Review: Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage is one of those movies that just doesn't quite work, and it's hard to say why. The premise is classic comedy: Gordy Brewer, a hulking firefighter of Austrian descent (played to a 'T' by veteran actor Arnold Schwarzeneggar, who doesn't have to mask his accent here) goes undercover in Colombia to find the mysterious terrorist leader who killed his family. Meanwhile the bumbling CIA not only can't locate the terrorist, they can't even keep tabs on the giant Austrian, whose complete inability to pronounce the letter 'R' makes it difficult for him to blend in with the freely trilling Colombians. "Say 'terrorista!'" they taunt the caged and bloodied hero, after an intensive search of the local village yields exactly one hulking Austrian. "Tay-o-ee-stuh," the Austrian mutters, and they roll on the floor laughing. Unfortunately, moments of hilarity such as this one are few and far between in this would-be comedy. The slapstick violence feels forced, and even Mr. Schwarzeneggar's attempts at parodying some of his previous roles (you may remember him as the otherwise ordinary family man who harbored a secret life as a killer robot in the Terminator franchise, or as the chameleon-like secret agent in True Lies) fall flat. Not even the serendipitous timing of the movie's release (shortly after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.) helps much. So while the film is mildly amusing, I can't give it a heartfelt recommendation.