Sabotage - A review by Camilo Arenivar
The Skinny:
I did not expect to like this movie but surprise, I did! "Sabotage" is brought to you from the man who brought you "End of Watch", "Training Day", and "The Fast and the Furious" and that may be what gives the movie the gritty edge and twisty story. A very graphically violent action thriller, it will not leave you bored. Basically, I enjoyed it. But if you can wait, you can also enjoy it on DVD! Not for the squeamish. Oh yeah, and it has Arnold Scharzenegger in it and strangely, that was not a bad thing.
The Fat:
"Sabotage" is an action thriller that opens with quite an explosive and sexually charged bang. The movie centers around a tighly knit elite DEA task force whose leader is Breacher, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. After a series of events (which I will not reveal as I think the movie works better if you are in the dark about things, as I was), things begin to happen that end up involving the Atlanta PD investigating murder.
OK first let's address the elephant in the room: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let's not kid anyone, he's never been known for his acting. However, this role has him a little less robotic than in the past, and he is a pained man, and he conveys that pain in a very dark deep way that comes off, successful. The cool thing is, at no time to me did this come across as a Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Which leads me to the writing and direction.
The movie has a surprisingly decent story and is really well directed. Maybe the fact that it came from David Ayer, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed "End of Watch" has a little something to do with that. Ayers writing credits also include "Training Day", "S.W.A.T.", and "The Fast and the Furious". One of the cool things about the direction are several scenes when Breacher and Atlanta PD Murder investigator Caroline (Olivia Williams) approach a place, the scene suddenly shifts to what happened before they got there, and you see things play out and then you see them as they arrive after these things have happened. It's a nice effect.
There are some cheesy parts of the movie and when the characters are not under pressure, that is when things really lag. Dialogue and acting will not make this movie. One person who shined throughout the movie was Mireille Enos, who played the somewhat drugged out feisty DEA agent Lizzy. As far as acting (not one of the movie's strong points) goes, she stole the show in that area.
The movie is very graphically violent. I mean, people nailed to the ceiling with their intestines hanging out, bullets knocking peoples brains to the back wall or people hit by cars splattering blood all over the windshield. It is almost Tarantino-esque. You have GOT to be prepared for that if you are going to see this movie.
Because I enjoy movies with graphic violence that have a story I cannot predict in the first 45 minutes of the movie, I found it to be entertaining and enjoyable. It won't win any Oscars, and there is no compelling reason to run out and see it in a theater, but it is worth seeing if these kinds of films interest you.
I did not expect to like this movie but surprise, I did! "Sabotage" is brought to you from the man who brought you "End of Watch", "Training Day", and "The Fast and the Furious" and that may be what gives the movie the gritty edge and twisty story. A very graphically violent action thriller, it will not leave you bored. Basically, I enjoyed it. But if you can wait, you can also enjoy it on DVD! Not for the squeamish. Oh yeah, and it has Arnold Scharzenegger in it and strangely, that was not a bad thing.
The Fat:
"Sabotage" is an action thriller that opens with quite an explosive and sexually charged bang. The movie centers around a tighly knit elite DEA task force whose leader is Breacher, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. After a series of events (which I will not reveal as I think the movie works better if you are in the dark about things, as I was), things begin to happen that end up involving the Atlanta PD investigating murder.
OK first let's address the elephant in the room: Arnold Schwarzenegger. Let's not kid anyone, he's never been known for his acting. However, this role has him a little less robotic than in the past, and he is a pained man, and he conveys that pain in a very dark deep way that comes off, successful. The cool thing is, at no time to me did this come across as a Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Which leads me to the writing and direction.
The movie has a surprisingly decent story and is really well directed. Maybe the fact that it came from David Ayer, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed "End of Watch" has a little something to do with that. Ayers writing credits also include "Training Day", "S.W.A.T.", and "The Fast and the Furious". One of the cool things about the direction are several scenes when Breacher and Atlanta PD Murder investigator Caroline (Olivia Williams) approach a place, the scene suddenly shifts to what happened before they got there, and you see things play out and then you see them as they arrive after these things have happened. It's a nice effect.
There are some cheesy parts of the movie and when the characters are not under pressure, that is when things really lag. Dialogue and acting will not make this movie. One person who shined throughout the movie was Mireille Enos, who played the somewhat drugged out feisty DEA agent Lizzy. As far as acting (not one of the movie's strong points) goes, she stole the show in that area.
The movie is very graphically violent. I mean, people nailed to the ceiling with their intestines hanging out, bullets knocking peoples brains to the back wall or people hit by cars splattering blood all over the windshield. It is almost Tarantino-esque. You have GOT to be prepared for that if you are going to see this movie.
Because I enjoy movies with graphic violence that have a story I cannot predict in the first 45 minutes of the movie, I found it to be entertaining and enjoyable. It won't win any Oscars, and there is no compelling reason to run out and see it in a theater, but it is worth seeing if these kinds of films interest you.
posted by Camilo Arenivar's CurrentlyPlaying. Reviews and More at 12:22 AM
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