Directed by: David Ayer
Casts: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard, Olivia Williams, Mireille Enos
Genre: Action & Adventure, Thriller, Mystery & Suspense
Release Date: 3 April 2014
John "Breacher" Wharton leads an elite DEA task force, busting the world's largest drug cartels and kicking asses. Things begin to go wrong when their $10 million worth of stolen cartel money went missing and one team member after another gets picked off. It's a race against time as Wharton teams up with tough-female detective Caroline Brentwood to nail the perpetrator before he ends up on the chopping block.
Praises: What makes Sabotage even remotely chewable lies within its honest look into the integrity of law enforcers as they climb in and out of hell on earth. To bring down the drug cartels, Breacher and his team constantly has to go undercover and pretend to be the bad guys. Sometimes, people who do that too often found themselves morally lost - the line that separates them from the demons becomes indistinguishable. They see the highs and lows of humanity and forgot which end they belong to. Director David Ayer interprets these with sharp accuracy by utilising a plot that is dark, edgy and gritty, full with unexpected twists of events which effectively propel the film to the class of mystery thriller rather than being just another muscle-bound action flick.
This is perhaps the most interesting and unique role I have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger in since his return to the acting scene. It is nice to see "The Governator" playing a rather complex character with actual depth and story rather than the usual tough, mean-looking stereotypical grunt he always ended up as. Breacher has a compelling history that wasn't made known in the earlier parts of the film but once it does, it's enough to string along empathy from the audiences and gives the film an overall emotional touch.
Majority of the supporting casts offer strong performances and a special shoutout goes to Mireille Enos for her uncompromising take as the drug-addicted Lizzy, the only female crew in the drug-fighting team. Her character held her ground firm amongst the men and was never even close to being intimidated by her male peers. Sam Worthington too shows his diversified acting capabilities as James "Monster" Murray, the brutal yet easily-paranoid husband of Lizzy.
The cinematography employed is somewhat unorthodox yet creative - it brings a new height to the sense of realism in the film. Micro-cameras are carefully installed on the gun barrel to capture the shooting sequences from first-person point of view; this in turn enables the audience to see and feel the same intensity experienced by those wielding the gun.
Complains: The story itself is promising but the execution is poor. It offers audiences a grimmer look into the world of law enforcement but smears it with blood and guts splattered across unnecessarily. The gravity of the plot is seemingly lost in midst of the gore and violence, resulting in a film that is hollow, loud and messy.
The characters are a huge unlikeable lot, except for Breacher. I credit them for being distinct and individualistic but none of them are endearing. Honestly, I couldn't care less on their predicament and they are easily forgettable. The humours are dry and bleak - the film could definitely do well without. All the profanities and sexual insults strewn at each other seems to be without purpose as well.
The last thing I need is Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to be sexy. The Austrian champ is nearing 70 and he isn't even mildly attractive in both physical and demeanour anymore. The actor seem so out of place whenever he churns out flirtatious lines that got me gagging and his chemistry (romance or not) with the relentless Caroline played by Olivia Williams is close to non-existent. Speaking of which, it really upsets me to see Williams playing a tough chick that is so easily subjected sexually. Her character is simply tossed around and manipulated, mentally and sexually that I find her pathetic to watch.
Rating: 4.2/10
Hit or Miss: Sabotage ultimately felt dreadful and tedious, as there seem to be no proper direction that the disjointed narrative is heading. It's great that Arnie undertakes a role that is radically different from his usual stint but he lacks the proper charisma to carry his character well. The film could have been way better but fall short of expectation. Miss.
This is perhaps the most interesting and unique role I have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger in since his return to the acting scene. It is nice to see "The Governator" playing a rather complex character with actual depth and story rather than the usual tough, mean-looking stereotypical grunt he always ended up as. Breacher has a compelling history that wasn't made known in the earlier parts of the film but once it does, it's enough to string along empathy from the audiences and gives the film an overall emotional touch.
Majority of the supporting casts offer strong performances and a special shoutout goes to Mireille Enos for her uncompromising take as the drug-addicted Lizzy, the only female crew in the drug-fighting team. Her character held her ground firm amongst the men and was never even close to being intimidated by her male peers. Sam Worthington too shows his diversified acting capabilities as James "Monster" Murray, the brutal yet easily-paranoid husband of Lizzy.
The cinematography employed is somewhat unorthodox yet creative - it brings a new height to the sense of realism in the film. Micro-cameras are carefully installed on the gun barrel to capture the shooting sequences from first-person point of view; this in turn enables the audience to see and feel the same intensity experienced by those wielding the gun.
Complains: The story itself is promising but the execution is poor. It offers audiences a grimmer look into the world of law enforcement but smears it with blood and guts splattered across unnecessarily. The gravity of the plot is seemingly lost in midst of the gore and violence, resulting in a film that is hollow, loud and messy.
The characters are a huge unlikeable lot, except for Breacher. I credit them for being distinct and individualistic but none of them are endearing. Honestly, I couldn't care less on their predicament and they are easily forgettable. The humours are dry and bleak - the film could definitely do well without. All the profanities and sexual insults strewn at each other seems to be without purpose as well.
The last thing I need is Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to be sexy. The Austrian champ is nearing 70 and he isn't even mildly attractive in both physical and demeanour anymore. The actor seem so out of place whenever he churns out flirtatious lines that got me gagging and his chemistry (romance or not) with the relentless Caroline played by Olivia Williams is close to non-existent. Speaking of which, it really upsets me to see Williams playing a tough chick that is so easily subjected sexually. Her character is simply tossed around and manipulated, mentally and sexually that I find her pathetic to watch.
Rating: 4.2/10
Hit or Miss: Sabotage ultimately felt dreadful and tedious, as there seem to be no proper direction that the disjointed narrative is heading. It's great that Arnie undertakes a role that is radically different from his usual stint but he lacks the proper charisma to carry his character well. The film could have been way better but fall short of expectation. Miss.
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