Collateral Damage

Realizing that those self-serving wonks at the CIA, FBI and State Department aren't going to get the terrorist bomber who murdered his wife and son, Arnold Schwarzenegger engineers his own one-man mission to Central America to smoke out and kill his nemesis. This action dud is riddled with common-sense gaffes and laughable security breach blunders that betray the movie's pre-9/11 origins (especially once the action moves to Washington, D.C., where another bomb is set to go off). Predictable twists and lethargic action sequences abound as director Andrew Davis (A Perfect Murder, The Fugitive) beats back the film's meager potential to keep it palatable to the lowest common denominator. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary from director Andrew Davis, a half dozen additional scenes (slightly exasperating because you cannot select them individually), a 14-minute behind-the-scenes HBO documentary, and an eight-minute "The Hero in a New Era" reflective featurette. Bottom line: A decent set of extras for a rather run of the mill action thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)