wolf” (Cliff Curtis), Gordy Brewer (Schwarzenegger) finds himself encountering the guerrillas amidst the Columbian jungle. John Leguizamo has a small part and inserts some desperately needed comedy before Gordy returns back to Washington D.C. with his job done.
The release date for the film was delayed because executives thought that the public might still be fragile from the horrific events of Sept. 11.
This obviously wasn’t the case since the film brought in over $15 million its opening weekend. It has been at the top of the box office heap for several weeks.
After viewing another action-packed Schwarzenegger film, the Austrian proves he’s back in full swing and still has what it takes to “terminate” terrorism.
Die-hard fans have a while to wait, as “True Lies 2” is due in theaters in 2003 with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom Arnold as always. “Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines” is also anticipated for a summer ’03 release.