Despite Schwarzenegger's presence throughout, 'Sabotage' is among the worse films this viewer has seen. A veteran of Arnold's movies since 'Conan', I advise all of his fans--and fans of action movies in general- -to run from the movie poster. Escape it! Avoid this one, avoid 109 minutes of foul crud and days of lament after the credits roll.
"But" you say, "the governator stars in it! Can it really be that awful?" Yes, my fellow movie buffs, 'Sabotage' is that bad. Why? Well I'll elaborate. A thirteen year old seems to have written the script. Every other line (being generous here) contains a jest of bodily functions, human reproductive practices, or gory gallows humor. The dominating themes of the movie are cruelty, extreme violence, and glorification of police brutality.
Arnold stars as the commander of a DEA "special operations" strike team (whatever that is), the single positive note here being Schwarzenegger does wear his age well. Other than that, his delivery of terribly written lines lack any timing, synchronicity or emotion. We see the old Arnie trying to shine through in some of his expressions, but his usual animation and vitality never come through.
As for the DEA team Arnie leads, well, the movie asks you to care for them or at least find them interesting as the opening gives each team member a spiffy nickname that's really not. Although the team is composed of some fairly large name actors (Sam Worthington, Terence Howard, Mirelle Enos), each of them is foul mouthed, hyper violent, a drug addict, or all three. That the moviegoer is expected to view them as elite law enforcement officers is both a joke and an insult. These thugs with badges do nothing throughout the movie but kill, steal, double cross and party.
The plot, if such a convoluted mess can be so classified, is as disgusting as the senseless gore which permeates it. Schwarzenegger's family was slain (gorily) by drug cartel members and although this tidbit is central to the rest, it is simply mentioned and then brushed aside at the outset. Silence of the Lambs level gore is flung at the viewer raising the final theme that human life and friendship and integrity mean very, very little indeed.
Alright. So many of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies have been about little more than killing lots of bad guys to a sci-fi or cop drama backdrop. However, in 'Sabotage' not only is Arnie the badguy but he is a willing leader of even badder guys. At one during the viewing point I was trying to tally up the deaths of innocent bystanders--there are lots of them--and the film seems to rejoice in stray bullets knocking off pedestrians.
Yes, there's a train wreck of sorts in 'Sabotage' which is about the only aspect of it that makes sense because the film is one giant derailment start to finish.
"But" you say, "the governator stars in it! Can it really be that awful?" Yes, my fellow movie buffs, 'Sabotage' is that bad. Why? Well I'll elaborate. A thirteen year old seems to have written the script. Every other line (being generous here) contains a jest of bodily functions, human reproductive practices, or gory gallows humor. The dominating themes of the movie are cruelty, extreme violence, and glorification of police brutality.
Arnold stars as the commander of a DEA "special operations" strike team (whatever that is), the single positive note here being Schwarzenegger does wear his age well. Other than that, his delivery of terribly written lines lack any timing, synchronicity or emotion. We see the old Arnie trying to shine through in some of his expressions, but his usual animation and vitality never come through.
As for the DEA team Arnie leads, well, the movie asks you to care for them or at least find them interesting as the opening gives each team member a spiffy nickname that's really not. Although the team is composed of some fairly large name actors (Sam Worthington, Terence Howard, Mirelle Enos), each of them is foul mouthed, hyper violent, a drug addict, or all three. That the moviegoer is expected to view them as elite law enforcement officers is both a joke and an insult. These thugs with badges do nothing throughout the movie but kill, steal, double cross and party.
The plot, if such a convoluted mess can be so classified, is as disgusting as the senseless gore which permeates it. Schwarzenegger's family was slain (gorily) by drug cartel members and although this tidbit is central to the rest, it is simply mentioned and then brushed aside at the outset. Silence of the Lambs level gore is flung at the viewer raising the final theme that human life and friendship and integrity mean very, very little indeed.
Alright. So many of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies have been about little more than killing lots of bad guys to a sci-fi or cop drama backdrop. However, in 'Sabotage' not only is Arnie the badguy but he is a willing leader of even badder guys. At one during the viewing point I was trying to tally up the deaths of innocent bystanders--there are lots of them--and the film seems to rejoice in stray bullets knocking off pedestrians.
Yes, there's a train wreck of sorts in 'Sabotage' which is about the only aspect of it that makes sense because the film is one giant derailment start to finish.