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Review by Susan Granger
2½ stars out of 4
In one horrifying moment, Gordy Brewer, a Los Angeles firefighter,
loses both his wife and son in a terrorist attack by El Lobo (The Wolf) a
notorious rebel in Colombia's on-going civil war. El Lobo's targets were members
of the Colombian consulate and CIA; the civilians were "collateral damage,"
people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not only is Gordy devastated but
when it becomes obvious that the US government is not going to pursue El Lobo -
for political reasons - he sets out for vengeance, relentlessly tracking the
killer through the jungle to his camp. As Gordy confronts the complex
philosophical realities of Colombian guerrilla warfare, those who are squeamish
should be warned of one grossly repugnant torture scene in which a man has a
poisonous snake shoved down his throat. Along the way, of course, Gordy puts his
knowledge of combustibles to work, igniting explosions, and meeting up with El
Lobo's enigmatic wife (Francesca Neri) and adopted son. Written by David
Griffiths & Peter Griffiths from an idea by Ronald Roose and directed by Andrew
Davis, this saga seems somehow dated, although Arnold Schwarzenegger shows far
more sensitivity, maturity and depth than in previous films - with Elias Koteas,
John Leguizamo, John Turturro and Cliff Curtis lending strong support. On the
Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Collateral Damage" is an action-packed 6. Gordy
is supposed to be an Everyman so I kept thinking: what if a band of the
frustrated survivors of those killed on Sept. 11th made their way to the Middle
East to exact the same kind of revenge? Would some CIA zealot support their
vigilante efforts? But this kind of movie is supposed to be mindless escapist
entertainment, not a rumination on real life, right? Sadly, for me, it hit too
close to home.
Copyright © 2002 Susan Granger
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out of 4
