In his third lead role since the end of his second term as California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger portrays a veteran drug-enforcement agent leading a gifted, but volatile team, the members of which are portrayed by, among others, Mireille Enos, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, and Sam Worthington. The film, Sabotage, opens as they invade a drug kingpin's compound. Their actions inside alter the course of their lives. Where The Last Stand and Escape Plan largely drew upon the image he forged in the 1980s and '90s, including a host of colorful one-liners, Sabotage delivers Arnold perhaps the most grim and tortured character he has ever played: a desperate, hardened, and brutal man who starts and ends his days watching a video of a loved one's torture at the hands of a cartel, the ritual perhaps a penance for his inability so far to avenge her.

Sabotage unfolds as a mystery as the central team is targeted and set upon, one by one, by a nefarious foe, presumed to be cartel henchmen. On this level, it is fine: involving and solid, with a few neat twists and turns. Its real magnetic force, however, is its depiction of its very flawed characters, the dangerous world they inhabit, and the way it impacts their souls. This, of course, is a specialty of writer/director David Ayer, whose previous credits include End of Watch and the Training Day screenplay. He has an expert ear for the macho and profane behavior of hard men with a hard job in a hard place. His authorial voice can become overheated, his storytelling unfocused and perhaps even a bit juvenile, but there is a vital core. The urgent action sequences are defined by admirable hand-held verisimilitude and a fascination, at once captivating and grotesque, with the details of physical harm.

As the once and future Terminator delivers one of his most fine-tuned and dramatic performances, he is given a potent hand by his co-stars. In a modest surprise considering the genre, it is the women who shine brightest. Enos devours her role as the team's most (self-)destructive and live-wire member; she exudes, often at the same time, fear, lust, and unadulterated mania. Her unpredictable nature elevates the suspense of more than one sequence. More subtle, but just as invaluable is Olivia Williams. She is a quietly engaging anchor as an in-over-her-head homicide detective circling the plot, trying to figure out who is who and why they have done what they have done before the truth is torn apart by gunfire and drenched in innocent (and not-so-innocent) blood.

B+

Also dug the fatalistic, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia style ending.

How big was Josh Holloway's part?

He has a few scenes, but relatively small compared to other members of Arnold's team.

On another note, even though his character is important, I almost believe Terrence Howard was largely cut out of this film. His part is curiously inert and muted compared to what is given to, say, Mirelle Enos and Joe Manganiello.

I was the only person at my press screening that liked it. Out of about 40 people. Lol.

it's not even getting released in canada

So I read. That's kinda weird, though, isn't it? Has that ever happened to a major wide US-release before?

not that i can remember. there's some tyler perry/other urban shit that doesn't get released in every city (no black people in canada), but they at least play in toronto.

I want to say this was terrible, but I feel like I'm being unfair as this is a film that's clearly been hacked to shit in the editing room.

Finally got to watch it today and as much as I hate saying it this was honestly another disappointment for me.

Arnold was good, but I really didn't give a shit about the other characters. Way too much dick swinging and posturing to be likeable IMO. Not that the performances themselves were bad per se, but there just wasn't anybody to really root for and that's a big problem when it comes to getting involved in a movie like this.

The action is solid though, and it's refreshing to see a movie that actually embraces it's R-rating by not shying away from all the gore and brutality, but at the same this movie is never entertaining to watch and has to have one of the most unexciting car chase's I have seen in a while.

Sabotage

Sabotage is a solid action thriller with a strong cast and a refreshingly hard and violent story. We've not seen Arnie like this before; bad, ruthless, devious, and out for revenge. The final scene is just terrific and classic Schwarzenegger (felt like an auto-homage) - the music and the violence mix awesomely to create what I'm sure will become an all-time Arnie moment.

What I was most impressed by is the level of gore (and dialogue), which turns it from a generic cop thriller to a Se7en and SWAT hybrid. The character dialogue was good, especially the female FBI agent. It's just a raw, gritty and gruesome action thriller; great stuff, and better then The Last Stand and Bullet to the Head.

I've now attended 13 of Arnold's films in cinemas, and for someone that missed his best years, I'm proud of this number.

B+

Do you count The Expendables, Around the World in 8 Days and Terminator: Salvation? Without them, I'm at 9, with them at 12.

I have seen The Terminator in theatres and everything starting with End of Days.

18, not counting The Expendables, Around the World in 80 Days and Terminator: Salvation, and I haven't seen Sabotage - - though I wish I had missed at least a few of the ones I did see (eg: Last Action Hero).

Ok, let's make a list:

The Terminator
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Terminator: Salvation
Jingle all the Way
Batman & Robin
Collateral Damage
The 6th Day
The Expendables
Sabotage
The Expendables 2
Escape Plan
The Last Stand
The Rundown
= 14

For me:

Eraser
Jingle All the Way
Batman & Robin
End of Days
The 6th Day
Collateral Damage
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
The Rundown
Around the World in 80 Days
Terminator: Salvation
The Expendables
The Expendables 2
The Last Stand
Escape Plan
Sabotage

15

or 11 minus the cameos

Eraser was, I believe, my first R-rated film on the big screen.

Bradley must be in his 40s.

There used to be an age counter under our usernames in the early days of KJ.

Only if you submitted your birthday at any point.

I think that still works, no?

It's just that nobody that still posts here is likely to give away their birthday.

My last derailing post in this thread.

I used to always include mine, but one of the board resets cleared everything.

I thought it might show up on the Wayback Machine, but no such luck.

Wanna blast from the past? - - Have a look at WOKJ circa December 2004!

I watched this a few days and despite my glowing review for it before I am even more impressed with it now. I didn't remember it being such a well constructed film. The characters and plot are very entertaining. The gunfights are awesome. You really feel every gunshot. One of Arnold's best. No holds barred.

I'm at 16 now with Terminator: Genisys and Terminator: Dark Fate.