Sabotage

***
UK Release Date: May 7th 2014

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

Director: David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch, Street Kings)

Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard, Josh Holloway, Joe Manganiello, Max Martini, Mireille Enos, Olivia Williams

Sabotage is David Ayer's most authentic cop-drama/thriller yet. No one pulls it off better. Kurt Russell's Perry questions his corrupt decisions in Dark Blue whilst Training Day sees Denzel Washington's nefarious Alonso Harrington increase his fraudulence with time. Ayer wrote the script for both these films, but hasn't driven the same effect for Arnie and co in this 2014 release.  

DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) cops steal $10m from a highly dangerous gang during a bust. When they go back for the money they find it's already been taken. The DEA is on their case, knowing full well what they did, but have no evidence to prove it. Breacher (Schwarzenegger) manages to reassemble his team, but someone has a personal vendetta against them. No one is safe.

An array of macho characters fight to dominate the screen. A battle of wills as they say. The Alpha Males are a bunch of unlikeable mishaps in their own individual ways. Monster (Worthington), Grinder (Manganiello), Neck (Holloway), Sugar (Howard) and Pyro (Martini) join Breacher. The Killing's Mireille Enos is the meanest, damnedest, hardest bitch of them all. Shortly behind her is Olivia Williams' Detective Brentwood, who's assigned to Breacher and his team's case.

The deaths of the crew are well thought out. They're horrible yet gutsy. The forces attributes and personas feel real, even if their leader's acting is (still) a bit ropey. This doesn't stop Sabotage from being Arnie's best post-governor performance. There are fleeting moments of splendour, but his accent and inability to shout favour a humorous side than a serious one. Think Predator crossed with The Last Stand.

Verdict: Not Ayer's best, but a genuine one none-the-less. Arnie rocks, but his team rock the boat.

3/5