Sabotage (2014) Online

2014 Arnold Schwarzenegger Sam Worthington Terrence Howard David Ayer

Original Title :: Sabotage
Genre :: Movie / Action / Crime / Drama / Thriller
Year :: 2014
Directror :: David Ayer
Cast :: Arnold Schwarzenegger,Sam Worthington,Terrence Howard
Writer :: Skip Woods,David Ayer
Budget :: $35,000,000
Type :: Movie
Time :: 1h 49min
Rating :: 5.7/10

Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.

Sabotage (2014) Online

An elite DEA team raids the safe house of a drug cartel and hide $10 million in the plumbing. When they go back to retrieve the money it is not there. The team is under investigation for the missing $10 million. Then after a couple months the investigation is lifted. The team trains together again and then celebrates at a strip club. Then one of the team is murdered. He wakes up in his RV on railroad tracks. Then a second team member is nailed to the ceiling. The third team member is gunned down at his remote cabin. There is a female City of Atlanta investigator in charge of the murders. After investigating the cartel angle, the twisted truth comes to light.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Arnold Schwarzenegger	-	John 'Breacher' Wharton
	Sam Worthington	-	James 'Monster' Murray
	Joe Manganiello	-	Joe 'Grinder' Phillips
	Josh Holloway	-	Eddie 'Neck' Jordan
	Terrence Howard	-	Julius 'Sugar' Edmonds
	Max Martini	-	Tom 'Pyro' Roberts
	Kevin Vance	-	Bryce 'Tripod' McNeely
	Mark Schlegel	-	'Smoke' Jennings
	Ned Yousef	-	Dubai Money Launderer
	Mireille Enos	-	Lizzy Murray
	Maurice Compte	-	Sapo
	Martin Donovan	-	Floyd Demel
	Michael Monks	-	ASAC Phelps
	Nick Chacon	-	DEA Sniper (as Nicolas Chacon)
	Tim Ware	-	Stan Morris (DEA Interrogator #1)

According to director David Ayer, Sabotage was heavily cut by the studio in favor of delivering more of an action based film rather than a mystery thriller. The original cut of Sabotage was rumored to be close to 3 hours.

The Beastie Boys, Mike D and Adam Horovitz, turned down a request to use their 1994 song "Sabotage" in promos for the film. In his will, Adam Yauch prohibited the use of his music in advertisements.

Arnold Schwarzenegger greatly disliked the haircut he had to wear for this film.

In the minute 43 till 45 you see a poster of Rambo in the background, but with the head of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The plot was loosely based on Agatha Christie's classic novel "And Then There Were None".

In the scene where Breacher is typing in statistics at his desk, the pictures of his family above his computer, are actual pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger's family. Pictures of Patrick Schwarzenegger are visible.

Kate Mara and Isla Fisher auditioned for the role that went to Malin Akerman. Later Akerman dropped out due to pregnancy and was replaced by Mireille Enos.

A subplot involving Brentwood trying to nail an abusive father who has killed his young daughter was cut from the final film, but it is briefly mentioned in the scene when Brentwood and Breacher talk on the way to Tripod's house. This storyline was cut to speed up the pace of the film and concentrate on the action.

Although screenwriter Skip Woods is credited with screen writing along side David Ayer, very little of his original script was used for the film. Just the central plot idea of a group of cops being picked off one by one.

Following its dismal showing at the US Box Office, Australian distributors withdrew the movie from its scheduled 1 May 2014 cinema release and instead released the movie straight to DVD on 31 July 2014.

Sam Worthington and Arnold Schwarzenegger have both had roles in Terminator movies as terminators.

If you look closely, the DVD the Stakeout Agent gives back to Breacher is a Netflix copy of "Training Day". Sabatoge's director, David Ayer, wrote the screenplay for Training Day.

The tattoo on Grinders (Joe Manganiello) shoulder is from the cartoon, "Terminal Lance". It depicts an eagle holding a skull with Marine emblems for eyes and a grim reaper carrying a M240B medium machine gun with baby Jesus hanging beneath it.

Harold Perrineau, who plays Det. Jackson starred on the TV Show Lost with Josh Holloway who plays Eddie "Neck" Jordan in this movie. Neither actor has direct scenes with the other.

Both David Ayer and Joe Manganiello have worked in the DC Extended Universe. Ayer directed Suicide Squad (2016) and Manganiello portrays Slade Wilson/Deathstroke in The Batman.

Lizzie suffers from Delirium.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sam Worthington both appeared in the Terminator franchise, although they did not appear together in Terminator Salvation (2009).

Detective Brentwood's radio identifier is 21-50. This is the famous radio identifier used by Broderick Crawford in Highway Patrol (1955).

The film had originally a completely different ending. In that ending, Caroline and Breacher apprehend Lizzy, who confesses. Breacher shoots Lizzy before she can reveal more and Caroline becomes aware that Breacher is behind the killings. Breacher slips away undetected. Caroline and her partner Jackson then head to the lake to retrieve the money. Breacher shows up, stabs Jackson and begins fighting Caroline in the water. David Ayer filmed two alternate versions of this ending. In the first one, Caroline escapes and Breacher is confronted by two police cars when he tries to leave with the money. Breacher kill the cops and prepares to flee in one of the cars. Then Caroline appears and asks him why he killed his team. He tells her that they wouldn't let him kill his family's killer, who he knew he could get. She then shoots him when he tries to go for his gun. In the second version, when Caroline asks, Breacher tells Caroline that a member of his team betrayed him and one of them was responsible for selling his family to the cartel for money. He didn't know which one, so he took them all out. He shoots Caroline when she tries to apprehend him, and then leaves with the money. Both versions were rejected by the producers, who forced Ayer to create a new ending which showed Arnold Schwarzenegger's character as an antihero instead of as a villain.

The film could have ended with a dying Lizzie confessing to Breacher and Caroline that she was responsible for the kidnap, torture and murders of Breacher's family and that she sold him out to Bruio.

User reviews

bass

The movie is not bad at all, not sure why everyone says it is. Especially when the review just says it is bad and gives no explanation other than implying there is no plot.

Most of the Arnie movies are not that great, I love them still, this one has a bit more of a story that it is following, with less action. That is probably why every1 is down on it I suppose, it is different.

There are a couple things going on with the main character, he is trying to get to the bottom of them both. It all unfolds nicely, but it is a bit slower than what most Arnie fans are used to. To me, that is fine.

I do not understand why anyone thinks there is no story, there is more story than action. Could of used more time with the characters, probably was part of what was cut from the original 3 hour run time, but it is still a fine movie. Meaning there are much worse Arnie movies that were more successful. This is like a better version of Eraser, which I thought was only OK back then. Give it a shot, take it as it is without some type of expectations, you will not be disappointed. Unless you are not an Arnie or cop violence fan. If that is the case, then why are you reading this?

Defolosk

From TRAINING DAY (2001), DARK BLUE (2002), HARSH TIMES (2005), STREET KINGS (2008) and END OF WATCH (2012) at which he either writes, directs or doing both duties, David Ayer has crafted quite a career for himself as the go-to guy when comes to movie that explores the dark side of a law enforcement. This year is no different as Ayer explores the same territory again with SABOTAGE. But what's really interesting about his latest effort is his first-time collaboration with the former '80s and '90s king of big action icon Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the kind of role unlike anything fans have seen him before... well, at least not since 1984's THE TERMINATOR or to certain extent, 1997's BATMAN AND ROBIN.

WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?

Following a successful drug raid to steal US$10 million from the cartel's money, John "Breacher" Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his rugged team of undercover DEA task force -- James "Monster" Murray (Sam Worthington) and wife Lizzy (Mireille Enos), Joe "Grinder" Phillips (Joe Manganiello), Julius "Sugar" Edmonds (Terrence Howard), Eddie "Neck" Jordan (Josh Holloway), Tom "Pyro" Roberts (Max Martini), and Bryce "Tripod" McNeely (Kevin Vance) -- are happy to collect it later where they hide it in the sewer pipes. However, they return to discover that the drug money has gone missing. They are eventually held for investigation and everyone ends up suspended from duty. But after the authorities fail to land hard evidence against them, their superior (Martin Donovan) put them back into action. Then, one by one from Breacher's team members ends up dead in gory fashion. While trying to find out the culprit, Breacher is subsequently working with homicide investigator Caroline Brentwood (Olivia Williams) and realizes that the murders as well as the stolen drug money is actually involving one of them.

THE GOOD STUFF

As with other Ayer's movies, the action is brutal and gripping enough to capture your attention. Together with cinematographer Bruce McCleery, Ayer also manages to create some creative shots including the one where he utilizes small digital cameras from the tip of a gun barrel's point-of-view during a shootout.

The overall cast here is engaging, with Schwarzenegger gives a daring performance as the cigar-chomping John "Breacher" Wharton with a dark past. It's certainly nice to see him willing enough to change his usual larger-than-life action image for something radically different. As the emotionally-confused and relentless Caroline Brentwood, Olivia Williams plays her role with enough gravitas to stand out on her own. The rest of the supporting actors, including Sam Worthington (sporting a shaved head and braided goatee) and Joe Manganiello (looking good with a cornrow hairstyle), are equally adequate with their respective roles but it was Mireille Enos who steals the show in SABOTAGE. Here, Enos brings an uncompromisingly fearless performance as the tortured Lizzy who is addicted to drugs.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT(S)

For all the blood, sex and profanities that showcased throughout the movie, I can't singled out a moment worth placing here.

THE BAD STUFF

It's a pity that the story here is major disappointment. Written by David Ayer and Skip Woods, SABOTAGE does look promising with a nifty concept that mixes Ayer's trademark gritty cop thriller with Agatha Christie-like whodunit structure (particularly her famous novel of And Then There Were None). However, the execution is rather poor or should I say, lazily constructed, as the whodunit doesn't look interesting at all. And worst, the story drags a lot throughout the movie.

As exceptionally good as Schwarzenegger has put into his character, there's a nagging feeling that he looks wooden when he is required to deliver more stilted dialogues than usual. As the soft-spoken Sugar, Terrence Howard does little to make his performance worthwhile in the movie.

As much as Ayer loves to showcase a lot of grits in his movie, his penchant for shaky camera-work feels rather annoying, particularly when he loves to do a lot of tight close-ups. Another flaw here is Ayer's over-the-top display of gore and violence that somehow works better for a hardcore horror movie than a gritty cop thriller.

FINAL WORDS

While SABOTAGE is far from both Ayer's and Schwarzenegger's best efforts, the movie remains quite a jolting cinematic experience.

Dellevar

Arnold is back, and at 67 years old he hasn't missed a beat. Sabotage is the Governor's third starring role since returning from his stint in politics, and it's easily his best one to date. Schwarzenegger stars as Breacher, the commander of an elite DEA swat team, who agrees to help his under appreciated team take part in the theft of millions of dollars, from a top cartel boss. The heist goes relatively smoothly, but when the team goes to retrieve their money, they discover that one of them double crossed the rest and had stolen the pay day. Everyone is upset and trying to figure out who it was, when the cartel shows up looking for retribution. As the cartel picks off the team one by one, the remaining members have to ban together to try and stop them, except this time, they have to do it knowing that one of them is a trader. Arnold isn't doing the crazy stunts or fighting scenes that he's become synonymous for, he's in more of a leadership role in this film, but he's still the man when it comes to action films. Here he's paired with the Killing's Mireille Enos, who as the only female member of the team, gives an amazing performance. I'm used to her always playing these quiet, reserved, troubled characters, and it was a real treat to see her break out as the wild girl on a team full of men. Sabotage is the rarest of Action films, as it is one with a great storyline, that is as gripping as any drama. The film isn't just about killing people and blowing things up, it has plenty of that, but in the case of Sabotage, there is a reason for all of it, and this film will really keep you on the edge of your seat.

Gavikelv

The whole cast was great don't get me wrong, and i enjoyed the plot of the whole film, as much as it could have been a little longer with a few more, twists and turns, it still got the point with lots of gun fire, lots of "breaching" and lots of cussing for no reason. Arnold himself being team leader, did a great job, and finished his mission no matter what, i enjoyed the hell out of this film and i think it was a come back for Arnold, it wasn't a flop (in my head, again most people are posting that it was crap and Arnold is done, blah blah blah) This movie had everything going for it, action packed, lots of good actors, lots of crazy gun fights, lots of cussing and dirty jokes, i saw a review that said this is a "guilty pleasure for manly men".....honestly its just a guilty pleasure for anyone who likes action movies and Arnold surrounded by a group of good actors, i hope to see him doing more movies like this (unlike the expendables, which i am not the biggest fan of) this movie was more about him and less about the other actors, i think anyone who is an action movie fan, and an Arnold fan....would enjoy this....so give it a shot. seriously :)

Alianyau

Don't listen to the critics! Go see this movie if you are an Arnold fan! Unlike The Last Stand and Bullet to the Head, this is a straight up dark gritty crime thriller with some great action sequences. While most of the team was unlikable, all of the cast gave good performances aside from Olivia Williams who's accent was pretty bad. The story was good and had enough twist and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the film. The action scenes were fantastic and the violence was incredibly brutal and gory! This is one of the most violent mainstream movies I've seen in a long time! Trust me when I say this movie earned it's R rating! I loved how David Ayer managed to combine the genres of action, crime drama, and western elements together while keeping the tone ultra dark and gritty. Arnolds performance here is also one of the best of his career in my opinion. If I had any complaints it's that it is true the characters are very unlikeable and while they are suppose to be, you do get tired of their crudeness pretty fast.

Very good movie and defiantly worth seeing on the big screen! Don't listen to the critics! If you are a fan of action/crime movies you will enjoy this!

Bumand

Arnie:"Hey David, I am bored and was wondering if you fancy making a movie David Ayer: "I am kinda busy watching the grass grow, did you try any other directors." Arnie: "Tried them all but their phones were all switched off" David Ayer: "Damn, forgot to do that. OK I will make a movie with you. What have you got in mind." Arnie: "Duh!...I was hoping you would have some ideas." David: "Ok, just round up some actors and I will get Skip Woods to write a story." He should be able to throw something together in about an hour." Arnie: "Great."

A couple of weeks later.

David:" Arnie, I got the footage you sent me. It is almost 3 hours long and I cannot make any sense of it." Arnie: "Oh Yeah!...sorry about that. The Actors seemed to be stoned and drunk most of the time and we kinda lost track of things. I suppose that means the movie is screwed." David: "No problem. I will cut the crap out of it and make some kinda movie from it. All the blood and guts and shooting should help. The story or the acting is irrelevant. The morons who go to movies will watch anything if it has a few star names attached. Anyway, it is no worse than most of the utter crap coming out of Hollywood the past few years. I am sure we will make a bundle before the public realise how bad it is. We can always get some of our buddies to write good reviews. That always seems to work." Arnie: "Thanks.....gotta go....time for my meds." David: "Yeah!...me too."

THE END

Note: Save your sanity, your money and your family, and stay far away from this brutally bad movie. It is seriously bad. Note 2: I had some time off and decided to relax and catch up on some movies. I will never take time off again. I am considering therapy to undo the possible mental damage this so called movie may have done to my poor brain.

Rivik

Despite Schwarzenegger's presence throughout, 'Sabotage' is among the worse films this viewer has seen. A veteran of Arnold's movies since 'Conan', I advise all of his fans--and fans of action movies in general- -to run from the movie poster. Escape it! Avoid this one, avoid 109 minutes of foul crud and days of lament after the credits roll.

"But" you say, "the governator stars in it! Can it really be that awful?" Yes, my fellow movie buffs, 'Sabotage' is that bad. Why? Well I'll elaborate. A thirteen year old seems to have written the script. Every other line (being generous here) contains a jest of bodily functions, human reproductive practices, or gory gallows humor. The dominating themes of the movie are cruelty, extreme violence, and glorification of police brutality.

Arnold stars as the commander of a DEA "special operations" strike team (whatever that is), the single positive note here being Schwarzenegger does wear his age well. Other than that, his delivery of terribly written lines lack any timing, synchronicity or emotion. We see the old Arnie trying to shine through in some of his expressions, but his usual animation and vitality never come through.

As for the DEA team Arnie leads, well, the movie asks you to care for them or at least find them interesting as the opening gives each team member a spiffy nickname that's really not. Although the team is composed of some fairly large name actors (Sam Worthington, Terence Howard, Mirelle Enos), each of them is foul mouthed, hyper violent, a drug addict, or all three. That the moviegoer is expected to view them as elite law enforcement officers is both a joke and an insult. These thugs with badges do nothing throughout the movie but kill, steal, double cross and party.

The plot, if such a convoluted mess can be so classified, is as disgusting as the senseless gore which permeates it. Schwarzenegger's family was slain (gorily) by drug cartel members and although this tidbit is central to the rest, it is simply mentioned and then brushed aside at the outset. Silence of the Lambs level gore is flung at the viewer raising the final theme that human life and friendship and integrity mean very, very little indeed.

Alright. So many of Arnold Schwarzenegger's movies have been about little more than killing lots of bad guys to a sci-fi or cop drama backdrop. However, in 'Sabotage' not only is Arnie the badguy but he is a willing leader of even badder guys. At one during the viewing point I was trying to tally up the deaths of innocent bystanders--there are lots of them--and the film seems to rejoice in stray bullets knocking off pedestrians.

Yes, there's a train wreck of sorts in 'Sabotage' which is about the only aspect of it that makes sense because the film is one giant derailment start to finish.

Nagor

It takes a lot for me to crap on a movie. Knowing what it takes and the work involved, I try hard to overlook certain things that aren't important in bringing a movie down.

But then you have something like Sabotage, that has been delivered from the mind and pen of a certain Skip Woods. And then you question how such a person can sell scripts to Hollywood!

Looking back at his writers filmography, I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed any of his work. They seem to get worse, so god only knows how he keeps getting more...

That said, I thought I would give Sabotage a go as a fan of Arnie.

Holy hell what a waste of my life. Even at 20 minutes in, we are subjected to some god awful acting, ridiculously poor script writing which seems to be appealing to most trailer trash folk that like shooting guns, an abundance of shaky cam nonsense, and hack job in editing!

Just a big old NO. Ridiculous. Stupid. Pointless. Wasted.

Phain

This film is absolutely terrible. The main plot point makes very little sense, as the basis for the film is precipitated by a completely unnecessary risk taken by the elite DEA task force.

The characters are abysmally written. Each one has fully embraced their "gutter trash" personas so that they can be the "best undercover agents in the DEA". The result of this is that every member of the team is completely unlikeable, a trait which extends even to Schwarzenegger's John 'Breacher' Wharton, and I found myself not caring in the least when a character was killed off.

The female characters in the film were unattractive, in every respect.

Please keep in mind, Schwarzenegger is my favorite action star. End of Watch is one of my favorite films. I greatly enjoyed Harsh Times.

Did it seem like the filmmakers made an effort to incorporate realistic room-clearing tactics into the film? Yes, and it should always be appreciated when consultants with actual experience in a field are hired to contribute to a film's authenticity. But it doesn't compete with the nonsensical storyline or the forced, unbelievable interactions between the static, uninteresting characters.

This film is absolutely terrible.

Saberblade

Although i watched it until the end, and actually enjoyed the action part of the movie, the story is very very flawed.

i will only get into the beginning of the movie, so hardly any spoilers here.

The movie starts with a DEA team apparently robbing a drug-lord. At first the viewer thinks it's a sanctioned operation but in the next scene it turns out to be a rogue one. OK, so fa so good.... BUT!

The team thought of a way to take away 10.000.000 Dollars from the drug money for themselves. Still, plausible. But then... Arnie blows up the stash of about 2 billion dollars....

The next scene he gets interrogated by his colleagues/ internal affairs about where the 10 million is.

Excuse me... but he blew up all the money... so how could anyone know there is 10 million missing?!?!?!?!?!?

This is what the entire movie is based on... sorry... that just does not fly! Nice action ... horrible story!

Quphagie

How it got over a 5. rating so far on IMDb, completely mystifies me. If you like fart jokes, fart comments, high school T + A comments, implausible if not far (or fart) fetched story line, poor acting or lack of acting skills, car chases, improbable events and lack of reasoning, then THIS pile of rubbish, is just for you. What a waste of time. It is a complete embarrassment from start to finish. What were they thinking? Really? Two days later, I am still shaking my head in disbelief that someone on that crew or cast could not speak up even just once and ask "what are we doing here" or make a judgement call. Utter garbage. For imbeciles. Lowest common denominator. Sorry, I've run out of descriptions for how stupid and low this movie was. And Marielle Enos? Come on! She looked about 80 years old. An 80 year old skeleton. My eyes!!!!

Barinirm

Why did this flop, and why is it rated to low!? I don't quite get that. No, it is not the only movie you ever need to see, but it is pretty darn entertaining, I'll tell ya.

Yeah, it totally overdoes the we-are-such-a-tight-group-of-bros-(and-a- sis)-and-we-joke-in-a-rough-way, but it doesn't really get too annoying. Arnold is good, this is not his usual role, and that's pretty neat. Olivia Williams is also pretty good.

Now, the action. This has some intense action sequences, and it is bru-tal! I mean, this is an R-rating if I ever saw one! Blood is flowing. I saw a you-tube review of this, he though it was to violent, it's not. I like me a really brutal movie now and then!

It has a couple twists and turns, action is good, acting is decent, (I dare you to recognize Sam Worthington!) it is, *drumroll* entertaining!

People saying this is a bad movie, well, they obviously haven't seen The legend of Hercules. Sabotage is one of several Arnold comeback-movies, and it is definitely a good one.

As I've said, it isn't a classic, it tries to be a little better than it really is, but it does not make it that bad at all.

Qucid

"Sabotage" looked amazing on paper, and at one point early on in production, it was one of my most highly-anticipated action films. First of all, you've got David Ayer coming fresh off the critical and commercial success of "End of Watch," one of the best cop films in recent memory; then you've got a pretty good supporting cast (Worthington, Howard and Manganiello are fine enough for the kinds of roles they're playing here). But mostly you've got Arnold playing his least quintessential role -- what I mean by this is that, over the years, even in his more dramatic fare, Arnold has always enjoyed self- posturing and falling back on his reputation when he plays characters. There's nothing wrong with that, but at a certain point, the wink-wink, nudge-nudge stuff gets a bit repetitive; I thought "Last Stand" was a fun spaghetti western, but it was Arnold playing an older Arnold, complete with the "I'll be back" puns and jokey homages to older films.

What excited me about "Sabotage" was that it appeared Arnold had taken a decidedly un-Arnold role, which is to say that most any other aging, dry actor could have taken this on. From the haircut to the makeup (grizzled and riddled with tattoos), this was NOT Arnold playing Arnold. Apart from one throwaway line about a character's "48 percent body fat," this is the first time - maybe since the original Terminator - that Arnold has attempted to play someone other than himself, really, unless you count failures like End of Days, but even then he had a bit of the tongue-in-cheek stuff going on (and the film was crap to boot).

But what made it even more interesting was that, at the same time, the movie shared the whole Agatha Christie and-then-there-was-one plot device that "Predator" made use of. So it was kind of an interesting thing -- we've got a similar set up (an elite gang of mercenaries being picked off one-by-one by an unseen foe, with Arnold left trying to defend himself and his men) but a completely different approach in both tone and character.

With that in mind, I'm very sorry to say that Sabotage not only is a crushing disappointment, but ranks with some of Arnold's worst movies. I mean, I don't know how to describe it other than... this film left a really bad taste in my mouth.

As for Arnold? I love the guy, but maybe this is why it was best for him not to have attempted to play characters much beyond his own image. He tries, but his more earnest line readings are often pretty stiff and unnatural, and it must be said: he's just not really that believable in the role. Chalk it up to the accent, the mediocre line delivery, or the lack of chemistry with his cast members, but there's just something missing here, and as the film drags on you begin to realize how awkwardly cast it is with him in the lead. That pains me to say because I'm a fan of the guy and I was really excited to see him play a more unusual role, and thought it was a wise career move on his part to move beyond the wink-wink roles like Expendables and Escape Plan, but... maybe I was wrong.

But maybe it's not just Arnold. There's ultimately something very crass and callow about this film, and it's not just because it's overly violent, but rather, I think, because of how gleefully it tends to display the violence. It's not that strong violence bothers me, but compare how it was used in Predator to how it is used in Sabotage. Part of it may be the contrast between the ultra-realistic violence (think End of Days with the gritty hand-held style camera work and realistic- looking bullet wounds) and the absolutely ridiculous action sequences in the film (the movie's car chases are pretty poorly executed and unbelievable).

I don't know. I wanted to love this movie. It ended up being so distasteful to me that I couldn't even enjoy it as a guilty pleasure, and it lacks the goofy retro charm of something like Escape Plan so ultimately it just comes across as a forgettable attempt at a modern action thriller with a bungled approach both in front of and behind the camera. Given the talent involved this is definitely one of the biggest "What went wrong?" head-scratchers in recent memory. A shame, because if you look at this film on paper it reads like it could have been one of the Austrian Oak's finest rather than one of his worst.

Jay

I don't normally post reviews, but if I can save one person the 2 hours that I lost, it will be worth it.

It's all down hill after the first scene. The character development is way overdone across the board, especially Arnie's character: cigar smoking while guns are blazing, the one night stand with the all-business homicide detective, bad lines like "look at you with your 40% body fat", etc. The DEA crew living together in a crack house, drinking and getting lap dances at every turn, the member with the drug problem, etc. Not one cliché was over-looked.

The acting is also horrible, but worst of all, the plot makes absolutely no sense.

I could write a better plot than this. How does this stuff get past the script writers, reviewers, actors??

Hiclerlsi

the aim of any actor is to have something different and to have charisma.You don't have to be great looking you don't even have to be great physically...you just have to have something that people want to watch.

For some unknown reason Arnie has that something...an extra thing that so many wanna be's don't have.An individual dirty harry frank sinatra dean martin, grace kelly ZING.

Anyway, the movie has that thing that makes you start watching and also want to see what happens.It has a 80's video schlock thriller feel but that just adds rather than takes away.The actors are attempting that blokey locker room stuff you do when you play sport with your buddies but at game time they all put in a team performance.

Good work Arnie you still got it.

Ironfire

First off i've always been a huge Arnold fan. I believe his (not so much his early) acting is more realistic compared to how most actors always over-act everything they do. Some say this movie has no action and too much story and some say it has no story and too much action. Don't listen to the critics, they were just sad they didn't get enough explosions or that there was too little narrative with too much story. A movie is supposed to be a story. Just because everyone's lines don't constantly and literally explain everything that is going on in the movie does NOT mean that the story wasn't there. It was actually supposed to be a mystery/thriller, but got edited into an action. First of all don't expect anything from a movie. Take it for what it is. Sabotage is a pretty deep movie and very adult. People say it was ridiculous with the blood and gore. I thought the gore was more realistic than most movies. People don't just mist and then pool on the ground, people actually make a very big mess when they are ripped open. If you want Expendables, then watch Expendables (Which i love). If you want a movie with great actors (except Howard) and a real story that isn't saturated with the "typical" Hollywood crap, you should give Sabotage a fair watch.

Gerceytone

This is not your typical Arnold Schwarzenegger film that most of us are use to from the 80s and even the 90s. Instead we get a film that relies mostly its its good story with very good action scenes here and there. Some may be disappointed by this as we are all use to those amazing summer blockbusters that Arnold was in in the past. Arnold is not getting any younger. I know this and we all should know it. However this film is a very fun film to see at the theaters.

The story in my opinion is very strong. With twist and turns throughout the film it will leave you guessing. Written by Skip Woods who is known for his intense action films deliveries another solid outing with his script. While weak at times I felt it flowed nicely throughout the course of this nearly two hour long film. Also written by David Ayer, who directs the film as well, is hot off of his popular, and very good mind you, End of Watch. You can tell the deeper parts of the story was crafted by Ayer while Woods set up the amazing action scenes.

As I just mention David Ayer directs the film in addition to writing the film. Ayers handles the film amazingly. While this film is not wall to wall with action scenes when the action hits the screen you can tell Ayer had great command of the action in front of him. The action is bloody, and that is putting it lightly. This is a rated R film, and this genre as of late has been forced feed watered down PG-13 action films. Thankfully Ayer does away with that in this film.

Acting is top of the line. Schwarzenegger pulls off another great film in terms of his acting. You can feel the pain he is going through throughout the film. Other members of the cast such as Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, Terrence Howard, Max Martini, Mireille Enos, and Olivia Williams round out a very amazing cast of actors in the film. They gel perfectly throughout the film, and when the plot curve balls come they are believable.

Overall while its not your old school Arnold Schwarzenegger film, it sure provides a deep story, with amazing acting, and while few action scenes, the action we see is done amazingly. Fans of the action genre who like to see real R rated action will likely enjoy this film. Others may be turned off since its not your average 80s or 90s Arnold film. To you I would say wait for rental. For people who hold opinions I do this is a must see right away. As always Arnold throws out some amazing one liners, so keep a look out for them.

Wishamac

This is easily one of the finest films Arnold has ever put out. It's brutal, realistic and genuinely affecting. Beautifully shot, immaculately acted. Arnie is growing into a hell of a character actor. I would easily put this film right up with the masterpieces that are The Terminator, Predator and Total Recall. Just brush away everything you know about Arnold the man and focus on the riveting acting ensemble that he'd surrounded himself with here. And let me be the first to say that, while I wasn't knocked out with his performance in Avatar, Sam Worthington comes into his own here. He is a living breathing undercover narc and the tension and energy that all these actors generate is positively insane. I see this as Arnold doing his Falstaf in Chimes of Midnight. And he's giving Orson Welles a run for his money!!!

Windbearer

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

John 'Breacher' Warton (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the grizzled, hardened leader of an elite DEA task force that targets major drug pushers in the tough world of drugs trafficking. But on their latest bust, he and his men decide to take a bit of the ill gotten gains for themselves, only to find a year later each one of them being gruesomely killed off one by one. Breacher must get to the bottom of who is behind these killings before they are all killed, trying to suss out whether it's the work of a vicious cartel (who previously killed his wife and child and sent him a tape of the slaughter) or a deceitful member of their close knit crew who wants everything for themselves.

Since making his big lead comeback vehicle early last year on both sides of the Atlantic with The Last Stand, after notable guest star appearances in Sly Stallone's Expendables films, Arnold Schwarzenegger has wasted no time, bringing out three new films within the space of eighteen months. To date, the results have been average at best, expectantly not showcasing their star with the same impact he had many years ago. But he's truly hit a hard place with Sabotage, a truly dismal piece of work, with real pretensions way above it's station. There's a cast and crew on board that have potentially more star power than their leading man, with End of Watch director David Ayer at the helm and trendy hot properties Sam Worthington and Terrence Howard among the supporting cast, but even they cannot lift this hopeless mess any higher out the gutter.

The components that are generally considered for a great film are usually discarded for the sake of Arnie, as long as the one liners flow thick and fast and the explosive action is never far away, but here a seemingly none existent plot is further compounded by a distinct lack of any exciting action, leading to a really boring experience that really goes nowhere. When the violence does strike, Ayer seems to have a Quentin Tarantino fetish in mind, inexplicably over indulging on a lot of excessive, blood splattered showpieces that a modern audience would be pretty desensitized to, but only serves as perversely pretty window dressing. It's expectantly a film serving as a celebration of all things macho, but it's a further burden that the 'heroes', including the female member, are so boorish and unlikable, and behave in a manner precious close to those they're going after.

There's a director who's proved his ability and some competent co stars involved here, so everyone had a right to expect something much better. As it is, we have what must be Arnie's worst film since Last Action Hero, and which could set the standard by which his next projects end up heading in the straight to DVD location his former fellow action stars now find themselves. *

Jorius

Which is obvious for a David Ayer film, Sabotage gives a grounded depiction to the realm of corruption. It begins acknowledging that crime is nothing to be taken as a joke and one has to think through the stakes before the situation leads to their love ones. It's quite a risky subject taken place on a job of DEA. While the protagonists are hotshots, they also have the capability to get killed in the most mundane ways. But the film meanwhile negates the grander realities and ends up indulging itself into a relentless murder machine that doesn't always make sense. It would be pleasurable if you have fetish for gore, but for the commentaries, it is thematically vague.

The film is at its most interesting when it acknowledges the audience that the job of law enforcements are outright dangerous, like even the strongest hotshots could get wacked in the job. This is a cold-blooded context where no one acts like a superhero to take the job easily, just a bunch of hard-as-nails men prepared to get their body parts blown off. When the plot kicks in, it immediately becomes a mystery where it rigorously jumps into places. Director David Ayer deserves some credit to take us in to a compelling grim world where any deadly consequences are present. But not all of those mundane elements come around consistently. The plot leads to a ridiculous twists that is probably meant to fit for more bloody pleasures. As an action movie, this won't be a problem, but the film seems like it is setting up an ordeal and that piece of revelation kind of ruined it.

The lead character has a backstory that might have been a much interesting ordeal to see, but that isn't what the filmmakers want. It's really about the action, you can see how awesomely shot they are. The camera clearly shows how every piece of flesh gets destroyed. And for sure, B-movie fans will find this fun, seeing how a less sugarcoated violence really looks like. But really, it could have also shown more of the dangers of their situation other than just getting killed horribly. It lacks more exploration to the commentaries of how getting involved to drug lords can lead to an awful feud, like what happened to Breacher's life years ago.

The cast has a bunch of tough guys doing their thing. Arnold Schwarzenegger obviously still has the muscles and everything else is pretty ordinary from him. His crew sometimes feel like they're ghosts where you sometimes didn't notice one of them are actually in that scene. For the female cast, Olivia Williams is able to make her character a lot interesting than what is written in the script, and Mireille Enos shows natural madness and it looks like she's having fun even if it gets out of hand.

Sabotage is disappointing, apparently. You get a director who is an expert at depicting real life crime and law, yet the movie rather tells a ridiculous story which only leaves the context at the background. It might have been cool, but it has a potential of telling something revelatory. All we get now is some sweet madness that action fans usually crave. I'll tell you this, the movie is perfect when you seek for manly action with cold-blooded violence (except if you see this in Philippine theaters where half amount of violence is cut). But looking through their situation, I don't think it's appropriate to call it fun. The film should have gotten the same ambition of Ayer's last movie, End of Watch, where the heroes doesn't always have to be cool. That way, the ordeal and the commentaries would be more visible.

Endieyab

This movie is really annoying and stupid. The plot is boring and the way the police act in this movie is unrealistic. They are all drunken fools. When their friends start dying off one by one they don't show any emotion whatsoever. It makes their relationship questionable. They are supposed to be this really close group of friends that work together and care about each other. Like Brothers. But they don't act like it at all. They just act high and drunk and extremely annoying. Even the husband and wife don't act like a couple. I don't get how this movie won any awards. The men are perverts and the women is an addict. They don't act like they are important. They seem more like gang members. Also the scenes jump from one to the next too quickly. There are no finished thoughts. There is nothing to follow. Plus the filming is B rated looking. The camera is bouncy and unprofessional.

Gavirus

This movie was a waste of my Saturday night as well as money. The story line was very disconnected and you did not really care much about the main characters. Arnold sensitivity was down right unbelievable. I cannot believe Sam Worthington was involved in this crap since I know he can do better however, he was the best actor in this film.

The action was pretty gory, some bawdy jokes that were predictable. The best line came from Arnold when he says to the FBI investigator, "look at you with your 40% body fat.' After that they were few and few in between. Arnold trying to be sexy was a joke. I did not feel the passion between him and the female investigator whom Arnold was using for his personal gain.

Question, Arnold's wife and only child were taking hostage by a drug cartel with the eventual death of his wife. There was no mentioned of his son and how he died or whether he was still a prisoner. Isn't that strange?

This movie was about revenge done poorly and it had potential initially but was lost in the first few minutes. This was about avarice and the repercussions of it from DEA perspective. I think if we the movie goers had the opportunity to remake this film we could have done a better job!

Please stay away, this script should have been rewritten before filming began, I was taught long time ago in English class a story must have a begin, middle and end and that it must be cohesive. Please stay away and I spoke to a few movie goers like myself who were very disappointed and that we should have just stayed home or it should have been released to direct DVD.

Gaua

This movie blew my mind. It was way better than I expected. After seeing Arnold in The last stand where he played a more mellow character this was his bad ass role. This movie even begins with an adrenaline rush of intense DEA raid scenes and quickly shows you this team's character as they are not the most honest DEA agents. You quickly fall into the team's world which is more party oriented and drug driven than you'd expect for cops. After a heist from the cartel fails the team is under suspicion and left wondering where the money went. Meanwhile Arnold's character deals with the loss of his wife and son.

As the movie progresses members of the team are being executed in sometimes horrible and gory ways. The team begins to think the cartel is killing them off but as Arnold's character befriends a female detective and the two investigate deeper they both come to realize it's much worse. I love the twists and the intensity of this movie was at times unpredictable. I will say I'm a bit confused on a couple of parts but this movie is definitely worth a sit down. Good cast, interesting story, great action. See Sabotage.

Sarin

Ultimately, this is just another Arnie film although in all fairness it has a bit more substance than usual.

The film deals with the fall from grace of a decorated veteran of special police and as the plot develops it becomes a guessing game whether the main character is corrupt or simply his luck has run out.

In many ways a typical action film with a slightly better plot than we are accustomed to, although the Hollywood exaggeration was ever present. Seeing a whole team of experienced special operation agents are being wiped out as if they are schoolchildren lowered the experience but then I recalled that this is an Schwarzenegger movie so I just sat back and enjoyed the action.

Sardleem

This movie is probably Arnold Schwarzenegger's best acted in a long time..It is more mystery thriller than an action packed one despite what the trailers led us to believe...The director uses Arnold really well and he has a lot of screen time despite that at times he doesn't seem like the main character..The supporting cast is strong but some actors do feel out of place..The unrecognizable Sam Worthington acts well and Joe Manganiello does good on his part

The plot is good and keeps you on the edge of your seats throughout..The action is the best part of the movie which is amazing and gruesome at the same time..The mystery is quit intriguing and keeps you guessing..The shooting and the deaths all seem quit real as there is no cgi involved which makes for a great viewing experience..If you have high expectations going in you'll be disappointed as this not the best of the director..overall this makes for a pretty good mystery thriller and you wont be unsatisfied

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