Collateral Damage

The title refers to the wife and son of fireman Gordy Brewer (Schwarzenegger), who happen to be in the wrong place when Colombian terrorists bomb an L.A. consulate: Civilians aren’t the primary target, but they do get killed. The term also threatened to become an epitaph when the movie was yanked from an Oct. 5 release slot in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Five months later, director Davis asserts that ”not one frame” of the film — which has Brewer discovering that his terrorist nemesis has also lost a son, in a U.S.-orchestrated attack — was reshot or toned down. ”It didn’t need any alteration,” says Davis. ”The message is, violence begets violence. You create monsters by creating tragedy.” But how much room is there for conscientious debate in a flick filled with things blowing up and Arnold looking angry? ”Andrew tried to make this much more complex,” says Leguizamo, who plays a motormouthed cocaine kingpin. ”He had to deal with the studio and their idea of what a Schwarzenegger picture is about.”