User reviews

People rave about Tom Cruise in other projects, but I'll say his best 2 for me are Born on the Fourth of July and this one.

It isn't just about playing against type. It's about the difference between playing someone who's bad and just being bad. It's about authenticity. You see it in great actors.

I'm new to this site but I've seen hundreds, if not thousands of films in my lifetime. He's one of the few modern movie actors who have this kind of star power. He's not as authentic (or instead of authentic I should say he sometimes looks like he's efforting his performance) in all of his performances as others (like a Spencer Tracy or Henry Fonda, for example), but when he's on...He's ON.

For the better part of his career, Tom Cruise has played the All-American good guy. Gleaming eyed and bushy tailed, Cruise has played the roll of the hero in many films and is certainly the richer for it.

Something happened along the way, though. Cruise wanted to be considered a legitimate actor, rather than merely a "movie star." Therefore, we've seen him go against type, successfully (MAGNOLIA), and not so much (THE LAST SAMURAI). It's as if Cruise is the neglected kid in the back of the classroom who knows all of the answers but is never called upon, and therefore will go to desperate ends for attention. "Oh, Oh!! Pick me!!! Pick me!!!"

For me, Cruise hit it this time. His character in COLLATERAL is a menacing study in coldness. It is a thoroughly believable depiction of an utterly ruthless hit-man. It seems, finally, Cruise is actually BAD, rather than merely acting bad. He disdains his usual tricks in favor of a simple and very real performance.

Let us not forget Jamie Foxx. His character's transformation into a hero is rendered all the more effective by how wonderfully Foxx captures his character's initial impotence and bewilderment. It's a wonderfully effective, energetic, and yet very subtle performance.

Special kudos to Michael Mann. He has a very interesting eye when it comes to capturing the city of Los Angeles on film. His vision of L.A. in this film is one of unease and uncertainty, hardly the usual glitz and glamor treatment. This work is always compelling to the eye and paced to keep the action moving ever forward. Each scene has its own logic, contributing to the overall whole. This is first rate film-making.

The movie focuses on Max (Jamie Foxx), he is a cab driver from Los Angeles town . He makes his rounds at night dealing with various characters (Debi Mazar , Jada Pinkett Smith) in the car talking with them. Along the way, he dreams of have his own Limousinas company, though to his ill mummy (Imma P. Hall) tells her that he is already an owner . While Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a cruel killer with an engaging contract who offers a large sum of money to drive him through locations around L. A. Then, Max realizes he is a murderer who has been hired to kill a number of people . Events go wrong and Max becomes a hostage and he must find a way to rescue the last deadly objective. Meanwhile, Police Inspectors (Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg) are tracking down the nasty killer.

The picture packs action, violence , drama , shootouts with exciting scenes. Casting is frankly excellent , the main protagonists give first-class performances. Jamie Foxx (recently his Oscar for ¨Ray¨) as a hapless cab man is awesome similar to Tom Cruise as the relentless murderer , besides Jada Pinkett (Will Smith's wife) as obstinate prosecutor is magnificent and brief appearance by Javier Bardem . The film contains stimulating action set-pieces as the impressive gunplay developed in a tumultuous discotheque or the breathtaking final pursuit in the building and on the train . Atmospheric and moving musical score by the master James Newton Howard. Colorful and spectacular cinematography -although some dark due to be mainly shot by night- by two nice cameramen , Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron . The motion picture was well directed by the successful director Michael Mann (Red Dragon, Heat, Last Mohican , The insider) . The film will appeal to Tom Cruise devotees and action film enthusiasts .Rating : Better than average . Well worth watching.

Michael Mann's skills as storyteller, stylist, and controller of mood and psychology of characters is in one of its finest forms in Collateral, a summer blockbuster that's with equal measure of excitement and thought, dark humor and tough moments of violence and suspense. It's also one of only a handful of times in Tom Cruise's career where taking a chance dramatically with a complex character pays off. It's a 100 million dollar+ grossing movie, but its story could just as well be one set in the noirs of the 40s and 50s- a cabbie with some aspirations for his own business (and for a girl he picks up at the start of the film) gets taken over by a hit-man who's doing his rounds of murders all in one night. There's also cops on the trail, as well as FBI, but it's really more than anything about these two guys and the very stark, expected but still compelling climax. After the set-up gets underway, the film is as much character study as a typical crime thriller, and it's one of those splendid examples of style matching substance, where both contain some unconventional bits in what could have been a lesser film.

Along with a good script by Stuart Beattie, and Mann's perfectly nuanced digital night-time photography (more suitable and exacting for the mood than the recent Miami Vice), there's the acting. First, of course, are the stars with Cruise in a turn-around role as the antagonist, who spouts out little bits of Darwin and I-Ching, but for the most part is a stone-cold sociopath. Cruise, wonderfully uncharacteristic for what he usually does in his star vehicles, is more low-key, ominous, and at the end quite dangerous. Jamie Foxx, too, in his real deserved Oscar-nominated turn, is also unconventional here as a common guy who's put between a rock and a hard place. Maybe his best scene, or at least the one I would show as him being a much better actor than he sometimes gets credit for, is when he has to meet Felix (Javier Bardem) to get a new 'list' of people for Vincent. That and a few other scenes are both tense and with an undercurrent of cynical, harsh humor that helps balance out the dark nature of the events.

Collateral is also pretty re-watchable for a fan of this kind of picture, with a great score/soundtrack, great locations, and a couple of interesting ending images.

Michael Mann's, "Collateral," is similar in many ways to his crime classic, "Heat." "Heat" is a much better film overall because of the way Mann handles his two leads. Pacino and De Niro play the cop versus the bad guy. That's a great character study of a protagonist and an antagonist. He sets both men on opposite sides of the law and shows how similar they are and how different they are, and one wonders if their up bringing influenced their career paths. They both look and act as if they could switch places and be great at each others jobs. Mann keeps the two titans separated for the majority of the film with only two scenes shared together. "Collateral" brings these two guys, one good and one bad, together from the get- go. This is the driving force of the film and this is a necessity, but it also brings in several plot devices, coincidences, and moments were you might find yourself baffled by some of the reckless or stupid decisions made. Some audiences members will be tested to look past those moments for the moments of suspense, thrills and symbolism.

Mann always does a great job of getting exceptional performances from multiple actors in his films and here is no different. Tom Cruise gives a nomination worthy performance. Mark Ruffalo gives the best performance of his less-than-stellar career. Javier Bardem has one scene and he hits it out of the park. Jamie Foxx is a personal favorite of Mann's, but he was miscast for this role. He was average in this role, and in order to make him look the part, they stuck some nerdy glasses on his face, and poof... he's a cab driver. Didn't quite work. He has his moments, but when he's on screen, Tom Cruise is on screen; Javier Bardem is on screen, and those two just hit their performances out of the park and he becomes a body taking up space. Cruise is excellent and surprisingly intense. Michael Mann seems to make films with great dialogue, but its the moments where he goes in close and uses extended shots of his actors eyes as they witness something powerful. Mann will set a scene in the quite or with growing background music, and let the actors emotions pour through their eyes and not a word will be said. The moment in "Collateral" comes when two coyotes run across the street. Vincent (Cruise) just gets done telling Max (Foxx) how his father died and how he would be beat him after he got drunk. This scene signifies Vincent's loneliness and the coyotes that travel in pairs hunt for other beings. Vincent is the coyote and he's looking for a partner to hunt to with. Since he has no one, he uses cab driver's. He attempts to connect with Max and profess his ideals on life, which changes Max' outlook on life. This is the changing moment of the film. This scene will lead to Max' change. He will then become the shepherd.

Even though Mann uses plot devices and relies on coincidences, its the moments of symbolism and suspense and the thrilling nature of man hunting man that spark some moments that will make you think, or put you on the edge of your seat. Mann does an incredible job of building suspense. He does a great job of developing his characters. "Collateral" offers up some humor; some great acting; a great thriller, and a great lead performance. This is a flawed film and relies on things that can throw reality out of the window, which lessens Mann's direction, but his film accomplishes what it sets out to do. It's an exceptional film that gets better upon repeat viewings.

Very tense, exciting and epic; it's a very good movie with Tom Cruise; I highly recommend it.

Collateral is a masterpiece of American cinema. Jamie Foxx is Max, a Los Angeles cab driver with dreams of his own limo company, "Island Limo". After twelve years on the job he has become quite gifted at discerning the most intimate details of his passengers' lives... just a glance at their clothes, and he knows.

His worldly insight manages to tear down the defenses of one of his passengers, a State Attorney played by Jada Pinkett Smith, who graces him with her phone number. Max hasn't even begun to revel in the pleasure of possessing the beautiful attorney's digits when he gets his next passenger, Tom Cruise as Vincent, a slick hit-man in town for a night of killing.

When a body drops out of a fourth story window and onto Max's cab, he becomes an unwilling partner on Vincent's murder spree. Director Michael Mann (The Insider, Ali) does a masterful job manipulating texture and tone throughout the movie, taking us to settings as diverse as a junkie's apartment, a penthouse, a hospital room, and a smoky jazz club, all the while making the city of angels a central character in the story.

The soundtrack is also excellent, with a mixture of popular music and ambient tracks perfectly-timed and synced to the story... tribal drumbeats during the chase scenes, haunting rock ballads at pivotal moments, and one track that reminded this viewer of the scene at the other end of Tom Cruise's career, when he drives his father's Porsche out of the garage in "Risky Business" to the accompaniment of a thumping synth track. A bizarre side-note, I know.

As the movie builds to a climax, the police are hunting for Max, believing he is the one on a killing spree, and Vincent stalks his final victim in a blacked-out high-rise office to a backdrop of the brilliant LA skyline, reflected in multiplicity by the office's dozens of glass cubicles.

Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, and Jada Pinkett Smith all rise to the occasion in Collateral, and together they transcend their previous appearances on film. Mark Ruffalo gives a good performance as the cop who knows everything is not what it seems.

There are a few minor plot points which didn't sufficiently suspend my disbelief (like when Max agrees to take Vincent the vicious hit-man to see his Mother in the hospital), but overall this is a fantastic movie.

Troy Dayton

It is hard to lavish enough praise on the acting on display here from the two main protagonists. Jamie Foxx shows signs of the charisma and ability that made him a cert for the best actor Oscar for Ray. Meanwhile Tom Cruise is a sheer revelation as the psychotic but professional hit-man Vincent.

Cabbie Max (Foxx) picks up Vincent (Cruise) expecting just another job. When Vincent offers to double his nightly earnings if he drives him all night he accepts, until Vincent's mission is revealed. What follows is a night of hell for Max, reluctantly driving Vincent from hit to hit, all the while trying to stay alive and do the right thing, two goals which may ultimately be unachievable together. What is most fascinating about Cruise's character though is the sheer indifference he shows towards his victims. He does not hate them, he doesn't even know them, he has just been assigned to kill them and does so with absolutely no remorse. When a body crashes on to his cab, followed by Vincent's re-appearance, Max is shocked by the answer to his accusatory 'you killed him!" - No, I shot him, the bullets and the fall killed him." This matter-of-fact approach is indicative of Vincent's professionalism, and adds a really chilling level of apathy to the character.

It is certainly refreshing to see Cruise in such a different role, and it is one which he really gets his teeth into, producing a sociopath contract killer, seemingly with no remorse and no redeeming qualities. He pulls it off with a genuinely sinister edge on the character, and the final half hour is particularly impressive from an acting point of view.

Jamie Foxx however is certainly by no means acted off the screen. His likable cabbie with relaxed attitude to life (well, until he meets Cruise) shows many of the qualities he used to really bring Ray Charles to life later.

The action too is well staged by Michael Mann, in probably his best work since Heat. It is easy to track the action through the relatively simple plot, and the set piece scenes are competently done without being spectacular. A very good above average thriller, but most notable for Cruise's revelation of another string to his acting bow. A superbly acted film.

Max thinks his day is looking up when he gets a beautiful fare who gives him a tip and her business card when she gets out. Resting on his laurels, Max nearly misses his next fare; Vincent, in LA for just one night to close out 5 deals, get signatures and then fly out by 6am and he offers Max a few hundred dollars to taxi him around for the night and then drop him at the airport. Max agrees and takes him to the first stop, only to discover that Vincent's job is actually to kill a list of 5 people and, now that Max has witnessed one killing, Vincent has no choice but to keep him with him.

I loved this film; there is no point in trying to hide that fact, but I am not blind to the problems that it has: too many reviewers have either loved it without exception or overly criticised it. The plot has holes – there, I've said it. The plot relies on some actions that don't ring true and other times rely on coincidences or just write things in to move the plot. However this is not a massive problem because it is still very enjoyable and gripping and its other strengths cover these problems. Of course, even with the holes it is still very enjoyable but demands your patience because, although it is tense, it isn't a roller coaster for the vast majority of the time. It has very fast moments but a lot of it is talky and patient – not a problem for me, but I can see why some multiplexers may have had itchy feet waiting for action. However even with this patience, the film is still very tense – helped by some very sudden moments of violence that come out of nowhere and help put the audience on edge. Much was made in Heat of key moments where opposite characters find common ground and in this film it is the opposite but done to similarly interesting effect. Here Max and Vincent are opposites who get under each others' skins over the course of the night; their relationship is very strange and I think the script does well to bring this across even if it is hard to understand at times (part of this is their relationship getting tied up in some of the plot weaknesses).

A big part of the plot problems being covered is due to the strong direction from Mann, who can shoot a city like nobody else. As others have said, the fly-overs look great but for me the surprise was to see Mann add digital film to his cannon. This allows him to mix very rough, intimate shots with film to bring the audience in closer. I also noticed that he seemed to do very close angles and frames with 'proper' film as well, all increasing the feel of being 'there' and intimately involved. Of course, on top of this we still had Mann's usual shooting of LA at night – fluorescent lighting, empty streets and so on – nothing new but it is still very effective and great to look at. If it weren't for the very heavy cast involved here then Mann would be the main star of the film but, as it is, his direction is just part of the film pulling together to produce the goods.

The cast is impressive and those who have come on the basis of Cruise alone will be surprised to find so many well known faces who are very able. Cruise wants an Oscar and he has done several of the Oscar tricks to get one – his most recent attempt here is to play totally against type. He does it pretty well, making for a convincing cold killer on the surface but still able to reveal an empty core when he is pushed. If he had been allowed to do this more then maybe he would have been more impressive but he isn't and the end result is just a good performance. Of course it doesn't help that Cruise has to play opposite Jamie Foxx delivering one of his most assured performances yet. Based on seeing him in stuff like Booty Call and his own comedy show, I was worried when I saw him due to star in this movie but it turns out that he can act! In fact he dominates the film with a quiet role that runs a gauntlet of emotions while Cruise mostly sits in 'cold killer' mode, meaning that, in most scenes, Foxx is the one we are watching. The support cast is surprisingly deep and the amount of familiar faces makes some moments of violence all the more unexpected. While none of them are really given the time to shine, there are quality turns from Smith, Berg, McGill, Hall, Henley and Ruffalo and it gives the (albeit false) impression of an all-star ensemble; although why Jason Stratham bothered to turn out for the one day of shooting he must have done for the airport scene is beyond me.

Overall this is a very effective film. The atmosphere is just right and is helped by the script, the cast and the director – all combining to provide a patient pace that still manages to be very tense and exciting. Mann's direction is great, mixing film with digital to good effect and Cruise is very good playing against type with a good support cast of well-known faces.

However the genuine surprise of the film is Jamie Foxx; better known for clichéd ethnic comedy roles, he steps up here and just about steals every scene he is in.

Rather contrived thriller. The most obvious difficulty is why a supposedly professional contract killer would go to the trouble of taking the cab driver hostage in the first place. Why not simply hire a car, change cabs between jobs, or try to do a better job of hiding what you were up to in the first place? As it is, Vincent (Tom Cruise) as the killer ends up with a very reluctant companion who he must know would try to foul things up for him. The only reason is to keep the two characters of the cab driver Max (Jamie Fox) and the killer together, which might make sense as a way of creating dramatic situations but stretches believability. However, if you can get past that, the very clichéd ending and numerous other plot holes, it's not too bad. I'll give it a 7/10 for sheer entertainment.

This film could be a major turning point in Tom's career. He plays Vincent with cold-blooded charm. It is wonderful to watch a character stay flawless throughout an entire film and not be OTT with Hollywood FX etc. The dialogue between Vincent and Max is brilliant and the tug of hate they exchange brings out some chilling truths.

I love the way this movie has been filmed. It almost shows you the dark side of LA as well as the dark side of life.

The soundtrack cruises through the film beautifully. It is well timed at crucial scenes and when the film is done, you just want to buy the soundtrack to listen to.

Everyone that I have recommended this film to have been well pleased. However, Tom Cruise was sensational in this film and I was never keen on him. This film sits high in the rankings table for me and I am telling those who haven't seen it - YOU MUST!

---THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!!---

Mann has made a very good movie, but, as many other reviewers have pointed out, the ending is clichéd and silly. His other movies share this problem. Inevitably, the protagonist survives and (usually) gets the girl.

In order to make this happen, Mann has to invest Max with the most unlikely equanimity and a phenomenal natural skill with weapons. He also has to make Vincent, a practiced and well-trained hit-man, act like an idiot with suicidal urges.

To be fair, this is really Stuart Beattie's fault. I guess he has been watching too many "Die Hard" movies. But I would have thought that Mann would have insisted on a little more reality (hmmmm...maybe I mean a more realistic unreal plot) and authenticity. This is even more mysterious because Mann had no problem killing off main characters and love interests in the "Miami Vice" series.

I would have given this movie another star if Vincent had ultimately killed the prosecutor and then said something philosophical to Max before simply walking away. The evening and morning would simply bookend a night in which many characters enter Max's life, change it, and then disappear forever, leaving him a changed man.

*** out of *****

The best scene in Michael Mann's "Collateral" is a late-night conversation in a dowdy jazz club in Los Angeles. The conversation between Tom Cruise's hired killer Vincent and the club owner played by Barry Shabaka Henley is riveting, as the trumpet player recalls a chance meeting with the legendary Miles Davis. The scene is so realistic that it could have been lifted from Ken Burns' epic PBS series "Jazz." At the same time, director Mann brings to the scene the same powerful subtext achieved in his film "Heat" when Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro played out a memorable conversation across the table in a restaurant. The jazz scene in "Collatoral" was brilliantly written. But it was the careful set-ups, camera angles, and subtext of the performances that made for brilliant film-making.

Beyond this memorable scene, there is an edgy undercurrent to nearly all of the conversations in "Collateral," starting with the engaging scene in the cab between Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith. All of the performances in this film are outstanding, especially Foxx as the intelligent, underachieving cab driver. I especially admired how the director subtly conveyed within the psyche of Tom Cruise's contract killer a mystery about the character's past. There is a long scene where the hit-man Vincent tells a harrowing tale of family abuse when he was a child, then informs cabdriver Max that he was just kidding. But was he? There are many complexities to the characters effectively layered into the film by Mann.

The stylish cinematography is another trademark of Mann's work. His choices in colors and lighting aesthetics are especially noteworthy in "Collateral." The location filming in Los Angeles, including the different nightclubs were memorable moments of the film. The unique stamp of Mann's style was apparent in an early film like "Thief" (1981), which was ahead of its time in film technique. In "Collateral," the overall effect is that of a "Naked City" presented with brutal honesty.

For all of its gritty realism, however, some of the action sequences, especially the climactic "death" scene, were surprisingly incredible. There are lengthy chase scenes on totally deserted streets in downtown Los Angeles. For anyone who has driven around L.A. at any time of the day or night, it would be difficult to imagine zipping around freeways and streets that look like those portrayed in this film. In the 60 years since the curfew imposed during the years of World War II, there have never been streets as empty in Los Angeles as those depicted in "Collateral."

This one's exactly as the DVD sleeve description says, dedicated assassin "Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a cool, calculating contract killer at the top of his game. Max (Jamie Foxx) is a cabbie with big dreams and little to show for it. Now, Max has to transport Vincent on his next job - one night, five stops, five hits and a getaway. And after this fateful night, neither man will ever be the same again. Tonight everything is changing…" You quickly get used to the change in hair dye.

The fact that some awards givers, including members of the "Golden Globes" and "Academy Awards" organizations, considered Mr. Foxx as the year's "Best Supporting Actor" really calls their legitimacy and reputation into question. You've got to wonder if these people are even watching the movies. Foxx an above-the-title STAR of the film; for anyone napping during the running time, it's confirmed during the end credits. By the way, how could you nap during this film?

DreamWorks produces writer Stuart Beattie's plot in delirious style. "Collateral" is a visual treat, thanks to director Michael Mann plus cinematographers Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron. The James Newton Howard music is perfect. These filmmakers make Los Angeles a sprawling, empty vessel in which to pour Mr. Beattie's moody psychological character clash. The real supporting players, Jada Pinkett Smith (as Annie Farrell) and Mark Ruffalo (as Fanning) are great.

******** Collateral (8/5/04) Michael Mann ~ Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo

Where there's Tom Cruise, there's an action movie!

Collateral was introduced at me as a thriller story and I decided to watch it because the plot looked (and it definitely was) captivating: a taxi driver is held hostage by a peculiar hitman who is in charge of murdering 5 people during a common night in LA. Streets are empty, clubs are filled with people and the film also depicts the luxury of modern apartments and offices in the typical skyscrapers.

The movie can be categorized in the action/thriller genre, even though I also really appreciated the comedy which was smartly inserted in some of the scenes.

The figure of the hitman is impeccable: to me, Vincent is the representation of a sociopath killer, who is capable of always maintaining his lucidity and coldness, ready to react in every situation, totally extraneous from ethical principles and moral values such as compassion, respect and the value of human life.

The character itself is not really well developed, in fact Vincent remains a mysterious figure, almost a machine (at some point he remembered me of Terminator, in his mechanical moves, his way of talking and his facial expressions) and we cannot really empathize with him.

On the contrary, we get to know more about Max (the taxi driver) and this inevitably leads us to see everything from his point of view.

Even though i'm not really a fan of action movies (they bore me to death because of their usual lack of plot and unrealisticness), Collateral succeeded at involving me for almost all of its duration and, although many events were narrated, I got to understand everything the movie wanted to communicate.

It is obviously not a movie which stimulates deep reflections because of its genre, but i'd say it succeeded in its intent of capturing and maintaining viewer's attention.

Very entertaining!

Elements that would have made the movie more appealing to me: the deepening of the relationship of friendship between the two main characters, a rounder description of Vincent's character and the elimination of police investigations in the movie (they are a very common theme in action movies: useless policemen who chase the main characters).

This film held my attention for about 20 minutes, then it was one absurdity after another; one convenient plot manipulation after another that caused me to lose any semblance of interest. First: no cabbie would have such total independence from the dispatcher - we hear from the dispatcher twice - the first time he gets chewed out by Cruise (yeah, like THAT is going to happen) and the second time to relay that Foxx's mother called. Absurd. Anyone that's been in a cab, much less DRIVEN one, would know that you just don't drive around L.A. all night without checking in or there would be hell to pay not to mention cops looking for you. Cabbies get robbed and/or killed all the time, their disappearance would not go undetected. Second: the body left in the trunk - did Cruise just sort of space out that teeny piece of evidence? Third: good thing a neutron bomb hit L.A. that night so there was no traffic hardly anywhere. Uh huh. It's so helpful that targets in dark, noisy clubs sit where there is bright white light on them so they can be seen clearly not to mention the ease with which our main characters get away in the midst of the (eventual) chaos as the club empties out; the coyotes/wolves crossing the street, the subsequent awful musical interlude, the pseudo-psychological banter between killer and driver were enough to make me roll my eyes. ...And the list just goes on and on. This is not an adult thriller unless you're on meds that dull the senses. This is a mess of a film in spite of the acting being good -- the writing is just sloppy. There is nothing here that Hitchcock would appreciate, as some would assert. Hitchcock had plot conveniences and "coincidences" that would seem implausible, but in the hands of a Master, they were pulled off...not here, though. This is a good example of American cinema: "people don't want anything serious to think about, they just want to be entertained for a couple of hours".

Rent this if you must, but for me, it is 2 hours of my life I'll never get back.