At the same time, I found myself enjoying Damage, despite the stupidity of it all. 
It is a good B-movie, meant to entertain and not enthrall. The flimsy plot is just a way to have a whole lot of blood get shed and it’s easy to forgive it for its holes. Austin does a very good job in the lead, and has the potential to be an action star if given the right roles (The Condemned, WWE Films’ only good release, is a good example). He has charisma and he’s very believable in what little acting he is actually asked to do. I just couldn’t help but feel bad though, because he is obviously capable of so much more than this. But here he is while Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson rakes in the cash with his latest kid’s film.
The fighting itself is brutal and not horribly choreographed for a cheap film. The blood flows freely and it caused me to wince and audibly go “OH!” at points, which is what any movie of this sort should hope to elicit from its audience. The locations, especially the final fight of the film, are unbelievable but because of it, are actually kind of cool.
Damage is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, and if you’re a film snob, you won’t be able to forgive its hole filled plot, bargain basement presentation, and suspect acting. If you’re someone who loves a good B-movie, however, you will probably find some entertainment in its action and its lead. In the grand spectrum of things, you could do a lot worse…like, say, watch The Tooth Fairy or The Marine 2.
Damage is released on DVD March 23, 2010.
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