Collateral Damage
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: February 8, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
33
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 34 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
11
Negative:
16
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
20
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Plays like a bad adolescent revenge fantasy on Ritalin, all jagged editorial edges and silly, pumped-up testosterone. Read full review
25
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Collateral Damage isn't jingoistic; it also isn't exciting. It's a depressed rabble-rouser. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
Schwarzenegger's mortality for the first time suits him. Read full review
38
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
A mind-numbing carnival of violence. Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Ludicrous revenge thriller. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
My guess is that the average firefighter, like the average American moviegoer, might sort of enjoy the movie, which is a skillfully made example of your typical Schwarzenegger action film. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
This is one of those would-be blockbusters that wants to have it both ways: It includes enough political commentary to have pretensions of seriousness, yet it's engineered to satisfy the explosion cravings of Schwarzenegger action fans, if any are left. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
There's nothing special about this movie -- it's just business as usual for today's debased action-movie genre. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
The result is an ''action film'' mired in stasis. The ending piles on the potboiler mayhem, but it's telling that Schwarzenegger's climactic catchphrase is down to one measly word. This time, he's the luggage. Read full review
60
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
It's throwback, formula Ah-nuld all the way, a straightforward and simple revenge thriller. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
A pretty decent action picture. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
The film's political philosophy, as much as it has one, is of the "a plague on both your houses" variety, painting the rebels and the CIA as equally fixated on killing innocent civilians for their own nefarious ideological ends. We've seen it all before, and we'll likely see it all again. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Schwarzenegger doesn't at all seem too old for the part; his bulging muscles still fill the action-hero's suit just fine. It's what he's doing that is tired and, maybe, played out. Read full review
50
New Times (L.A.)Luke Y. Thompson
Feels dated in the post-9/11 world. But it would have felt passé and unnecessary regardless; it's the sort of film Michael Dudikoff, Chuck Norris and their ilk cranked out on a near-monthly basis when Reagan was president. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Exploits and trivializes public anxiety for entertainment and commercial gain. They've been doing it for years. But this little piggie didn't get to the market in time.
30
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
A stinker. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
Your heart will have you cheering Gordy on -- even as your brain complains that there are plot holes you could drive a truck bomb through. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
The best that can be said about Collateral Damage is that it offers a fleeting fantasy of American invincibility at a time when we desperately crave the reality. It functions as a movie narcotic. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
He's still big and burly, but, at age 54, Schwarzenegger is starting to look a little too old to be involved in this kind of stuff. Action films are the province of younger stars. Read full review
10
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Abort! Abort! It's that time of year when Hollywood releases movies it should never have made in the first place. Read full review
20
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Quickly plunges into boggy terrain from which it can never extricate itself. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Efficient action thriller. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
It's about as convincing as any other Arnie musclefest, but has a little too much resonance with real world events and ultimately comes off as insultingly simplistic. Read full review
30
SlateDavid Edelstein
It's another dumb vengeance picture -- "In the Bedroom" for meatheads. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
In a way, Collateral Damage is redeemed by its implausibility, because the closer it comes to reality, the more disturbing it gets. For once, viewers have reason to be grateful for having their intelligence insulted. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Morally simple, action packed and explosive. Read full review
20
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
Manages to squeeze in several different endings — like a bad pop song that doesn't know when to fade out. But as Mr. Schwarzenegger's stature as an action figure diminishes, his effort to retain a piece of the market is touching. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Utterly predictable, noisy and stupid. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
What we get is simply another opportunity for Schwarzenegger -- who seems to be in perpetual Terminator mode -- to flex his muscles. Read full review
10
VarietyTodd McCarthy
More than an embarrassment, it's an insult. Read full review
30
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Intermittently, in attempts to articulate a coherent argument, Collateral Damage shifts from pulse-pounding mode to something more migraine-conducive. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Five months after Sept. 11, the movie inevitably echoes those events, but in a loud and extremely cheesy way.
60
Washington PostStephen Hunter
I liked, too, some late plot reversals, sorely needed after the numbingly simple straight-ahead plunge of the first hour of the movie. Things aren't quite what they seem and the twists are neatly done. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Head-scratchingly ordinary, given Schwarzenegger's need to prove he's still a virile (i.e., non-aging) action hero. Read full review
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