It's been a strange road for the new action thriller Collateral Damage. The film was due in September, but was put on hold following the awful events that took place in New York. Did the movie's release deserved to be delayed? Absolutely. It would have been highly insensitive had the studio released this picture on it's original release date. Happily, Collateral Damage is a return to form for movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has continued to take one misstep after another with projects like Batman and Robin and End of Days. This is also a return to form for director Andrew Davis--easily his best work since The Fugitive (his Chain Reaction and A Perfect Murder were dreadfully dull).

In Collateral Damage, Schwarzenegger plays firefighter Gordy Brewer, a loving father and husband who takes the law into his own hands following a tragic terrorist attack. This big action flick takes Brewer from the streets of L.A. to the jungles of Columbia as Gordy takes on guerrillas, drug dealers, and the CIA all in the name of justice.

The first half hour of the film serves as a deliberate and serious set-up, and shows us a bit of d different side of Arnold as he is forced to cope with a devastating tragedy. Rest assured, however, that the film soon settles into the realm of a typical Shwarzenegger flick--there is plenty of ass to kick before the credits role.

Surprisingly, Collateral Damage does try to give us both sides of the story. Davis offers more than a glimpse into the guerrilla camp where we are offered something of an explanation as to why these particular terrorists are doing what they are doing. Of course a major plot point towards the film's end, takes away any sympathy we might have for some of this picture's key characters. We also get the all-too-familiar scene in which the villain tells the hero that deep down, they are both the same--implying that they are some kind of kindred spirits. Of course, this scene is really there to give Schwarzengger the opportunity to utter his best line in the movie.

Schwarzenegger is more effective than he's been since True Lies, but don't go in expecting an Oscar worthy performance. Collateral Damage also boasts an impressive roster of supporting players including John Leguizmo as an amusing cocaine processor, Elias Koteas as a CIA operative, John Turtoro as a sleazy mechanic, Cliff Curtis as the terrorist El Lobo, and Francesca Neri as his wife.

Andrew Davis keeps the action moving swiftly - -there is rarely a dull moment once the "big guy" starts rolling. Collateral Damage isn't meant to be taken too seriously. There is quite a lapse of plausibility as Gordy is able to sneak into the the guerrilla camp with minimal difficulty. When he finally does take on the bad guys, he is suddenly blessed with superhuman strength. It should also be noted that Collateral Damage comes with a twist. I saw it coming, but it was fun nonetheless.

In the end, Collateral Damage is a big, crowd pleasing actioneer filled with violence, thrills, and explosions. More importantly, it features Shwarzenegger back in stride and should whet the appetites of his many fans for next year's Terminator 3.