Film

Sabotage

Name: Sabotage
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller, Crime
Released: 2014
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams, Terrence Howard, Joe Manganiello

Other titles called Sabotage: the 1936 film.

Sabotage is a brutal action-thriller where Arnold Schwarzenegger leads a corrupt DEA task force that implodes when someone starts picking them off one by one. It's grimy and violent, built on paranoia and moral rot rather than heroics. For viewers who want their action wrapped in genuine darkness and don't mind that nobody here is especially likeable.

TMDb rating

2.8

If you liked this

Training Day2001

Corrupt cops at the centre, high stakes, a team unravelling from within moral compromise. Denzel Washington's charisma anchors it the way Schwarzenegger's grit anchors Sabotage. Both films are about power and what happens when you abuse it.

But Slower-burn than a straight action film; the real drama is psychological rather than physical. Some find the pacing deliberate to a fault.

Sicario2015

Another DEA operative caught in a web of corruption and betrayal, though from the opposite vantage point. Masterfully tense, visually stunning, and it understands the same moral murk that Sabotage is wading through.

But Bleak and methodical. If you want explosions and quips, this strips those away in favour of dread. The ending may feel ambiguous rather than satisfying.

Cop Land1997

A ensemble crime thriller about a police force eating itself from inside. The cast is extraordinary, the investigation is procedural and involving, and it shares Sabotage's fascination with corrupt institutions and loyalty twisted into something toxic.

But Nearly three hours long and meanders into some subplots that don't fully pay off. Stallone's restraint is great but means there's less action spectacle than you might expect.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Sabotage

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Stormy Monday1988

Both are crime thrillers where the visual style and the degraded moral landscape are inseparable. Neither pulls punches about corruption; both understand that when everyone is complicit, there's no good guy to root for.

A glossy 80s crime thriller set in Newcastle with Tommy Lee Jones, Sting, and Melanie Griffith. It's visually lush and morally compromised in exactly the way Sabotage is—everyone is dirty, trust is fatal, and the style is half the substance.

But Eighties aesthetic and pacing feel dated now. Some plot threads meander, and the film prioritizes mood and look over narrative clarity, which frustrates viewers wanting a tighter mystery.

Hell or High Water2016

Taut crime thriller with a team dynamic that fractures under pressure. The cat-and-mouse game between hunters and hunted has the same paranoid energy as Sabotage's body-count mystery, and Jeff Bridges is magnetic.

But Deliberately paced, not a action-packed ride. Some sequences are more about waiting and tension than movement, which can feel slow if you want constant forward momentum.

The Drop2014

Crime noir with a Brooklyn bar and organized crime lurking underneath. Tom Hardy is understated and excellent, and like Sabotage it's interested in violence as consequence rather than spectacle. Gritty and atmospheric.

But Quiet and introspective. The plot moves at a noir pace, which means long stretches of mood-building over incident. If you need your thrillers propulsive, this won't deliver that.

Killing Zoe1993

A heist crew in Paris descends into paranoia and betrayal, with violence that feels real and consequential rather than sanitized. Stylish 90s filmmaking with an ensemble cast all falling apart simultaneously.

But Graphic and often uncomfortable. The violence is unflinching, the characters are unsympathetic, and the film makes no apologies for any of that. It's a downer.

Out of Sight1998

Elmore Leonard's smart crime thriller with a stellar ensemble and genuine chemistry between leads. It's confident and fun while still taking its criminal world seriously. Similar ensemble dynamic, darker edge.

But Lighter in tone than Sabotage—if you want unrelenting grimness, this deflates some of the tension with charm and humour. Some sequences feel more playful than suspenseful.

End of Watch2012

Two cops navigating LA's underworld with found-footage intimacy. Raw and immediate, it captures camaraderie and danger in equal measure. Like Sabotage, it's interested in the psychological weight of work in a corrupt system.

But Found footage can feel gimmicky. The shaky-cam style will annoy viewers who find it nauseating or artificial, and the emotional beats sometimes rely on the format rather than the story.

Brick2006

A noir structure transplanted into a high school, with a mystery that deepens the more you pull the thread. The ensemble cast is strong, the dialogue is sharp, and it shares Sabotage's conviction that corruption and paranoia are universal.

But The self-conscious style can feel precious. The high school setting may seem gimmicky, and some find the self-aware noir pastiche overwrought rather than clever.

The Killing2011

Both drill into institutional corruption and the way systems fail to protect their own. Sabotage compresses that into a body-count mystery; The Killing expands it into an investigation where nobody is safe from suspicion.

A Danish crime series where a detective unravels a murder amid political conspiracy and institutional rot. Methodical, haunting, and it understands paranoia and betrayal on a level most Hollywood thrillers don't. Absolutely gripping.

But Slow. Each episode is a deliberate accumulation; if you need quick resolutions or constant action beats, the Danish pace will test your patience. Subtitles required. Two seasons before it jumps shark.

Killer Joe2012

Both understand that violence is the natural endpoint of moral compromise. Neither offers catharsis or the comfort of justice; both ask what happens when you cross lines and find there's nothing on the other side but more violence.

A Texas noir where a family hires a contract killer and everything spirals into depravity and violence. Matthew McConaughey is terrifying and seductive in equal measure. It's transgressive, brutal, and utterly committed to its moral ugliness.

But Extremely graphic violence, sexual coercion, and nihilism. The film doesn't flinch or apologize, which is partly why it works—but it's genuinely difficult to watch. Not for viewers looking for redemption or lightness.