During a DEA raid of a cartel safe house, legendary task force leader Breacher Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his team use it as an opportunity to steal $10 million, but when they return to collect the money they’ve hidden, it’s gone missing. Eventually the higher-ups discover money has disappeared from the raid but after rigorous interviews nobody cracks, when the team is finally reunited and everyone thinks the secret is safe, members of the team begin getting picked off one-by-one and soon enough, trust is thrown out the window, paranoia sets in and everyone is becomes a suspect. In an attempt to stop the killings which are believed to be cartel money related, Breacher teams up with a homicide agent (Olivia Williams) in order to catch the unknown killer.
Sabotage isn’t your typical Arnie film, unlike most of his comeback films this one is a little more than a shoot ‘em flick, in fact, it’s a procedural crime action drama with a deeper plot buried within about a man and a past that haunts him. While that plot comes and goes throughout the film, most of the film is about a tight knit task force that comes unraveled and are struggling to keep it together, especially since they are all so well trained yet people still keep dying.
Written and directed by David Ayer (End of Watch), Sabotage is probably his weakest and least engaging film to date. As a huge fan of End of Watch I had higher expectations for his follow-up and what we ended up getting was a pretty standard procedural with some solid performances. It was 109 minutes of mixed entertainment, but I always expect something a little more from Ayer, some cool trick up his sleeve. While this film did have a twist, it didn’t feel shocking even if I didn’t see it coming. I also felt the film lacked a certain intensity, something most of his other films definitely have and why I love watching titles that he’s been a part of, either as a writer or director.
While I may not have been enthralled by the film, there are two elements of Sabotage that I really enjoyed and appreciated. The first is the camera work. Ayer’s Cinematographer did a great job changing up the visual style throughout the film, taking some cool camera action movement cues from The Raid. I found the editing to be pretty good but at times it felt the movie was going just a little too slow for my liking, but that’s also because the story was procedural oriented, something I didn’t expect when I was watching it. The other aspect I really liked was how this was a very character driven more than action driven film (even though I want my action). We get to know most of the characters in this rather ensemble action flick and it makes the dynamics we witness on screen much more fulfilling.
As far as the characters and actors go, while Arnold looked cool with all his tats and crisper aged man look, I think my favorite perform
ance/character had to be Sam Worthington’s as James ‘Monster’ Murray, I have never really enjoyed Worthington’s performances in the past but I thought he stepped up for this film. He transformed his entire look, giving him an opportunity to play a character that’s vastly different from what he’s played in the past and have fun doing it. I always appreciate when people break out of their mold and he certainly did with this one.
Overall, while Sabotage is a cool change of pace for Schwarzenegger, it ultimately is a disappointment for fans of Ayer that have enjoyed his prior directorial efforts. There’s a lot of cool action sequences and some that make no realistic sense whatsoever (I’m talking about the end var chase scene), but it’s the balancing act between the drama and characters versus the action where the film is able to succeed. The film may not be engaging, but for fans of Arnie or Ayer you’ll watch it once and never return to it, doesn’t have that kind of staying power.
As for the blu-ray, the picture quality was solid as they tend to be with newer films these days. When it comes to the special features, there isn’t much but there is enough to keep you occupied for 45 minutes or so if you really want to see/learn more about the film.
Two Alternate Endings (11:01) – One alternate ending focuses on Caroline while the other focuses on Breacher. The two really change the shape and spoil the ending so I’m not going to describe any of it.
Eight Deleted scenes (17:11)
Making Sabotage (8:32) – Your standard “making of” featurette that takes an overall look at the filmmaking process, the collaboration between Arnold and Ayer, interviews with the cast, and an exploration of the plot both on the surface and on a deeper level which I discussed earlier.
Movie Rating: A standard procedural that’s lesser Ayer, a change for Arnie, and something you’ll only ever watch once (5.4/10)
Blu-ray rating: (5/10)
Sabotage is now available on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Studios Home Entertainment
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