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Collateral Damage | 2002 | R | - 2.8.5

A captain of the LAFD (Arnold Schwarzenegger) watches as a bomb explodes near the Colombian Consulate and kills his wife and son who are at an adjacent sidewalk café. Realizing that the government is making no progress in catching the perpetrator (Cliff Curtis) he takes matters into his own hands, travels to Columbia and takes on international terrorism. With Francesca Neri, John Leguizamo, John Turturro and Elias Koteas. [1:48]

SEX/NUDITY 2 - A few women are shown in tight-fitting tank tops that expose cleavage. A man appears to be flirting with two women. A man and his son shower alongside each other and we see their bare shoulders. There are a few sexual references.

VIOLENCE/GORE 8 - A man is strapped into a chair, his mouth is pried open with a metal device, and a snake is placed into his mouth and it apparently goes down his throat; we hear him gag, he jerks a little and then dies. A man is shot in the chest. A woman punches a woman in the face and then breaks her neck (we see the victim with some blood trickling from her nose). A woman hits a man in the throat and he gasps for air (we see him dead later). A man shoots into an elevator and the occupant shoots back and hits the man in the forehead (we see the bloody hole). There is a gunfight in a crowded street between police and guerrillas and several people are shot and killed. A group invades a prison firing guns and killing many of the guards. A bomb explodes in front of a building causing the glass to shatter, and people inside and outside the building to be tossed around -- some are injured and some are killed. We see a video of the explosion that shows in more detail people being blown up, and we see a woman and boy as a wave of flames washes over them. A cocaine manufacturing facility explodes and people run and panic, and a building explodes propelling many people in the air. Grenades are launched into a jail propelling people into the air; people in the cells begin to panic as flames grow larger. Helicopters attack a guerrilla camp firing rockets into the buildings and surrounding forest and propelling people through the air (we see many dead bodies on the ground). A bomb is thrown out of a rooftop window and it explodes sending glass and flames through a room full of people who duck and hide under tables. A man cuts gas lines and when a gun is fired there is a huge explosion that propels three people through the air. A man fights with two people; they punch, kick and hit him on the back with a club. One man is electrocuted when he's thrown into a control panel, and one man is killed when an ax is thrown and hits him in the chest (we focus on the faces of the two dead bodies and see some bloody wounds). A busload of people get off a bus and run through some woods trying to escape armed men; we see some of the people being shot, one man threatens three young women, and a man is punched in the face. A man is chased through woods by armed men who are firing at him. A man grabs onto a vine, slides down a cliff, falls half way down, slides down another cliff and then into rapids that send him over a large waterfall. A man attacks another man and they nearly roll over and step on a land mine, which eventually explodes killing one of them. A man steps into a street in front of a moving car which hits him throwing him onto the hood; he then crashes into the windshield which shatters, and he proceeds to land hard on the ground -- we see him later with a bloody face and watch as a leg wound is stitched. A man lying on the ground (he has a very bloody mouth) is kicked many times by a group of men, and one threatens to shoot him. A man is punched and hit in the face and back with a gun butt repeatedly and he punches back. A man grabs another man's testicles, wraps a chain around a man's neck, and bites a man's ear off (we see him spit out a bloody piece). We see several dead bodies lying along a river bank, and one is in the water being pecked at by a bird. A man slides down elevator cables, crashes through the elevator roof, climbs through the bottom of the elevator, is kicked, and nearly falls many floors. A woman and boy are almost hit by a speeding motorcycle; the two riders fall off a bike. A firefighter jumps over a hole in the floor, catches the edge of the other side with his ax, pulls himself up and runs through flames. A man barges into an office in a fit of rage and uses a bat to tear the place up; he also threatens another man with the bat. He is eventually shot in the back with a taser-type weapon that makes him shake and fall to his knees. A woman and a boy are tackled by a man as a nearby building explodes. We see dead bodies on the ground covered with sheets that have bloody spots on them. Firefighters push through a burning building to rescue trapped people and we see smoke all around and flames on the ceiling above them; pieces fall and something explodes sending a fireball toward some firefighters. A man dangles underneath a moving truck. A man picks up a briefcase and tries to jimmy it open (it apparently contains an explosive device). A man punches his phone, breaking it. We hear graphic descriptions of how people might be tortured and killed by guerrillas, a man describes in graphic detail what happens to your body when you are trapped in a burning building, and a woman describes how her daughter was killed by a grenade (she bled to death in her father's arms). A woman threatens a boy with a hand gesture. We see a funeral and watch as a small casket, containing a boy's body, is lowered into the ground. There are several scenes that contain photos or video of the results of terrorist acts, usually dead bodies.

LANGUAGE 5 - 4 F-words, 9 scatological terms, 2 sexual references, 6 anatomical terms, 15 mild obscenities, 7 religious profanities, 5 religious exclamations and some insults. There are parts of the dialogue which are in Spanish but are not translated into English; judging from the context, it's probable that there are additional profane and/or obscene utterances.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Terrorism, drug trafficking, hate, rage, Colombia, remorse, kidnapping, family values, war crimes, torture, vigilantism, justice.

MESSAGE - Freedom means different things to different people.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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