Sabotage (2014)

I like to think that I'm fairly film savvy. Many times I can tell you exactly what's gonna happen next because I've seen it in countless other films and it can be rather painful to watch. Thus, how pleasant it is to see a plot twist that you never saw coming. This film has two of them.On the surface, Sabotage looks like the typical Schwarzenegger film: Guns, action, and more guns and more action. But what it really is, is a character study of a tortured man. Arnold will never win an award for his acting and there are a couple moments that are rather cringe worthy but still, he's solid and capable. But, the acting around him is nothing less than first rate. My favorite was Olivia Williams who plays a cop investigating the murders of members of Schwarzenegger's crack DEA team. I'd heard the name, but her face wasn't familiar to me. Turns out she's a British, Shakespearean actor; yet, there was not a trace of any of that in this film! Strangely, this is one of Arnold's best films. Mainly because he gets to play a character he's never played before and it works. Therefore, I find it hard to believe that Sabotage didn't get much attention - I just recently came upon it over the internet - it's gotta great cast, a talented, accomplished, writer director (David Ayer), and a compelling story line. Because I've seen so many unoriginal films lately, it's not always easy for one to hold my attention. I wouldn't say I was riveted to the screen, but Sabotage did hold my attention without giving me the feeling that I was being falsely manipulated. Which is what you want any film to do.

I heard about this film a fair bit while it was out in cinemas, mainly because of the leading actor, I didn't know anything about the plot, so, despite slightly low ratings, I was up for it, directed by David Ayer (Training Day, Fury, Suicide Squad). Basically an elite DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) team, led by John 'Breacher' Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger), raid a drug cartel, during which they find $10 million in cash, they take it all and hide it in the plumbing. When they return later for the cash, it is missing, and the team are under investigation until the money is found, the investigation is lifted after a couple of months, following no evidence. The team are eventually brought back together to train, and celebrate the reunion with a night in a club, but then one by one members are being murdered. The first killed member wakes up in his RV, on train tracks, and hit by an oncoming train, the second killed member is found nailed to the ceiling, the third killed member is gunned down in his remote cabin. Investigating the murders is Detective Caroline Brentwood (The Sixth Sense's Olivia Williams) from the City of Atlanta, with Breach, who is haunted by the memory of his family murdered, they work together to find who is responsible, the obvious connection is the missing millions. The murderer responsible for the brutal killings is not so obvious, following a high speed chase they get what they deserve, it is revealed that Breach in fact kept all the mom. Breach uses it to get a lead to those responsible for killing his family, he murders the man and all his henchmen in a large bloody shootout, after which he is badly injured, and simply sits down to smoke a cigar. Also starring Sam Worthington as James 'Monster' Murray, Mireille Enos as Lizzy Murray, Terrence Howard as Julius 'Sugar' Edmonds, Joe Manganiello as Joe 'Grinder' Phillips, Harold Perrineau as Investigator Darius Jackson, Martin Donovan as Floyd Demel, Max Martini as Tom 'Pyro' Roberts, Josh Holloway as Eddie 'Neck' Jordan, Troy Garity as Agent Spolcheck and Kevin Vance as Bryce 'Tripod' McNeely. Schwarzenegger is always good at being tough, all the supporting cast members are stereotypes, but they do fine, the story is just about interesting to follow, I agree with critics it more about the shock factor, but that is exactly what kept me watching, all the grisly deaths, each more gory than the last, and the sequences with speedy chases and guns blazing are exciting, so overall it was a reasonable crime action thriller. Worth watching!

Continuing my plan to watch every movie in Arnold Schwarzenegger's filmography in order, I come to Sabotage.Plot In A Paragraph: Members of a DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.This was my first time watching this movie, and truthfully I honestly don't get the hate aimed at it. Arnie delivers one of the better performances in his career. OK, there wasn't a single likable character in the movie, and nobody to really root for but I thought the movie was OK!! I was seriously expecting to dislike it. Good actors like Terrence Howard and Joe Manganiello, and not so good actors like Sam Worthington (an actor I have never cared for) fill out the rest of the cast . Outside of Arnie, only Manganiello really stands out. He actually owns Arnie in a scene, before The Oak puts him in his place by grabbing him by the throat. It's not a great movie, and it probably doesn't have much, if any rewatchability factor, but it's not by any means one of Arnie's worst. I guess I'll be in the minority in not disliking it, but that's OK. Sabotage completely tanked at the domestic box office grossing only $10 million

My 15 year old son and I LOVE Arnold and his movies. We're pretty easily entertained whether it's an action flick or a deeper, character-driven movie. But we were both in agreement - this was 2/10. -Long, boring drinking scenes (10-20 minutes) of guys back-slapping, howling and acting all awesome (the dialogue had to be at least 50% "f-ck". I've got nothing against expletives, seriously, unless they become the sole dialogue in multiple long, boring scenes, as a means of conveying almost nothing to ANY individual character development. After a while, you're left scratching your head asking: "is there even a story to this movie?" And worse, when something does finally happen -a series of gruesome murders occur (in unrealistically over the top bloody detail) you are left wondering why you really don't care. At all. For anyone who is dying. Not anyone. -when the story does finally take shape, the summary is pretty insanely lame: (complete spoiler here): a DEA agent's wife and son are killed by Mexican cartel. His police unit steals money from another cartel, which he then steals from his unit, so (in the final 10 minutes of the movie) he can give it all to a Mexican sheriff for info on where his family's killer is, so he can kill him and then smoke a cigar as he bleeds to death. That's it. Wow, that's pretty much it.