# Sabotage (2014 film)
**Sabotage** is a 2014 American action crime thriller directed by [David Ayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-ayer), starring [Arnold Schwarzenegger](https://www.edgepedia.org/arnold-schwarzenegger) as the leader of an elite DEA task force whose members are murdered one by one after they secretly steal $10 million during a raid on a drug cartel's safe house.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) Ayer wrote the screenplay with Skip Woods, and the cast includes [Sam Worthington](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-worthington), Olivia Williams, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello, Josh Holloway, and Mireille Enos.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) Released in the United States on March 28, 2014 by Open Road Films, the film earned $22,126,842 worldwide against a wide release and drew sharply negative reviews from most critics.[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014/cast-and-crew)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writers | David Ayer (director, co-writer, producer); co-written with Skip Woods[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) |
| Lead role | Arnold Schwarzenegger as John "Breacher" Wharton, leader of an elite DEA task force[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) |
| Plot premise | The team steals $10 million during a cartel safe house raid; afterward its members are killed one by one and everyone becomes a suspect[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) |
| US release and rating | March 28, 2014, wide; rated R for strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity, and drug use[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) |
| Box office | Domestic $10,508,518; international $11,618,324; worldwide $22,126,842; domestic opening $5,272,444[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/) |
| Critical reception | 21% on the Tomatometer (112 reviews); Metascore 41, "mixed or average"[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sabotage/critic-reviews/) |
| Home media | DVD and Blu-ray released July 22, 2014[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sabotage/63860/where-to-watch/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
John "Breacher" Wharton (Arnold Schwarzenegger) leads an elite DEA task force that takes on major drug cartels. Its latest mission is a high-stakes raid on a safe house owned by one of the world's deadliest cartels. Wharton and his team complete the mission successfully, but rogue members use the operation as cover to steal $10 million in cash. Soon afterward, the team members are killed off one by one, and as the body count rises, everyone becomes a suspect, including the squad itself.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) • [6](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/sabotage)
The plot centers on the investigation of the assassinations, which begin shortly after the initial drug operation; the Washington Post's reviewer noted the raid could not be called a "bust" because no one at the safe house was left alive to arrest.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/sabotage-movie-review/2014/03/26/6940cc7c-b4f0-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html) [Olivia Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-williams) plays Detective Caroline Brentwood, the investigator looking into the murders.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014/cast-and-crew)
## Cast and crew
The principal cast and their roles:[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014/cast-and-crew)
- Arnold Schwarzenegger as John "Breacher" Wharton
- Sam Worthington as James "Monster" Murray
- Olivia Williams as Caroline Brentwood
- [Terrence Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrence-howard) as Julius "Sugar" Edmonds
- [Joe Manganiello](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-manganiello) as Joe "Grinder" Phillips
- [Josh Holloway](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-holloway) as Eddie "Neck" Jordan
- Mireille Enos as Lizzy Murray
- Max Martini as Tom "Pyro" Roberts
- Kevin Vance as Bryce "Tripod" McNeely
- Martin Donovan as Floyd Demel
- Harold Perrineau as Jackson
Ayer produced the film with Bill Block, Ethan Smith, Paul Hanson, and Palak Patel; the production companies were Crave Films, Open Road Films, and QED International.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) Bruce McCleery was the cinematographer, Dody Dorn the editor, and David Sardy composed the original music.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014/cast-and-crew)
## Release and box office
The film's earliest release was March 20, 2014 in the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates), followed by the wide United States release on March 28, 2014 through domestic distributor [Open Road Films](https://www.edgepedia.org/open-road-films) (II).[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/) The domestic opening weekend gross was $5,272,444, and the film finished with $10,508,518 domestically (47.5% of the total) and $11,618,324 internationally, for $22,126,842 worldwide.[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/) Foreign markets contributed more than half the total: among individual territories, Russia/CIS grossed $1,464,436, Malaysia $986,236, France $925,319, and the United Kingdom $844,654.[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/) In Spain, where the film opened on July 11, 2014, it earned €303,513.51 from 52,463 admissions, according to the national film database of the Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA).[8](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/en-us/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=103514)
The film runs 1 hour 49 minutes in its US release.[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/) The Spanish certification lists a 98-minute version, and French materials give a duration of 1 hour 46 minutes, so the theatrical cut varied by territory.[8](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/en-us/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=103514) • [9](https://metrofilms.com/film/sabotage/) DVD and Blu-ray editions followed on July 22, 2014.[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sabotage/63860/where-to-watch/)
## Reception
**Critical response was largely negative.** On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 21% Tomatometer from 112 reviews, with an audience Popcornmeter score of 36%.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) The site's critics consensus reads: "Sabotage boasts one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's finer post-political performances, but it's wasted in a movie driven by grueling violence that punishes seemingly without purpose."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014) On Metacritic it scored 41 out of 100 from 31 critics, categorized as mixed or average.[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sabotage/critic-reviews/)
Reviewers divided over the film's violence and its mystery structure. [Richard Roeper](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-roeper) of the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) gave it 88, calling it "a brutal, bloody, dark and at times gruesomely funny thriller" resembling "a modern-day, Georgia version of a spaghetti Western."[4](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sabotage/critic-reviews/) The Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan wrote that the waves of mayhem grow harder and more frequent as the film wears on, building to a conclusion harrowing even by the standards of contemporary action thrillers, and judged the film "less tragic than simply tawdry," while singling out Olivia Williams's performance as more nuanced than Schwarzenegger's.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/sabotage-movie-review/2014/03/26/6940cc7c-b4f0-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html) Roger Ebert's site described the screenplay as "a foul-mouthed stew of ridiculous twists, unpleasant characters and a conclusion that basically abdicates all narrative responsibilities."
Time's review placed the film in the tradition of 1970s and 1980s grindhouse B movies and noted that Schwarzenegger, at 66, fronted the film shortly after returning to acting following his two terms as California's governor, following The Last Stand and Escape Plan.[10](https://time.com/41419/sabotage-movie-review-arnold-schwarzenegger/) The same review called the film "an enjoyably gruesome throwback" and described its structure as a "crimson Agatha Christie mystery" in which any team member could be the next victim or the killer.[10](https://time.com/41419/sabotage-movie-review-arnold-schwarzenegger/)
## References
1. [Sabotage (2014), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014)
2. [Sabotage (2014), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt1742334/)
3. [Sabotage: Full Cast & Crew, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sabotage_2014/cast-and-crew)
4. [Sabotage critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sabotage/critic-reviews/)
5. [Sabotage (2014) – Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/sabotage/63860/where-to-watch/)
6. [Sabotage, Universal Pictures At Home](https://www.universalpicturesathome.com/movies/sabotage)
7. [Michael O'Sullivan, "'Sabotage' movie review," The Washington Post, March 27, 2014](https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/sabotage-movie-review/2014/03/26/6940cc7c-b4f0-11e3-8cb6-284052554d74_story.html)
8. [Sabotage, ICAA Film Database](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/en-us/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=103514)
9. [Sabotage, Metropolitan Films](https://metrofilms.com/film/sabotage/)
10. [Richard Corliss, "REVIEW: Sabotage Sends Schwarzenegger Back to Brutal Basics," Time, March 28, 2014](https://time.com/41419/sabotage-movie-review-arnold-schwarzenegger/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2010s › Crime and vigilante thrillers*
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