Arnie does a very passable impersonation of an angry Austrian tourist on safari, as he wreaks "Collateral Damage" on everything around him, although hardly with the gusto that made "Commando" so enjoyable. Delayed for cinematic release due to its terrorist theme, the DVD comes with some rather dubious extra features.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture The picture transfer is fine, although it carries a slightly rough veneer that amply matches Arnie's grizzly look.

Sound Any good action movie 5.1 sound mix will work at persuading you that the film is exciting, even if perhaps it's not. This effort works overtime, with a particularly impressive fire-ripping opening scene that should leave quite an impression on your subwoofer.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Audio Commentary While director Andrew Davis may not have produced a film to equal his work on "The Fugitive", he retains high technical standards on his movies, which he explains in some detail for his audio commentary. For "Collateral Damage" he went around most of the fire stations in New York to research and photograph them and the crews to gain a feel for their work. As this was before 11th September, this photographic record has taken on a poignancy, which Davis discusses, along with rather more frivolous issues, such as Arnie improvising.

Documentary At 15 minutes, Documentary is perhaps a somewhat grand title for a 'making of' featurette. Still, when you have an opening statement about the movie from Andrew Davis proclaiming, "It's going to show people a side of Arnold they've never seen before", then clearly delusion is the order of the day. What side would this be then anyway? Unshaven? No, he did that in "End of Career... sorry, Days". Arnie's take on the film is perhaps a little more realistic: "It's like one guy going against a whole system down there".

The problem with this featurette is that both Arnie and the film makers are forced into endowing "Collateral Damage" with a serious message, given the events of 11th September, that the film simply doesn't have. Arnie argues that there is importance in his character being "brave enough to fight back" against terrorists, but in doing so he's asking the viewer to find hidden depth in a throwaway popcorn movie.

Behind the Scenes "Terrorism is a very strange word," says Andrew Davis, as another desperate featurette tries to make us cherish "Collateral Damage" as some kind of answer to global terrorism. "Who better than Arnold to go on a revenge mission?" asks Davis. Indeed, but the ease with which he and Arnie seem to confuse their movie with reality is quite worrying.

Additional Extra Features Also on the DVD is a trailer, and six additional scenes. The DVD will be on sale at quite a low price, and technically is a good choice for Arnie fans, with the commentary a helpful bonus. The other extra features are somewhat dubious in both entertainment and philosophical value.

Region: 2
Chapters: 32
Ratio: 1.85:1 (anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Technical Features: Scene selection, multiple languages and subtitles, and English and Italian captions for the hearing impaired.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.