Movies - Sabotage

Sabotage is yet another Arnold Schwarzenegger comeback vehicle. Arnie plays the grizzled head of a DEA strike team. He is a father figure to a stable of tough-guy actors (including Lost’s Josh Hollway and True Blood’s Joe Manganiello) and one woman, Mireille Enos (The Killing, World War Z).  

Suffering from the loss of his family murdered by a drug cartel, Arnold’s character John “Breacher” Wharton decides to lead the team in a $10 million rip-off of cartel cash. They hide the money during a raid and when the team goes back to collect, it’s gone. Team members turn on each other and also manage to alienate the local police detective (Olivia Williams) investigating their nefarious activities.  

Gritty, dirty and violent, Sabotage doesn’t pull any punches or offer redemption to any of its damaged characters. Especially enjoyable was the fact that Hollywood finally made Mireille Enos sexy. She tends to play a drab, sexless, emotionless stone in frumpy clothes, with her hair severely pulled back and no makeup. In Sabotage, her character is a sensual, danger-loving thrill junkie who is borderline psychotic (possibly without the “borderline”). A nice stretch for her acting muscles and makeup team, I’m sure. While not perfect, Arnie’s charisma and world-weariness helps make Sabotage an enjoyable, action-filled diversion. I enjoyed it, but with a $5 million opening weekend, the rest of America apparently wasn’t interested. Adjusted for inflation, that’s the worst Schwarzenegger movie opening in history. I know Arnie still has it—he just needs the right vehicle. He’ll find it.