COLLATERAL

Starring:
Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo and Peter Berg

Director:
Michael Mann

Running Time:
120 mins

Out to buy on DVD 17/01/05

"You've got to roll with it"

Vincent

After dropping off a fare in downtown L.A., the next person in Max's (Foxx) taxicab isn't your average passenger. Offering $600 to hire his cab for the night, Vincent (Cruise) says he has five stops to make, meeting friends and concluding some business. Max reluctantly agrees but he'll wish he hadn't, as he makes a shocking discover that his fare isn't the real-estate broker he said he was but a hit-man with five people to kill.

When one of the most talented directors working in Hollywood and biggest star in the world join forces, you have to take notice. Collateral certainly grabs your attention.

Director Michael Mann and Tom Cruise come together to bring you a movie filled with style, violence and tension, all cloaked in the yellow streetlight haze of night time L.A. Starting the meter running from the off, Collateral gives you a small but detailed intro to the character and then takes you on the ride of your life. As soon as the first victim dies, the accelerator is planted firmly to the floor as Vincent pulls Max, kicking and screaming, into his world.

All of this exhilaration is complemented by two lead actors playing against type. Earlier in his career it would have been inconceivable for Hollywood's golden boy to play a bad guy but now that Tom Cruise is probably the most powerful actor in Tinseltown is can pick and choose roles that challenge his craft. With Vincent he is as far removed from anything he has ever done as he could be. He is a killer and damn good at his job but this isn't a man who is remorseful for his action, far from it. He is profession, clinical and cold, focused on the job and delivering death in the most sinister fashion. Cruise excels in the role, grabbing it with all the gusto he can muster and giving one of the best performances of his career. Lets hope these brave choices continue as it really showcases his talent. Mostly known for his more comedic roles and stand-up comedy Jamie Foxx uses Collateral to show that he can also act. As Max, he is an everyman, someone who you can instantly relate to and emphasise with. This is a character that you connect with on every level, as he is just a man saving for his dream and living his life. Foxx excels as he brings the character to life, drawing you into the character through his complete normalcy.

It is Cruise and Foxx that predominately grab most of the screen time but they are supported well by Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo and Peter Berg. Pinkett Smith continues to impress as Annie. This is a small but pivotal part that she really gets to grips with and makes her own. Ruffalo also continues to forge name for himself as Lt. Fanning, the only man who believes the Max isn't the one committing all the murders.

Director Michael Mann shows again that he is one of the best filmmakers in Hollywood today. He just doesn't make bad movies and Collateral does nothing to alter that trend. Shooting the entire movie at night brings out a view of Los Angeles that few of us ever see. He makes the city actually look beautiful, tinged in the yellow light of million street lamps as Vincent and Max take their deadly journey together. He also exhilarates you during the action sequences, using the camera more as a witness to the events. He using a lot of close-ups but combining them wonderfully with sprawling high-level shots of the streets and highways, the viewer travels along with the cabby and his abductor from hit to hit with the approach allowing you to find out more about the character and making the cab an environment onto itself.

Collateral is a first rate action drama that showcases all the talent involved. While the ending feels abit too anti-climatic to what has gone on before, the superb performances, stylish direction and brilliant looks make this a must see movie. In fact you deserve a contract putting on your head if you miss it.

Leon

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