Sabotage (2014)

Elizabeth Price2 said:Are you kidding me?! 😁 Now I'm seriously thinking about checking this movie out.

I mean it.
This is a heavy film—real heavy—and honestly, I can't remember the last time Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a performance this solid. The rest of the cast looks like they walked straight off the set of "Predator," but instead of being typical action heroes, everyone feels like a grounded, serious character.
That's why people are going to be disappointed—they see the trailer and expect your run-of-the-mill Arnold action flick, but this is actually a gritty, dark crime drama focused on the investigation and character depth. In terms of vibe, it's following the footsteps of "Training Day."

"Sabotage was heavily cut by the studio in favor of delivering more of an action-based film rather than a mystery thriller," which explains why it got trashed on Rotten Tomatoes—but honestly, that's just a symptom of the times we live in, where quality stuff doesn't get the respect it deserves anymore.

Has nobody actually sat down and watched this incredible movie yet just to come over here and say how good it is? I’ve done my part—I can't exactly spend ten different posts raving about it!
Come on people, get to the theater!

Frank Moore4 said:It’s the same old story here in the USA. 🙂 While absolute nonsense like Divergent pulls in massive piles of cash, the mindless masses still don't give Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone the respect they deserve. Just look at the terrible opening for Sabotage, which only pulled in $5.3 million during its first weekend—barely enough to land it in seventh place at the box office.

But hey, let's just hope audiences in other parts of the world carry the film, much like what happened with Escape Plan.

Honestly, it's a pointless reaction. Back when Sly and Arnie were at their absolute peak, I remember hearing people judge the younger crowd—questioning what kind of clueless kids they were to be watching them instead of appreciating real icons like Newman, Steve McQueen, and so on—but I won't list them all out.

nimblemarlin6 said:Has nobody actually sat down and watched this incredible movie yet just to come over here and say how good it is? I’ve done my part—I can't exactly spend ten different posts raving about it!
Come on people, get to the theater!

So, I went last night. 😁

First off, let me say I caught this in a small local AMC theater and honestly, it was probably the best cinema experience of my life 🙏 I mean, we managed to sneak into some VIP seats, the sound system was absolutely killer—the bass was so deep it actually made the stairs creak. And the picture? Spot on. From the size to the resolution and brightness, nothing felt stretched out, blurry, or dim. As for the crowd, there were maybe like six of us 😬 (including one kid, maybe 10 years old, who tagged along with his nostalgic dad). Ticket cost $6.25.

Now, regarding the actual movie... yeah, the experience wasn't quite as positive. The main thing that bugged me throughout the whole runtime—and reading about it beforehand on IMDb only made the feeling worse
Here’s the deal: "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." And man, you can freaking feel that edit in the movie. The characters feel underdeveloped, the scenes often feel disconnected—like they dropped in from nowhere—the plot is sluggish, and there's zero tension, no twists, no big reveals... just a total snooze-fest of disjointed moments. Such a shame. If the movie had actually been that original 3-hour cut, maybe it would have been an even bigger bore, or maybe it could've been a much tighter, more cohesive story with actual depth to the characters.

On the bright side, this is definitely Arnold Schwarzenegger's darkest film, and I gotta say, he does a pretty solid job with his part, even if we all know he's not exactly an A-list actor. The supporting cast is plenty talented and they're good, plus the action sequences are directed quite well (I really dug those short, punchy shots where they mount the camera to the gun barrel—felt like playing a first-person shooter).

All in all, the movie really should have been better. Look, if you knew nothing about it other than these facts: a solid cast led by Arnold Schwarzenegger, directed by David Ayer, genre: mystery thriller (cartels, bounty hunters, moles, murders)... everything sounds great. But once you actually sit through it, things aren't quite so great.

Because of the cast and that incredible sound design, I'm giving it a 6/10.

Personally, I didn't find it particularly special either. I actually managed to guess who the killer was, and honestly, the whole thing felt okay enough until you got to that aftermath, which was just completely pointless. Plus, I felt like a few scenes went a bit overboard, especially when it comes to all that blood and gore.

My rating is 6/10

Karen Smith9 said:Honestly, it's a pointless reaction. Back when Sly and Arnie were at their absolute peak, I remember hearing people judge the younger crowd—questioning what kind of clueless kids they were to be watching them instead of appreciating real icons like Newman, Steve McQueen, and so on—but I won't list them all out.

Yeah, but you have to realize that Newman, McQueen, Sly, and Ania are all absolute legends with actual charisma and presence—unlike a bunch of random Lutzev-style trash you see in those teen movies today.

I gotta admit, that was a tough watch... just a really weird kind of movie with Schwarzenegger...
and now, after all that, we're basically waiting on some horror drama starring Arnold 🙂

copperstag95 said:Personally, I didn't find it particularly special either. I actually managed to guess who the killer was, and honestly, the whole thing felt okay enough until you got to that aftermath, which was just completely pointless. Plus, I felt like a few scenes went a bit overboard, especially when it comes to all that blood and gore.

My rating is 6/10

The movie is bad. I won't call it trash, but it’s close. Schwarzenegger still acts mediocre and overly dramatic (that scene with his son!). It totally ruins the whole vibe because every time I see him, I can't stop thinking about his real life—how he talks about being married to one woman forever and being loyal to the core (even though we all know what kind of guy he really is, hitting on half of Hollywood and having kids on the side). The supporting cast is pathetic, almost funny (look at those background fighters), while he’s supposed to be tougher than all of them? He looks like a twig compared to the rest of the team. And a Navy SEAL getting taken out with almost zero resistance by those guys in Guatemala? Please.

All that beating and the pools of blood are just there to shock the audience. It reminds me of what Sydney Pollack said regarding Three Days of the Condor: "Film a lot of blood, add good music, and you've got a good movie." Arnie knows that trick well. Even if he didn't write the script, he definitely had influence over it; I bet if it wasn't his style, he wouldn't have even touched it. Basically, the lesson here is: when you don't have a coherent piece of work, just lean on violence and blood to fill the void. It feels like they followed a recipe: more blood equals better.

The peak of the cheesiness is that actress (who, let's be honest, probably shoved herself or let herself be shoved into that role in her private life just to snag a supporting part as the investigator). The absolute worst part was at the end of the film when Arnold told the director to zoom in on her backside and hold it in a close-up for a few seconds while she struts around like she's on a runway. She probably thinks she'll land a sponsor or something—this is her big break. Knowing how things go, Arnold's probably already used her up and tossed her aside...

4/10

The only two good movies I can remember from this year are Jack Strong and Kid Cannabis. Of course, both made next to nothing at the box office.

driftingseal11 said:I have to agree with briskhound2 on this one.

Judge Dredd - 👍
John Carter, Escape Plan - 👎

When it comes to Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’ve always seen him as an actor who isn't exactly a master of the craft, BUT, man, he is incredibly charismatic and everyone just loves him. 😉

All three suck. Honestly, neither Sylvester Stallone nor Arnold Schwarzenegger have ever made anything worth mentioning for me, except for Stallone's Rocky, which is my #1 all-time movie.

Karen Smith9 said:Honestly, it's a pointless reaction. Back when Sly and Arnie were at their absolute peak, I remember hearing people judge the younger crowd—questioning what kind of clueless kids they were to be watching them instead of appreciating real icons like Newman, Steve McQueen, and so on—but I won't list them all out.

We don't see epic films like Rocky, Gettysburg, Glory, Glory Road, Where Eagles Dare, JFK, or The Bridge on the River Kwai anymore. They've all been replaced by stuff like The Expendables. It’s just cliché "entertainment" that sits right on the edge of being boring and unbearable. It's nothing but noise, shooting, brawling, and fireworks with big explosions, but there isn't a shred of actual art in it. But hey, it doesn't matter as long as mediocre audiences swallow it up. Those crowds make up the massive majority that lines the pockets of Hollywood producers. In this business, money is the only metric for "success."

Take this, for example: the third part of Ted Turner's Civil War trilogy had to be scrapped because the masterpiece Gettysburg didn't perform well enough at the box office. It just didn't pull in enough cash to fund the final installment, The Last Full Measure, which likely would have covered the end of the Civil War through the eyes of heroes like the Colonel or later General Joshua Chamberlain from Little Round Top. What a massive waste. Because of financial issues, this war epic never got its proper conclusion. After a decent first one (Gods and Generals) and a masterful second one (Gettysburg), we were left without a historical masterpiece. Films like that are becoming rare, and finding a good one on this subject is a total rarity these days.

Sean Johnson40 said:The movie is bad. I won't call it trash, but it’s close. Schwarzenegger still acts mediocre and overly dramatic (that scene with his son!). It totally ruins the whole vibe because every time I see him, I can't stop thinking about his real life—how he talks about being married to one woman forever and being loyal to the core (even though we all know what kind of guy he really is, hitting on half of Hollywood and having kids on the side). The supporting cast is pathetic, almost funny (look at those background fighters), while he’s supposed to be tougher than all of them? He looks like a twig compared to the rest of the team. And a Navy SEAL getting taken out with almost zero resistance by those guys in Guatemala? Please.

All that beating and the pools of blood are just there to shock the audience. It reminds me of what Sydney Pollack said regarding Three Days of the Condor: "Film a lot of blood, add good music, and you've got a good movie." Arnie knows that trick well. Even if he didn't write the script, he definitely had influence over it; I bet if it wasn't his style, he wouldn't have even touched it. Basically, the lesson here is: when you don't have a coherent piece of work, just lean on violence and blood to fill the void. It feels like they followed a recipe: more blood equals better.

The peak of the cheesiness is that actress (who, let's be honest, probably shoved herself or let herself be shoved into that role in her private life just to snag a supporting part as the investigator). The absolute worst part was at the end of the film when Arnold told the director to zoom in on her backside and hold it in a close-up for a few seconds while she struts around like she's on a runway. She probably thinks she'll land a sponsor or something—this is her big break. Knowing how things go, Arnold's probably already used her up and tossed her aside...

4/10

The only two good movies I can remember from this year are Jack Strong and Kid Cannabis. Of course, both made next to nothing at the box office.

If you aren't paying close attention, you'll miss it. There weren't even any Guatemalans there. It was all just staged to look that way...

The movie has its fair share of plot holes, but honestly, it’s surprisingly dark for an Arnold Schwarzenegger flick—plus the story doesn't just hit you over the head immediately. Not bad...

Comparing this to Ayer's previous piece, it falls a bit short, but I have to agree—the movie itself isn't bad. What really bugged me, though, was how thin the character development felt. There was so much potential here to craft something much darker and more cohesive.

Honestly, since Schwarzenegger made his comeback, this is easily the best thing I've seen so far.

Supposedly, the movie was butchered in post-production. For a moment, I felt like there were missing minutes—maybe a minute or a minute and a half—before every single scene started. This had potential, but if you believe David Ayer, the producers or whoever they are completely ruined it.

Man, this movie is just awesome! Huge props to Schwarzenegger—the guy is a straight-up legend. I mean, look at him! All that money, all that fame, and still looking that sharp at his age? Crazy.😁

The plot itself is solid too; it’s dark and the action is executed really well. Sure, there are a few plot holes and some stuff that doesn't quite add up, but overall? It's a solid 4/5 for me.

I felt like I was watching some amateur production filled with million times overused, stereotypical characters. I expected way more from this director. Completely unconvincing and barely watchable...

Sophia Grant39 said:I felt like I was watching some amateur production filled with million times overused, stereotypical characters. I expected way more from this director. Completely unconvincing and barely watchable...

Exactly. It's totally unbelievable, poorly written, and it feels like halfway through the movie, they switched out the entire crew responsible for making the thing. Arnold Schwarzenegger is solid, but he can't carry a whole movie on his own.

Man, Judge Dredd is such a great movie, but John Carter is just... meh.

That one wasn't anything special... honestly, I only downloaded it because of Schwarzenegger.

Really solid movie, honestly unexpected from Arnold Schwarzenegger. Nobody here is trying to be Rambo, and there aren't those unrealistic expectations like "I'm going to wipe out the entire cartel" on their own.
It actually surprised me, which is why the rating is higher.
The female lead was excellent, but everyone else just didn't get enough screen time.

It’s honestly shocking how lackluster and underwhelming this turned out for a major Hollywood A-list production.
The script and the dialogue? A total disaster.

The only thing that might save it is the rumor that the original cut ran nearly three hours and was intended to be a gripping mystery thriller, but due to heavy studio interference, we ended up with what we got.

analogbear40 said:It’s honestly shocking how lackluster and underwhelming this turned out for a major Hollywood A-list production.
The script and the dialogue? A total disaster.

The only thing that might save it is the rumor that the original cut ran nearly three hours and was intended to be a gripping mystery thriller, but due to heavy studio interference, we ended up with what we got.

By doing that, they basically made the cartels look better, too. Their methods, especially their torture scenes, are absolutely brutal—right up there with the stuff you see happening in Syria...