Sabotage

I didn't really enjoy it. Action movies about special ops are one of my least favourites because even here we don't get to build any kind of relationship with the characters, so we have absolutely no sympathy for someone who dies. There is plenty of blood, but that's it, it felt like a cheap video movie at times. A generic story, little action, Arnie didn't work for me here, and at times it’s boring, so average. 55%. (07/13/2014)

An above average film, albeit by the skin of its teeth. Its plot is reminiscent of any of Steven Seagal's new scary movies, but the execution is infinitely better in every aspect, Arnold Schwarzenegger still knows how to give those tough looks, and the ending is especially good. The only thing that spoiled my experience was the terrible Czech dubbing (the DVD didn't come out and I had to record Sabotage from TV like in the good old days of VHS), whose actors didn't even try to put the right words in their mouths. Three and a half. (08/02/2015)

The film has a simple plot and some of the illogicalities are blatantly obvious, but I feel that this is quite normal in action films. What I liked is the fact that it's incredibly realistic when it comes to the violence, which perhaps the last Expendables lacked, but I also like that the team works and doesn't work at the same time. Here you really get the feeling that these are people. Then there's Arnold, who still has it, even if he looks rather ridiculous in some scenes. The ending is properly cool, though. (08/22/2014)

Michael Mann loves tough guys, hardcore action, and raw military feeling, just like David Ayer. Both of them have seen, studied and experienced and know how to create a realistic atmosphere, but they approach it from opposite ends. Mann comes from the upper echelons of society (drug barons, professional thieves, undercover cops in Ferraris), while Ayer comes from the lower ones (losers, aimless goons), and handles action brilliantly, no doubt about it. We haven't seen raw shootouts full of bullets and destruction for a while, but we have seen all the rest in his other movies, so it’s not impressive, and his groundbreaking steady cam and FPS shots are nothing new either. It would still be a decent ride if it weren't for the dumb screenplay. Arnold is alright. The nerve is there, it's just shooting, so okay. (08/14/2014)

A film as ridiculous as Schwarzenegger's acting and feigned toughness. Otherwise, nothing against Arnold, I like him in his older and time-tested films where he isn't limited by his narrow acting range, but he doesn't have the acting chops for a complex character haunted by demons and the frustration of his beloved wife's death. Moreover, with his fading physiognomy, he looks like a fist in the eye among those young, horny wolves (and one very wild "bitch" played by – unusual for her – Mireille Enos). The B-movie script, which makes less and less sense as it goes on, doesn't help things either. The result is a kind of sweaty play on a raw thriller, with a lot of plot filler and deaf spots, where even the wannabe badass lines feel forced and the violence is gratuitous. (07/11/2014)