Arnold Schwarzenegger's career comprises, broadly, 4 phases (not counting cameos). The first phase, Getting Started, begins with Pumping Iron and continues with Hercules In New York and the like. Phase 2, Establishing, contains the entertaining but otherwise routine action thrillers like Commando, Raw Deal and so on. Phase 3, Blockbusting, has all the films which AS will be remembered for - The Terminators, Predator, True Lies, Total Recall, as well as a handful of comedies ranging from the excellent (Twins) to the not-so-hot (Jingle All The Way). To some extent this phase suffered from a need for each movie to cap the one before, something which became more difficult towards the end (Eraser, End Of Days, The 6th Day). And there was Phase 4 a.k.a. Collateral Damage.
Collateral Damage, the last film made before medical issues retired AS as a major action movie star (and before he became the Governator) is a film which would slip easily into Phase 2. As a routine gung-ho action thriller, there isn't a vast amount wrong with it. Except that it's a Schwarzenegger movie.
Arnie had become his own worst enemy. He had delivered so consistently that, by the time this movie came around, we wanted so much more and, in that respect, it became an ignominious capstone to one of the very best careers as an action hero in the history of cinema.
Collateral Damage, the last film made before medical issues retired AS as a major action movie star (and before he became the Governator) is a film which would slip easily into Phase 2. As a routine gung-ho action thriller, there isn't a vast amount wrong with it. Except that it's a Schwarzenegger movie.
Arnie had become his own worst enemy. He had delivered so consistently that, by the time this movie came around, we wanted so much more and, in that respect, it became an ignominious capstone to one of the very best careers as an action hero in the history of cinema.