By now, we all know of the problems Warner Bros. had releasing Collateral Damage to the public post-September 11. They knew that they couldn't release a film dealing with terrorism and the loss of innocent lives afer the United States had just been attacked in such a cowardly, but devastating way. So Warner Bros. too September off the market for it's original November release, re-tooled a few scenes of the movie so as not to be disrespectful of those who lost their lives and released the movies 3 months later to a curious public. The end result is contrived, mis-guided, and overall, an insult to Americans.

There's just so many inconsistencies throughout the whole movie that it's painful to watch and the real-world truth is completely different than the falsities presented in the movie. Are we to believe that one man can single-handedly take down a terrorist organization and at the same time prevent the United States from all futher terrorist attacks? It seems that way in the movie. Are we to believe that the head of a terrorist organization is able to freely fly back and forth between Colombia and the United States to carry out his biddings, and at the same time not send his minions out to do the work instead of himself? The movie would have us think that's the case. Are we to believe that one man can do all of this can go along without a hitch and without governmental support? I think not.

Perhaps I should just sit back and enjoy the movie, after all, it's standard Ah-nold fare with his heavy accent, bulging biceps, and all-too-common save the world plot, but while I probably would have pre-September 11, it seems a bit more difficult to do so now. After I was awakened pre-dawn and watched in horror on TV as the two buildings collapsed, I don't think I'll ever be able to watch a movie that takes terrorism and boils it down to such a simplistic view the same way again. It's a slap in the face as Warner expects us to enjoy the firefighter travelling to Colombia to make the terrorist pay (and as a side note, did you know that the makers of the movie didn't want Arnold to be a firefighter in the first place, citing the profession as not heroic enough?).

Collateral Damage is a joke through and through. The story doesn't make sense, the plot has holes big enough for Arnold to crash his motorcycle into, and the general story is awkward and unconversant of the truth. Had this film been released in the heyday of Arnold's poplularity, it may have succeeded as it would have been just another of Arnold's action movies with no real storyline, just mindless action. However, in the new world in which we live, the movie is a pointless endeavor and one which Warner should have let stay on the shelf for an indefinite period of time.

Genres: Action, Suspense, Thriller
Rated: R - For violence and some language.
Runtime: 115 minutes
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