Predestination (2014)

Summary
"Predestination" chronicles the life of a Temporal Agent sent on an intricate series of time-travel journeys designed to ensure the continuation of his law enforcement career for all eternity. Now, on his final assignment, the Agent must pursue the one criminal that has eluded him throughout time.

Genre : SF/Thriller
Country : Australia

Cast :
Ethan Hawke : De Barman
Sarah Snook : The Unmarried Mother
Noah Taylor : Mr. Robertson

Director : The Spierig Brothers

My opinion 

“What if I could put him in front of you, the man that ruined your life. If I could guarantee that you’d get away with it. Would you kill him ?”

Sigh! Where are those good old days you could enjoy a movie about time traveling like "Back to the future","The Terminator","Timecop" or recently "Looper" while lying relaxed in your seat without craving for a glass of aspirin as the film progresses ? The principle of paradoxes known to time traveling is cited in these films (like Michael J. Fox becoming blurry and the threat of disappearing because of his parents growing apart), but isn't of primary importance for the entire motion picture. "Predestination" is something completely different and is put together pretty damn clever and shrewd. But I assure you, the numerous plot twists and interwoven time loops will make you completely dizzy. The film is a hard nut to crack and requires tremendous concentration. It's a film where you go from one surprise to the next. It's similar to the "chicken and egg" conundrum. At one moment you are very sure that the egg came first, but new developments and revelations make you doubt this fact again and you'll revise your conclusion.

The film is based on the short story "All you Zombies" from A.Heinlein and tells the story of a "Temporal Agent" (Ethan Hawke) who, using an ingenious violin case, can travel back and forth again through time in order to prevent crimes . Especially that of the mysterious "Fizzle Bomber" who's responsible for a destructive bomb attack in the 70's in New York killing about 11,000 people. In a bar the agent, who is employed as a bartender, listens to the story of a certain John, who looks like a kind of Brian Molko from the 70's. What comes next are some bizarre drawn out story lines which, as the film slowly proceeds, merge into one point to ensure an obvious highlight. I'm not going further into details because this would only reveal the intricate puzzle. Unfortunately the final denouement only evokes a "Ah that's how it is" reaction. Eventually it's just a quirky fictional story with an identity crisis as central topic. However I think that the level of difficulty of this film will be a bit of an obstacle for most spectators.

"Predestination" is a masterpiece on a different level. The created atmosphere and especially the performances are eye-catching. The 70's are beautifully portrayed. The zeitgeist of that time with its authentic locations, fashion and music. But mostly, the performances by Ethan Hawke and for me the so far completely unknown Australian Sarah Snook made this film worth viewing. Ethan Hawke once again played a convincing role after his less memorable performances in "Getaway" and "The Purge". Not an easy part, but again one that suits him. Sarah Snook, however, is the one who steals the show and plays a fairly special role. Personally I found the reasonable long scene with those two characters in the bar, where Snook told her life story, preternaturally gorgeous. A fascinating story with delightful pieces of conversations and highly entertaining. It also takes over half of the film to complete and is the foundation that bears the whole story. After this, things start to unravel.

If there's a movie for which the concept "Mind Fuck" was invented, then it should be this one. A fascinating story. But it would be handy if they wrote a manual for it. Don't be daunted by the slow and stretched first part. It's there that the identity crisis of John is decomposed with surgical precision. The second part is dominated by the time travels and the resulting paradoxes. And then you'll understand the usefulness of the extended first part where all the pieces are manufactured, so they can be fitted into each other very subtle. Somewhere they gave it the name-tag a "retro-futuristic thriller" with also a bit of romance and humor. A film which is difficult to grasp, but definitely worthwhile. And now I have a reason to watch "Jessabelle". Sarah Snook, a name to keep your eye on.

The maze Runner (2014)

Summary
Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "The Glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through the Maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys.

Genre : Action/Mystery/SF
Country : USA

Cast :
Dylan O'Brien : Thomas
Kaya Scodelario : Teresa
Thomas Brodie-Sangster : Newt
Will Poulter : Gally

Director : Wes Ball


My opinion

Thomas: "We get out now or we die trying."
Minho: "You don't get it. We're already dead."

"The Maze Runner" is just like its predecessors "Twilight", "Divergent","The Giver" and "The Hunger Games" an adaptation of a book. The same ingredients are present as in the above-mentioned films : a post-apocalyptic world where young people play a key role. A world where society is organized in a new democratic or non-democratic way. In "The Giver" human feelings were suppressed in order to ensure a peaceful existence and people are divided into so-called "factions". In "The Hunger Games" there are districts with the Capitol as an overarching body that organizes the Hunger Games annually. Also in "Snowpiercer" we see an example of a dystopian world with a particular social classification in a speeding train. The second ingredient that can't be missed is a revolution against the established values and laws. Obviously, this is again a youthful person with a charismatic personality who has certain talents and who becomes the savior.

Calling this a pubertal display that tries to take advantage of the huge success of "The Hunger Games" for me personally is greatly exaggerated. What the hell is wrong with the fact that a group of young people are trapped in a hopeless situation already for years and established a commune with its own laws and rituals. Isn't it a bit like "Oliver Twist" in Charles Dickens's story, who tries to survive in a miserable orphanage? And the group of young people who end up trying to solve the problem resemble enormously the group of friends from "The Goonies". Everybody loves that movie, not ? The sympathetic chubby Chuck reminded me immediately of Chunk ! Granted, it's not very original, and all they are trying is to taste a bit of the success that has this type of movies has with the young moviegoers. But intuitively "The Maze Runner" was for me a of whole new level.

It's a highly entertaining film that captivates from the first minute. What I appreciate the most, is the fact that there isn't too much time wasted on extensive digressions and you are catapulted right into the middle of the story. An elevator takes Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) with high speed up to "The Glade", where he's being welcomed by a group of youngsters who live there already for several years and who can't remember anything except their first name. It's a wooded glade and everyone got assigned a certain task. The glade is surrounded by an immense labyrinth of which the layout changes at certain times and apparently there is no way to escape out of it. Some of the boys got the status of "Runner". They leave at the crack of dawn and explore the maze. They try to chart the maze and seek for a possible escape-route.

The final story isn't that impressive and looks quite simple : put some young people at the center of a maze from which they can't escape and afterwards you add a rebellious adventurer who couldn't care less about the imposed laws and wants to do everything possible to escape. That's about it in a nutshell. But it's the way in which the maze is shown that deserves an applause. A mechanical maze that adapts itself at certain times and where at night terrifying monsters (called Grievers. A kind of spider-like robots) wander around. The constant threat of the maze, the unknown and the creepy night sounds provide for an atmosphere full of suspense. The rapid pace of the movie makes sure you won't be bored for a second. And the special effects look usually impressive. I was only familiar with Will Poulter (goofy Kenny from "We're the Millers") and Thomas Brodie-Sangster ("The Last Legion"). The rest of the cast are relatively unknown young actors (and one actress). Usually there's always one person that mostly starts to annoy me, but this time I thought they all were acting properly. What surprised me the most was the fact that the introduction of Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) didn't led to yet another teenage love affair as in the other similar movies (But I'm sure this will be a fact in the sequels).

In my opinion an exciting and successful teen adventure with a few shortcomings. First, I don't think that those who read the book will think it's so overwhelming. Probably it won't meet the expectations and there will be things that are left out or shown in a different way. And knowing the end of the film will surely ruin the fun. Lucky me though, "again" I didn't read the book. Secondly, I found it pretty idiotic that the group of youngsters were able to build a tower to get an overview of the maze, but not one of them was clever enough to build it next to the wall. And third the ending was quite abruptly. That this is a transition to the logical sequels of this film is obvious. Hopefully they'll be of the same level as this one and not like "The Hunger Games" of which the second part really looked like a duplicate of the first. And fourth, I find it a bit sad for the firstlings who spent three years searching the exit and the newcomer solves the puzzle in a few days. Although I'm not a proponent of sequels or prequels and I hate it that movies tend to inherit the characteristics of a boring and tedious TV series, I'm enormously looking forward to the second part. Jeeeezzzz, I'm amazed about myself !

The Prince (2014)

Summary
A mechanic learns that his daughter, whom he thinks is at college, has dropped out. He tries to call her but when someone else answers the phone, he goes to where she's staying and finds a photo of his daughter with another girl, so he looks for her and asks her where his daughter is. She says that his daughter hooked with a guy whose from New Orleans. So they go there to find him. When some men refuse to answer his questions they beat him but he fights back, which the girl is amazed that he can do. Eventually they find the guy who tells them where his daughter might be. But while on their way some men shoot at them. He learns that they work for a man named Omar who wants him. He still tries to find his daughter while Omar sends his best men to get him.

Genre : Action/Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Bruce Willis : Omar
John Cusack : Sam
Jason Patric : Paul

Director : Brian A Miller

My opinion

Long time ago it was customary to offer Bruce Willis a leading role, because it was guaranteed that he would carry the whole movie and determine the success of the respective movies. He was also demonstratively placed centrally on a movie poster or video/DVD box, where he could look you right into the eyes in a penetrating way. A look with determination and one that shouted "Die Hard" slogans like "This movie is MINE. I own this movie. I'm the ruler in this movie, yippiekayee Motherf*cker ... ". You couldn't resist it. You just had to see this movie in which Bruce "The Invincible" ruled.

But those days are long gone. Willis has been degraded to a prop, a necessary evil and a meaningless ancillary character. He's still in the foreground of the movie poster like yesteryear, but compared to his overall contribution and the importance of his part, this can be easily reduced to a tiny photo, so you can hear surprised cries when moviegoers look at the poster "Hey isn't that Bruce Willis there on that tiny picture in the corner? ". Sadly, the last performances of Bruce Willis were as impressive as that of the Christmas tree in "Home Alone" or the snowman Olaf in "Frozen". It was kind of necessary but not decisive for the success of the film (although I give Olaf more credit on second thought). Look at "The Cold Light of Day", "Fire with Fire" and "Red 2" and you see him as a prop that is commercially exploited and who tries a new revival of the past glory as John McClane. "A Good Day to Die Hard" was just a mockery compared to the first "Die Hard" movies. A steel pin right through my heart. As a true "Die Hard" fan it was too sad for words.

Luckily, he's accompanied by another Hollywood star who has more downs than ups, namely John Cusack. Despite the monstrosities "2012", "The Numbers Station" and "Grand Piano", he manages to keep his reputation high due to participating in "The Raven", "The Frozen Ground" and "The Butler". Sadly enough his contribution to "The Prince" is also meaningless and minimal. I will always relate Cussack to "Serendipity", how crazy that may sound ! His role in "The Prince" is merely limited to explaining the whole situation. That's it.

Jason Patric and Jessica Lowndes are the ones who steal the show in this film. But only till halfway, because from then on the show became tedious and boring. Paul is a retired criminal, who turned his back on the past and spends his days in a little town repairing cars. His illustrious past however brusquely reappears the day his beloved daughter (with a drug addiction) is abducted. It reminded me a little bit of Statham in "Homefront". I must confess that the first half of the movie was entertaining. Paul who leads a seemingly common life and who can convince the seductive and tasty-looking Angela to take him to New Orleans, turns out to be a tough and well trained fighter who can stand his ground. The sangfroid and coolness can be compared with that of Bruce Willis, who we can admire in the beginning and who seems to be nothing more than a crazed,frustrated crime baron seeking revenge. But as the film progresses, it reminds me more and more of the ancient fighting games I played on my C-64. You had to fight against various opponents throughout numerous levels. As one progresses it becomes more difficult to beat the opponent. And in the end you are confronted with the final boss. Same here !

Besides the fact that the whole story is fairly simplistic and boring, it's the fact that "The Prince" is nearly untouchable which makes it unrealistic,implausible and terribly irritating. Once again a film in which the opponents use a lot of ammunition without even hitting anything, and the protagonist walks around like a spirit while shooting the total opposition into smithereens with some well-aimed shots . There is nothing so satisfying as seeing some confident posers with a big mouth getting their ass kicked. But if that same person can dodge bullets in a superhuman way, the fun is over. And "His Royal coolness" Willis was convincing at the start, but the moment he started sniffing at Paul's daughter her hair like an old pervert, this feeling was immediately swept from the table. I'm afraid I'm going to avoid movies featuring Willis in the future, since it's only used to promote an inferior film and exploit it commercially. I miss that "Yippiekayee".

Deliver us from Evil (2014)

Summary
New York police officer Ralph Sarchie , struggling with his own personal issues, begins investigating a series of disturbing and inexplicable crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rituals of exorcism, to combat the frightening and demonic possessions that are terrorizing their city.

Genre : Horror/Thriller
Country : USA

Cast :
Eric Bana : Sarchie
Édgar Ramírez : Mendoza
Olivia Munn : Jen

Director : Scott Derrickson


My opinion  

Sarchie : I've met a lot of priests. You don't seem the type.

Mendoza : And I've known a lot of cops, and you're exactly the type.”

The most common topic in the horror genre is exorcism and everything that has to do with possessions. I admit that this is the closest match to everyday life because everyone has something he's excited and passionate about. It's like he or she is possessed by it. There are also individuals who must fight their personal demons every day. It's obviously not quite the same as the case detective Sarchie is confronted with. I'm obsessed about watching movies and sometimes I consider my job as a real demon that needs an exorcism. But rather that, than the entity that rages in "Deliver us from Evil". It's not an original film and certainly not groundbreaking, but I've seen worse creations the past year.

Personally I never came into contact with someone or something possessed by a demon and I don't understand why a normal person in such circumstances stays calm and tries to look at it rationally. I would surely run away and disappear without a trace. It seems like nothing or no one is immune to getting possessed, because I've already seen a whole collection passing by, that evil took possession of : a church, a doll, the claw of a monkey, a Jewish casket, houses and innocent teenage girls. In "Deliver us from evil" for once it's an adult male who's the victim of an evil demon. Just as in "The Exorcist", where Father Merrin finds a statuette in Iraq as an archaeologist (which in turn causes a lot of misery), evil also originated out of Iraq. Some American soldiers end up in a kind of crypt which subsequently also causes all kinds of misery. Apparently the Middle East isn't only the main supplier of oil, but also a repository of all sorts of supernatural scum.

 

Nowadays horrors tend to be based on true facts and stories. This film also follows this tradition and is based on a book written by Ralph Sarchie ten years ago, in which he describes his experiences with paranormal situations. The film is not 100 percent the same as the book. Certain passages were used by Scott Derrickson (Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Devil's Knot) and Paul Haris Boardman (Hellraiser: Inferno, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Devil's Knot). Taking into account that also the production was in hands of the "Jerry Bruckheimer Films" production company, which is responsible for some well known movies like Pirates of the Caribbean, Deja Vu, Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor, you'd expect an extraordinary movie.

Those who watch a horror only occasionally, will have a pleasant and scary evening. For the tender-hearted among us, it will be a nerve excruciatingly, exciting film. Seasoned horror film lovers will get a "Well, haven't we seen that before" feeling. In terms of creating the right atmosphere they did a fine job. The entire film is immersed in a dark and oppressive setting in dreary New York City, more specifically the Bronx, and you get the impression that it's Sodom of America. A sinister, eerie scenery where Sarchie (Eric Bana) and his partner Butler (Joel McHale) face the pernicious that manifests itself in man. The dark alleys full of filth, the slums with dilapidated buildings and shabby accommodation, and the human suffering they encounter there. The body of a dead baby in a dumpster, domestic violence, murder, suicide and violence. Every day they are confronted with this. Until a nightly intervention concerning domestic violence leads to more obscure and sinister cases with an evil entity that's responsible. Expect the necessary cliches: a crucified cat, the well known scare effects, some gore moments (including the ever-present meat maggots), the self-playing piano, once again it's raining practically all the time, a foam-spitting confused woman who speaks gibberish in a foreign language and a traditional exorcism ritual that goes through all stages. And obviously mostly it takes place in the dark....

It's no suprise that "Deliver us from Evil" couldn't outperform the classic "The Exorcist". And mixing up a horror with an ordinary police thriller isn't a mind-blowing idea. Yet I found the duo Sarchie and Butler a successful formula. Sarchie is more of a coolheaded and fearless type who's gifted with the ability to detect mischief, while Butler takes care of the comic part. A bon vivant who eagerly uses sarcastic and cynical comments (humming the "The Adams Family" theme was pretty funny). It's not exactly brilliant acting that'll get them an Oscar, but it wasn't annoying bad either. I only felt that Bana, as a non-believer who renounces everything that has to do with religion since years, surrendered very quickly. Also Olivia Munn as Sarchie's pregnant wife, couldn't escape the cliché and appeared again as another neglected wife of a hardworking New York police officer. Personally I found the roles played by Olivia Horton and Sean Harris as respectively Jane and Santino , were the most imaginative. The moment Jane comes crawling out of the dark, drenched by blood with a bunch of keys between her lips, yields an image that can compete with some of "The Exorcist". They both look demonic, fearless and destructive. But surely Edgar Ramirez excelled the most as the modern priest Mendoza, who himself had a self-destructive past and who throws himself fully in a fight against the demonic evil.

"Se7en" was a masterpiece in the police thriller genre. Also dark, hallucinatory and unnerving exciting. But Satan didn't perform in it. Not literally anyway. "The Exorcist" was an unmatchable milestone in which exorcism played a key role. But here wasn't a detective involved. One would think that the mixing of two masterpieces would provide a unique film. Apparently not. "Deliver us from evil" manages to fail in both categories. It seems like a constant battle between the two genres. The end result is that it doesn't know which way to go. It's not bad, it's grim and horrible at the same time, but ultimately it's also not that impressive !

The Anomaly (2014)

Summary
A former soldier is taken captive and awakens in the back of a van where he learns that he only has a few moments to figure out how he got there.

Genre : SF/Action
Country : UK

Cast :
Noel Clarke : Ryan
Ian Somerhalder : Harkin Langham
Alexis Knapp : Dana
Brian Cox : Dr. Langham

Director : Noel Clarke


My opinion

“Is there a technology that allows people to control somebody else's mind?

Tell me about mind control!”

Once I was looking at a painting in an art gallery. I was studying this creation of modern art for more than half an hour and still I couldn't grasp what it actually wanted to prove and I came to the conclusion that after rotating it a quarter turn, there won't be any essential change. And then I remember the compulsory reading of a literary work out of the magical-mythical oeuvre of a Dutch writer, who used two pages to describe dead flies on a windowsill. And clearly I recollect the lesson "Statistics" at the university, looking at the blackboard for more than an hour and wondering what all the complicated theorems really meant. I had the same feeling while watching "The Anomaly". After half an hour I asked myself "What the hell am I watching and what's the meaning of it all ?". Seeing the main character waking up for the fifth time in a different location, looking around in a dopey way and not understanding how he ended up there at a different time in the future, began to irritate quickly. Meanwhile I could admire the graceful butt of a lascivious-looking vamp. Although it was a tasty image that claimed my attention, the urge to give up became larger by the minute.

It all starts with Ryan (Noel Clarke), an ex-soldier suffering from a trauma, waking up in a moving van where he finds a boy called Alex who is being kidnapped. He escapes with Alex but soon discovers that he only has a limited time to find out what is happening. To be precise, he only has 9 minutes and 47 seconds each time he wakes up and before he loses consciousness again. Slowly but surely he discovers that he's part of a conspiracy and his actions are coordinated by someone else.

As I mentioned earlier, it takes a while before you begin to realize what it's all about. "The Anomaly" is a dull low-budget film which starts very slowly and finally, when all the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place, it all looks fairly simplistic and even ridiculously farfetched. It's like a rough mix of "Source Code", "The Bourne Identity", "Edge of Tomorrow" and "The Matrix". Regaining consciousness over and over again resembles a bit "Edge of Tomorrow", except that this phenomenon in the latter made sure there was tension and some comic moments. In this SF it's only a soporific effect. The fight scenes that occur repeatedly are a faint copy of this from "The Matrix" with the frequent use of slow motion images which isn't very conducive to the overall tempo in this film. Also the technical implementation by Noel Clarke during these fights wasn't convincing. It seemed as if he was waiting for something all the time. In other words, it wasn't really smooth. 

Noel Clarke is quite a handyman in movie land. This British actor (better known for his role in the TV series "Doctor Who") directed this trifle and demanded to act as the leading star. Besides looking puzzled and surprised, painfully gasping after receiving an inhuman hard blow and acting as heroic as possible by repeatedly proclaiming that he eagerly wants to save the young boy Alex, there was nothing impressive to admire for the rest. I am quite convinced that the film was sponsored by a manufacturer of mens underwear, because Clarke was running around in it several times. Also the graceful leading lady Alexis Knapp as Dana, the Mother Theresa of this film, could be admired while wearing it or even less. At the first appearance we could glance at her lower body part and afterwards she was also scantily dressed. Eventually these were all fragments needed to raise the slacking attention, but at the same time I realized that her contribution only served to make things more sensual. Ian "Lost" Somerhalder is the one that appears again and again and who plays a significant role in the whole plot. I could not get rid of the impression that it was more a commercial decision to let him play so the female audience also could enjoy the ride. Brian Cox ("The Bourne Identity", "Mindscape" "Her" and "Doctor Who") has a lot of acting experience , but in this movie he's reduced to a houseplant who hardly comes into the picture.

An unconvincing story, no impressive performances and a total lack of tension. There's not much left anymore to save this from going down the drain completely. And the fact that this is a low-budget film, also means that the SE's won't be impressive. Admittedly, London still looks futuristic with the digitally added buildings at the background  and flying airships. But the moment Ryan arrives at Times Square, everything looks average and contemporary (Even a screenshot shows that "We're the Millers" is still popular in the future.). The complete concept wasn't ill-conceived, only the script was poor and incoherent with some ridiculous situations. You didn't need to wait for this very long. Already at the beginning there was something wrong with the pursuit. Young Alex and Ryan have a small lead and yet they were too quick for the probably well-trained kidnappers. With an Olympic effort they managed to take a nice lead. And despite the high-tech gadgets that were available, they still couldn't prevent sun-flares disturbing the satellites. Eventually I began to wonder if the title of the film wasn't a reference to the film itself. Maybe it was just an exception to the rule "It's so bad, it turns out good".

 

Sabotage (2014)

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

Genre : Action/Crime
Country : USA

Cast :
Arnold Schwarzenegger : John "Breacher" Wharton
Sam Worthington : James "Monster" Murray
Terrence Howard : Julius "Sugar" Edmonds

Director : David Ayer


My opinion 

“Some of us are getting paid, the rest of us are just getting dead.”

So, You thought that Schwarzenegger would eventually retire on an Austrian alp, sitting on a terrace of a mountain hut with a big bierpul of "Kaiser Bier" within reach and a huge cigar between his fleshy lips while looking out over the valley, saying with a deep voice "Ich habe es Ihnen gesagt: Ich komme wieder". Or that he's wearing a bermuda and a Hawaiian shirt while sitting somewhere at the coast of California, getting a tan and looking out over the ocean. Well you were wrong. This former Mr. Universe and former governor of California came back with a rather explicitly violent action film. After the average film "The Last Stand" and the reasonably successful "Escape Plan" in which he and his eternal rival Sylvester Stallone turn up, I thought that this action-hero would call it a day. His contribution to "The Expendables" is as ironic as the film was intended.

But then they come up with this tough and bloody action movie in which John Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger) aka "Breacher" is in charge of a Special Operations Team that specializes in infiltrating criminal drug cartels. In another raid on a nest of drug traffickers, they manage to cram a portion of piled up drug money through a toilet drain, with the intention to recover it afterwards. However, the money appears to have disappeared and the team is suspended from active duty for a while so they can be subjected to an internal investigation about the alleged concealment of drug money. As members of this testosterone-charged team get massacred one by one in a beastly manner , Breacher starts together with detective Caroline Brentwood (Olivia Williams) an investigation, to find out who is the real culprit.

"Sabotage" is fully in line with the other Schwarzy movies. Partially anyway. First, the performance of old Arnie is still the same: stiff, emotionless and poorly. I can't understand that after all these years playing in American films, he still speaks with such a heavy Austrian accent. Not that his dialogues were so extensive formerly. It's only Arnold who uses such bombastic w's in witty phrases like "Get your weapons", "Get down" or "Are they as big as your wife's ...". Or is it just his trademark after all these years and he remains stubbornly loyal to this quality ? Just to remain recognizable in between the majority of today's action heroes. Additionally, you shouldn't expect a lot of depth in his movies. The same counts for "Sabotage". It's just a series of brutal action scenes in old-school style.

What surprised me was the level of sadism and gore that was used in this film. Normally Arnold's films are well packed with hard fight scenes and enormous shootings with innumerable victims. A wet dream for the average undertaker. Only in previous films they were economical with artificial blood. Mostly there wasn't even a speck of blood in it. In "Sabotage" on the other hand it flowed richly and they even showed some terribly mutilated victims. Arnold has reached a certain retirement age and performances with enormous physical efforts are no longer obvious. His contribution in this film is limited to leadership and using automatic rifles. The excitement was reasonably good and I dare even say that the traumatized Breacher was realistically portrayed by Arnold. Who would have thought of Arnold exhibiting a bit of acting talent.

"Sabotage" is an average exciting movie but holds on to the same formula as we know from Schwarzenegger. However, I fear that those who saw this movie, already forgot what it was about after a week. Even an action-packed chase scene at the end can't change the fact that the whole thing looks kind of lousy. The final twist, which is actually a logical consequence of the opening scene, isn't exactly impressive. There were also some imperfections in this film. How the hell could they know that the missing sum was $ 10 million exactly ? They kept detailed records of this drug cartel ? Even the attempt to break the record of "The Wolf of Wall Street" (the frequent use of the F-word), began to work on my nerves after a while. And despite the fact that the team consisted of a bunch of professionals, it felt more like a group out of a kindergarten at a certain moment, who amused themselves with childish bullying. "Sabotage": a raw and dark film with bloody scenes. According to David Ayer the film was sabotaged by the studio. They demanded to cut out half of the film. Whether this has ensured this film to become an average flick, we will never know.