Collateral Review
by Bob Bloom (bob AT bloomink DOT com)August 10th, 2004
COLLATERAL (2004) 3 stars out of 4. Starring Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett
Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Irma P. Hall and Barry Shabaka Henley.
Music by James Newton Howard. Written by Stuart Beattie. Directed by Michael Mann.
Rated R.
Though he has been at it for 12 years, Max considers his job as a cabbie only
temporary, as he has dreams of opening an exclusive, high-end limousine service.
But all that changes the night Max picks up two fares whose lives will soon intertwine
and change his.
The first is U.S. attorney Annie Farrell. The other is an enigmatic individual named
Vincent, who buys Max's cab for the night.
Vincent has just flown into Los Angeles to conduct some business. He has to meet
five people than catch a 6 a.m. flight out of LAX.
Unbeknownst, at first, to Max is that Vincent is a contract killer and that his
appointments are with witnesses in a drug trial. His job is to silence them for good.
When Vincent's first victim lands atop Max's cab, he realizes his passenger in not
who he claims to be. But Vincent needs a driver and intimidates Max into chauffeuring him around L.A. from one deadly assignment to another.
For the rest of Michael Mann's gripping Collateral, the two joust and spar as Max
continually tries to gain the upper hand on the much-smarter hit man.
Written by Stuart Beattie, Collateral allows Tom Cruise to unmask his dark side. Who
knew that behind the charming smile that has enraptured countless millions lurked a
stone-cold killer.
Cruise allows you to glimpse that persona in his character's eyes. They are steely,
ever-vigilant and without emotion.
He kills as easily as you or I sip a cup of coffee.
Mann, the director behind such stylish features as Heat, The Last of the Mohicans
and Manhunter (the film that introduced Hannibal Lecter to the world), as well as
the creator of TV's Miami Vice, knows how to create mood and build tension.
He creates a noirish atmosphere in which you can almost smell the danger.
Cruise gives the performance of his career. He covers Vincent's methodical killer
with a veneer of warmth, humor and a laserlike insight into human nature.
Cruise subdues his usual exuberance to present a grim professional who will let
nothing nor any person hinder him.
Jamie Foxx as Max proves beyond a doubt that his dramatic performances in Any
Given Sunday and Ali were no flukes.
His Max is a warm, sensitive individual, seemingly lacking any true motivation. Being a
cabbie for so many years helps him develop observations about his passengers. Driving Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith) to her office, he notices how stressed she is and
gives her his prized possession — a picture of a small island — to help her relax.
Collateral has some flaws and implausibilities, but the overall drama of the feature
plus the wonderfully textured performances overcome these minor obstacles.
The movie is an actor's showcase, with Cruise and Foxx mesmerizing the audience.
The film will grip you from the very beginning with no let up.
For those awaiting a movie without superheroes, monsters or an overload of special
effect, Collateral is a ride you want to catch.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be
reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site:
www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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