Sabotage, 2014.
Directed by David Ayer.
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Max Martini, Harold Perrineau and Mireille Enos.
SYNOPSIS:
Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.
A lot has been written about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to the acting game. After his political stint, many were excited by his return to what he does best, blowing bad guys away and gracing us with some new one-liners. But despite his choice of roles being decent, and more in keeping with his age, it has largely been ignored by the current crop of moviegoers.
Sabotage, his third major role since his return, was seen as the film that would stand the best chance of both reacquainting Schwarzenegger fans with their hero, but allow the new generation to his rare and unsurpassed talents. Sadly, it hasn’t worked out that way: a disastrous opening in the US (his worst in 30 years) coupled with some horrendous reviews have sunk the film. So with its UK release imminent, will the film, and Arnie, find a second wind? With a heavy heart, it’s sad to say no.
It should have worked though: a teaming with David Ayer’s gritty, realistic sensibilities should have brought out both some classic Arnie action as well as the more seasoned, “I’m-too-old-for-this-shit” characteristics. But while Schwarzenegger is decently served here, Sabotage as a movie is a damp squib, and in turn the year’s biggest disappointment thus far.
Ayer’s previous directorial works have produced some decent stuff, with his last effort, End of Watch, his first truly great film. That effort certainly had its fair share of twists and turns, and showcased the director maturing, keeping all his hallmarks but creating a more well-rounded film than say Harsh Times, which was good in spirits. With Sabotage, however, while the grit and realism remains, and there are some decent action set-pieces (the opening scene being the highlight) it serves as a step back, a lazy, over-confident film that suffers from heightened expectation.
And, as Arnie and co. struggle to find out who has double-crossed their high-profile DEA detail, the film gets caught adrift in a sea of dull action, awful dialogue and plot twists more signposted than the M25. No surprises really when you consider that the co-writer, Skip Woods, is the man responsible for the unforgivably dire first Wolverine outing and the awful Hitman screen adaptation.
Sadly, though Schwarzenegger does come out of the film okay, the rest of the cast are left to wrestle with what little character pittance is left. Mireille Eros’ Lizzy, of The Killing US fame, is an wearisome bore; Worthington provides little evidence that he is capable of more than just his exertions on Pandora; Olivia Williams is horribly mis-cast; and Terence Howard, who was sorely underrated in Prisoners at the tail end of last year, is relegated to an substitute-like role, only coming to any sort of prominence as the film races to desperately reclaim the match.
It is certainly one of Schwarzenegger’s better acting roles, with a decent sized amount of meat on Breacher’s bones in more ways than one, and it’s easy to see why he took this one on in the first place. But such is lack of quality around him, it cannot really be seen as anything but a disappointment for The Terminator.
What should have been a thrilling time at the cinema is sadly a damp squib on almost all counts. Bar a decent opening salvo and some all-to-brief flashes of Ayer’s better work, Sabotage is a let-down. Schwarzenegger comes out relatively unscathed in terms of his performance, but like his most iconic character, you have to wonder whether he has become outdated, and the lava pit awaits. For his long-standing fans, we hope the termination can be postponed for a little while yet.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ / Movie ★ ★
Scott Davis
Originally published May 5, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
