Sabotage
3/4
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Williams, Mirelle Enos, Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Terrence Howard, Harold Perrineau, Josh Holloway, Troy Garity
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Pervasive Language, Some Sexuality/Nudity and Drug Use
"Sabotage" is a much different Schwarzenegger vehicle than his other flicks. Movies like "T2," "True Lies" and "Total Recall" were definitely violent, but they were also fun. There was an enjoyable quality to them (some more than others). His new film, "Sabotage," is different. It's gritty, grim and ultra-violent. While there are some one-liners, there aren't many.
Schwarzenegger plays John "Breacher" Wharton, the leader of a group of DEA agents who are bad to the bone. They are: Joe "Grinder" Phillips (Manganiello), Eddie "Neck" Jordan (Holloway), Lizzy Murray (Enos), James "Monster" Murray (Worthington), Julius "Sugar" Edmonds (Howard), Tom "Pyro" Roberts (Max Martini), Bryce "Tripod" McNeely (Kevin Vance), and "Smoke" Jennings (Mark Schlegel). They're like one big, testosterone-and-alcohol infused family. After taking down the leader of a vicious drug cartel (from whom they stole $10 million of the $200 million cash prize they found), they are being picked off one by one. But who is behind it? More importantly, who stole the $10 million before they could come back and get it?
David Ayer has been writing cop thrillers for the better part of a decade ("Training Day," "Dark Blue," the "S.W.A.T." movie, and "End of Watch" are all movies that he had a hand in writing). Like "End of Watch," "Sabotage" has a documentary quality to it, although not to the extent that the 2012 film had. The naturalistic dialogue and performances make it seem unrehearsed (which, in this case, is a compliment), but there's no one holding a camera, and there's little shaking (thank God!). Still, Ayer needs to know how to work a microphone. Much of the dialogue is unintelligible, which makes the plot confusing at times.
Schwarzenegger is trying to broaden his range in this role. He's gritty and grungy, and tosses off profanity like a middle-schooler. Never before has he been this dark and brooding. Olivia Williams is in fine form as Caroline, the officer who is investigating the first officer's murder, and picks up on the fact that it was no accident. Her Southern accent is a little forced, but her performance is not (I wonder why Ayer had her do this...she's British, and no one else bothers to use an accent). And she gets to do some gunfighting, which is akin to seeing Meryl Streep shooting off some impressive weaponry. Everyone else fills in like character actors; there's nothing distinguishing one from another, except for Mirelle Enos, who is decidedly not glamorous and borderline psychotic (her final scene is hammy on her end, though).
The film is not flawless. Far from it in fact. For one thing, the characters aren't especially interesting. We see that they function as a family, but I never felt it. The documentary-like quality of the film hampered my ability to connect with them. "Twister" did something better nearly 20 years ago (has it been that long?). There are confusing moments in the plot (mostly due to the bad sound), but there are some twists that I didn't see coming.
I was surprised at how involved I got in this film. It's difficult to like, but it's involving and it stays with you.
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olivia Williams, Mirelle Enos, Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Terrence Howard, Harold Perrineau, Josh Holloway, Troy Garity
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Pervasive Language, Some Sexuality/Nudity and Drug Use
"Sabotage" is a much different Schwarzenegger vehicle than his other flicks. Movies like "T2," "True Lies" and "Total Recall" were definitely violent, but they were also fun. There was an enjoyable quality to them (some more than others). His new film, "Sabotage," is different. It's gritty, grim and ultra-violent. While there are some one-liners, there aren't many.
Schwarzenegger plays John "Breacher" Wharton, the leader of a group of DEA agents who are bad to the bone. They are: Joe "Grinder" Phillips (Manganiello), Eddie "Neck" Jordan (Holloway), Lizzy Murray (Enos), James "Monster" Murray (Worthington), Julius "Sugar" Edmonds (Howard), Tom "Pyro" Roberts (Max Martini), Bryce "Tripod" McNeely (Kevin Vance), and "Smoke" Jennings (Mark Schlegel). They're like one big, testosterone-and-alcohol infused family. After taking down the leader of a vicious drug cartel (from whom they stole $10 million of the $200 million cash prize they found), they are being picked off one by one. But who is behind it? More importantly, who stole the $10 million before they could come back and get it?
David Ayer has been writing cop thrillers for the better part of a decade ("Training Day," "Dark Blue," the "S.W.A.T." movie, and "End of Watch" are all movies that he had a hand in writing). Like "End of Watch," "Sabotage" has a documentary quality to it, although not to the extent that the 2012 film had. The naturalistic dialogue and performances make it seem unrehearsed (which, in this case, is a compliment), but there's no one holding a camera, and there's little shaking (thank God!). Still, Ayer needs to know how to work a microphone. Much of the dialogue is unintelligible, which makes the plot confusing at times.
Schwarzenegger is trying to broaden his range in this role. He's gritty and grungy, and tosses off profanity like a middle-schooler. Never before has he been this dark and brooding. Olivia Williams is in fine form as Caroline, the officer who is investigating the first officer's murder, and picks up on the fact that it was no accident. Her Southern accent is a little forced, but her performance is not (I wonder why Ayer had her do this...she's British, and no one else bothers to use an accent). And she gets to do some gunfighting, which is akin to seeing Meryl Streep shooting off some impressive weaponry. Everyone else fills in like character actors; there's nothing distinguishing one from another, except for Mirelle Enos, who is decidedly not glamorous and borderline psychotic (her final scene is hammy on her end, though).
The film is not flawless. Far from it in fact. For one thing, the characters aren't especially interesting. We see that they function as a family, but I never felt it. The documentary-like quality of the film hampered my ability to connect with them. "Twister" did something better nearly 20 years ago (has it been that long?). There are confusing moments in the plot (mostly due to the bad sound), but there are some twists that I didn't see coming.
I was surprised at how involved I got in this film. It's difficult to like, but it's involving and it stays with you.
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