1 Michael Mann hits again
Tom Cruise nails this performance, and Jamie foxx as well. I have not been a TC fan but this time he gets a big thumbs up from me. Without telling the movie, Michael Mann seems to be an expert at exposing the dark underworld of narcotics and the people who are all involved with them.He successfully puts two characters on the opposite side of the fence together in a unique way. The movie has a lot of parallels to Miami Vice and has that sort of feel to it. The two main characters, one's black, the other white.Lots of action, and the music by James Newton Howard is right on the money. If you like Miami Vice or action movies in general, you'll like this one.
2 You promise? You Promise?...Get in the #$%ing cab!
When Collateral first debuted in theaters, I hardly gave it a glance. I thought "How good could a movie be that has a hitman riding around in a cab, with Tom Cruise as the hitman and Jamie Foxx as the terrified cab driver?
5 STARS! That's how good it was! And I should have known since it was directed by Michael Mann (The mind behind Miami Vice, The Insider, and HEAT). I wondered after watching it if Mann used to be a cop...no...but he is a 3rd generation one-time taxi cab driver!
This movie moves at the perfect pace. The beginning shows Max, the cab driver, and his meticulous ways of wiping down his dash and making sure everything he has is in order before hitting the street to do his job. The first person he picks up is a prosecuting attorney that he impresses with his investigative style and knowledge of shortcuts in Los Angeles as well as guessing her occupation by what she wears. She seems impressed by him and leaves her card. The next person he picks up is Vince, an assasin who has arrived in town and needs to make some stops. He convinces Max with some hundred dollar bills that it will be worth his while, despite it being against regulations...Max complies...that is until the first stop...
Jamie Foxx does a SUPREME job of playing the cab driver. A simple man with an eccentric intelligence who often escapes the stress of the job by looking at a postcard of a beach. Tom Cruise is AWESOME as an assasin who is of the highest class with laptop in tow, tracking down his victims with a meticulous yet ruthless drive.
Max and Vince get to know each other and are quick to judge each other by the actions they take in their lives. They have several conversations where Vince test's Max truthfulness about his life. A qoute I love is "hundreds of thousands of rawandans die in a matter of hours and your crying over one fat man?" Max is terrified at the fact that Vince can just go around and kill with no remorse or logic as to why he is doing it. Max tries several times to break free but is always hauled back in by Vince. The first rider of the cab, who is played by Jada Pinkett-Smith, ends up having an integral part in the movie later on..but I won't spoil that for you!
The detectives are hot on the trail but think that the cab driver is the murderer. A quote I love from this movie is "Hey, you remember when that cab driver that one time killed 3 people that night, then turned the gun on himself?...that one detective always thought there was someone else in that cab that night..."
A brooding modern day soundtrack that features urban beat music as well as an AudioSlave tune set the perfect backdrop for this movie. If you like Cop movies, Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise, or anything by Michael Mann, then this is the movie for you!
3 I got tied up by my Foxx this weekend
this movie had me on the edge of my seat at the end and i understand now why Jamie Foxx got nominated for best supporting actor. he was brilliant. and to be also truthful, Tom Cruise was no slouch either. i don't know but i was just thinking as i was watching the film i was thinking what a trip it would be if Tom turn around and go into his Lastat character from "interview with the vampire" and bit the hell out of jamie and face the camera and say, "oh-oh, wrong movie". the reason why i gave it four stars is because the silly plot, why would a hired killer take a cab to go on his killing spree? interesting. i'm ready for a Tom Cruise movie where he plays those cute nice roles. but really, this was a great movie. i think i can watch this movie with a guy. lots of great action and of course, i love me some Jamie Foxx. i just had me a Jamie Foxx film festival this weekend and it was just me, him and my DVD player this weekend and i had a ball. all by mysef. Thanks Jamie. i looked forward to our next encounter.
4 Story was a little goofy but the imagery extraordinary
The film seemed somewhat implausable, but if you watch it for the imagery, colors and cinematography, it's a remarkable film. The film depicts a third-shift LA as a very bleak, electric land of concrete. The filmwork really captivates, so this makes for a great film visually, but storywise it is somewhat silly (a contract killer... hires a cab?)
5 Do you Yahoo? ......Vincent doesn't....
The movie is absurd. Any hit man that had half brain and one who chooses his suits to be handmade from a Hong Kong tailor to "blend in" would not hire a cab to go around and kill people and maybe, maybe, maybe, he would do this once, but repeat it as a consistent MO. C'mon. All Vincent has to do is go to Yahoo maps and find where these people live.
A previous reviewer said set your Cruise Control to "evil", how about setting it to "pathetically absurd" or better yet, you the potential viewer, set it to "reverse" and don't waste you time watching this drivel.
And by the way what the hell is happening to Michael Mann, going from Daniel Day Lewis in "Last of the Mohicans", William Peterson in "Manhunter", and Pacino, Deniro, and Kilmer in "Heat"--to now, Cruise and the fumbling Jamie Foxx and soon enough Colin Farrell in a "Miami Vice" remake?
Huh?
This movie sucks a big fat one.
6 Something New For Cruise
Tom Cruise, a bad guy? It works! Let's see more of that. What can I say about this movie. It was a thrill to behold. The action was non-stop and had you later wanting to tell your friends about the cool moves Tom pulls, especially in the dance club sequence. It was oddly humorous, in a morbid kind of way. The way Vincent, Tom's character, refers to the people he has just knocked off makes you grin a little, even though you know you shouldn't. Vincent is an assassin, and even though he is bad, is a likable guy. Jamie Foxx was marvelous as well, and make you really feel for Max, his character. The movie ends in a show down between Max and Victor, and I was not sure whom I wanted to win. The movie leaves you with a rather poetic message, with the loser saying, "How long do you think it'll be befor anyone knows I'm dead." This movie is a must see, trust me on this one.
7 An interesting deviation from your typical action movie fare
Going into this movie, I tried to push expectations out of my mind. The plotline sounded interesting, and appeared to have potential, but based on the previews it also looked like the kind of film that could easily flop if not handled with care. Luckily, "Collateral" did not disappoint me and, while not perfect, was even a bit better than I'd hoped. Max (Jamie Foxx) is an LA cab driver. Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a professional contract killer with five hits to make in a single night. Upon his arrival in the city, he hails a cab. By coincidence, it happens to be Max's. (It's not clear why he didn't just rent a car and thus save himself from entanglement with a witness to his murders, but this can be overlooked without too much effort.) As Vincent and Max make the rounds of LA, ticking victims off the list one by one, a police detective (Mark Ruffalo) notices the strange similarities between two homicide cases (Vincent's victims) brought into the morgue, and the chase is on.
The bulk of the movie is driven by tension and suspense in the build up to the climactical cat-and-mouse chase scene at the end. This sense of building tension is accentuated by the innovative use of an orchestral soundtrack, making for an interesting musical background. One thing that pleased me is that "Collateral" is slightly more intelligent in nature than a lot of action movies, and thus is not readily predictable. You're never entirely sure what will happen next, nor is it apparent how the film will end. Unfortunately, the ending itself leaves a little to be desired. There is so much build up that the climax of the film, by comparison, seems somewhat flat, and the conclusion is not altogether satisfying. There isn't a real sense of resolution, and the viewer is left wanting a little something more.
The choices in setting and cinematography are interesting, and effective. Much of the movie has a bit of a "Phone Booth"-esque feel to it. Though an action film, a lot of that action takes place in a very confined space, in or in close proximity to the taxicab that is the central element of the storyline. And it is not JUST an action movie, either, but has an emotional element that allows one to connect with the main characters to a higher degree. Director Michael Mann has also made creative choices in where and how the various scenes were shot, enhancing the film's impact. You can gain a particular appreciation for his skill and eye for detail by watching the featurettes "City of Night" and "Visual FX" on the second disc.
The acting was competent all around. Jamie Foxx is particularly good as the hero in the film. It was interesting to see Tom Cruise as a villain. He has never struck me as an actor whose characters have much depth, and I find that his movies (the ones that work, anyway) are generally carried more by plotline and action, but he is convincing here. I would not go so far as to say his role here stands out above the other work he has done, but he does manage to make the antagonist of the story startlingly charismatic, playing on our emotional allegiances right up to the last few sequences of the film, where he simply becomes ruthless and cold. Mark Ruffalo plays his part well, but his limited parts never really allow him to step forward into the viewer's attention. Another character I would like to have seen more of is Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), the romantic interest of the film. While she has a strong presence when on screen, and cuts an impressive figure as a strong and professional lawyer, her character is used primarily as a tool to drive the plot forward, and not as a personality in and of herself.
While I did enjoy the movie, there are a few areas where it falls short. While I liked the premise, which stands out a bit from your average run-of-the-mill action flick, it fails to deliver any real punch that makes you sit back and go "Wow!" when the film is over. As I mentioned earlier, the ending is a little flat, a little lacking, creating more of a "That's it?" sentiment. Also, the movie has little replay value. While quite entertaining on a first-time viewing, it primarily holds the audience's attention via suspense, and once you know what happens, there isn't much else to dig into on subsequent viewings. The characters, while likeable, are not particularly memorable, nor are there many quotable lines. It's a good movie to rent once when you're in the mood for a suspenseful action ride, but it's not the kind of film you're likely to want to watch on a regular basis.
The DVD extras are worth watching. "City of Night" is a longer featurette on the making of the film, which provides interesting insights on Mann's various filmmaking choices. "Special Delivery" gives a little information on how Tom Cruise prepared for his role as Vincent. "Shooting on Location" takes you into the cinematography of the film. "Visual FX" is a particularly interesting segment on the movie's cinematography. There is also one deleted scene, with commentary, and a piece called "Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx Rehearse," which is just that - a sequence of rehearsal recordings for various scenes in the film. Overall, a DVD worth renting. It isn't one I'd add to my personal collection, but it was an enjoyable viewing experience.
8 A good rental, thats about it
Let me start off by saying that Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise are good actors, and they both did a good job in this movie working together. This is probably the best movie I have seen Tom Cruise do in a long time. The movie is interesting enough to draw you in, and it manages to entertain. In the end though, to me it was just "ok" movie. I thought the taxi cab scenes where over done, by that I mean most of the movie is spent in the cab with Cruise talking to Foxx. To me, this got a little old. **Spoilers warning** I also thought some of the writing was poor in this movie. Starting with the beginning of the movie, You already know the girl his going to play a part in the end of the movie, and within the first 20 minutes of the movie, you will know how everything is going to go down in the final scene. To me it was predictable. Some more poor writing can be seen during the bridge sequence. No one grabs a brief case owned by a guy with a gun and throws it into traffic. You would get shot, besides this, what does Jamie Foxx do after throwing the brief case? Stands there! If you just threw a briefcase over a bridge that you stolen from a man with a gun. You would chuck it and run! Not stand their waiting for him while putting up you hands. Instead of running, he stands their and waits for cruise to catch up and draw his gun on him. I thought that was stupid. One other example of poor writing, that you see in a lot of action movies, is the ending. Here we have a whole movie with Tom Cruise shooting people with DEADLY accuracy. He can take out select targets in a night club, hitting them sqaure on from a distance in a mob of moving people. However, when it comes to the final scene in the movie, he can't take out 2 people? What happened to Mr. dead shot? Anyway, it was a good / ok movie. It is worth a rental, but I wouldn't own it, or probably watch it again, but it wasn't bad either. I did like Cruise as a bad guy though.
9 Highly intense, non-stop action...
Nominated for two Academy Awards, Collateral is an electrifying, high-energy drama about a paid assassin who kidnaps a cab driver in order to carry out his work. With a high quality performance by Jamie Foxx, Collateral is a movie that draws viewer interest with relative ease. Tom Cruise turns in an outstanding performance as the noted hit man, and Jada Pinkett Smith enjoys one of her most notable performances as a high profile lawyer. One of the most action-packed movies of 2004, Collateral is an unforgettable glimpse into the world of professional assassins. You won't want to miss it...
Los Angeles taxicab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) is an easy to get along with guy, a guy with big dreams of owning his own company and vacationing on a beautiful Caribbean island. When he picks up an unusually beautiful fare, an attorney named Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), the two hit it off real well. Before Annie leaves, she hands Max her card and the two agree to go out on a date later. However, Max's next fare has other ideas in mind...
When Max picks up the silver-haired, well-dressed Vincent, he thinks he's got himself just another paying customer. But Max is actually a highly trained professional hit man, and he wants to utilize Max's services for the entirety of the night - as he takes out each of his allotted victims. Regardless of the money flashed in his face, Max doesn't want anything to do with the killings, but Vincent threatens to kill Max if he doesn't comply.
The result is a night in which Vincent methodically carries out his hits, while Max becomes human collateral, used by Vincent in a war between the drug cartel going before a grand jury in federal court and the only witnesses who can take the cartel down. As Vincent commits each of his killings, the police follow up with an investigation of their own. Slowly, they put the pieces together. Past killings similar in nature occurred in LA in years past and were always topped off by a dead cab driver at the end of the evening. As the cops chase after them, the fate of both Vincent and Max become intertwined. By means of Vincent's manipulations, Max becomes a tool who's enlisted to act in other capacities besides driving.
As the night wears on, and Vincent approaches the conclusion of his killing spree, the identity of his last victim becomes glaringly clear... Annie, a federal prosecutor working diligently on the drug cartel's indictment, is the final hit on Vincent's list. Now separated from each other, Max must hunt down Vincent and put an end to his killing before he takes out Annie...
Wrought with suspense and a number of high-energy action sequences, Collateral is an enjoyable film. The blood and gore is not excessive, and the violence is tempered with comic relief and the interesting banter and evolving relationship between Vincent and Max. And the onscreen relationship between the two characters makes for a great movie. With some the best performances of Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise's respective careers, Collateral is a definite must-see film...
The DVD Report
10 Cruise and Foxx are outstanding!
Michael Mann's latest movie is a thrill ride. This is a film noir as dark streets of Los Angeles gives the film a kick. Tom Cruise gives an Oscar worthy performance as Vincent, a gun for hire looking to kill 5 witnesses for a drug kingpin. Unlike Cruise's previous films which makes him a meek or sexy character, this performance gives him a complete package. Mean, Cold, Vicious. Jamie Foxx gives another outstanding preformance as Max, the taxi driver along for the ride. His character is complex but develops into a bold and straightforward individual. I found it interesting that the Academy put Foxx performance in the supporting role rather than lead acting. It would not have surprised me if he would have been considered for Best Actor with this performance. I felt it was just a good as his groundbreaking performance in "Ray". This is a powerful and action packed film. Very much recommended!
11 Michael Mann's Latest
Michael Mann is one of my favorite directors. He creates films filled with interesting characters, involving stories and production design all of which really help to create the world his films inhabit. When "Collateral" was released in theaters, I heard and read more than one review that stated "Michael Mann returns to the Los Angeles streets in `Collateral'" or something similar. It seems as though he is being typecast. In a good way, this is understandable. He is the director of "Heat", one of the best crime dramas ever made, an epic starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, a sprawling film showing characters on both sides of the law as they make the streets of Los Angeles their personal battle ground. And he is the director of "Collateral", another film set in Los Angeles, this time during the course of one evening, as a hit man travels throughout the city, fulfilling his latest contract. In a bad way, this severely limits the breadth and scope of this director. He has also directed "Last of The Mohicans", starring Daniel Day Lewis and Madeline Stowe, one of the most romantic films ever made. "The Insider" and "Ali" are also on his resume, two very different dramas of mixed result. Perhaps we should simply typecast him as a great director and move on with it.
"Collateral" follows Vincent Vega (Tom Cruise, sporting graying hair) as he travels throughout Los Angeles one night, fulfilling his contract. Presumably, because he is just visiting, he doesn't rent a car. Maybe he can't drive. Maybe he's from the East Coast and doesn't have a car. This part of his character is vague. For whatever reason, Vincent uses cabs to get around while in LA. At a downtown office building, he jumps into the cab of Max (Jamie Foxx), a man with a dream, who tries to make the best of his days. Max has just dropped off a woman that he is extremely interested in, Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith) and still daydreaming. He quietly takes Vincent to his first stop, stating that it will take 7 minutes. It does take seven minutes and this impresses Vincent. He asks Max to take him to all of his stops for the rest of the evening; he'll double his usual take. Max eyes the money and agrees. Waiting for his Fare, Max starts eating his dinner, daydreaming, until a body crashes into the top of his cab.
Much like "Heat"'s blue landscape and sun-drenched backdrops, "Collateral" goes the opposite direction with equally stunning results. Mann and his crew used a DV Camera for the film. Using a digital camera is a gutsy move and provides a unique look for the film, enhancing the atmosphere. The story actually begins in the late afternoon and every image is crystal clear, much like watching a HD TV. As the light wanes, the images become darker and grainier. When the characters move to a brightly lit area, their faces pop out in sharp relief, but the backgrounds are still grainy. This makes the characters appear as though they are walking among two-dimensional backdrops. When they enter a brightly lit building, everything becomes crystal clear again. Mann is using this as another way of indicating what the characters are feeling and experiencing during these scenes.
The story is about as simple as they come. Vega has received his contract and has a fancy tablet-like computer with pictures, addresses, schedules, etc. of each of the victims. He announces to Max that he has five stops, so the viewer has a timeline of sorts, very clearly on. Basically, a two-character set piece, the film is about Max and Vincent. How they interact, how they change each other, what they learn from each other and more. At one point, Vincent learns that Max has a mom in the hospital and he drags Max to the hospital for a visit. They become a sort of guardian angel to each other. As they make their way to the various stops, Max, the good guy, continues to look for a way to stop Vincent. They stop at a Jazz club, a Latino nightclub, a nightclub in Koreatown. Each of these stops introduces a new, interesting character into the mix, however briefly.
Less successful, and necessary, are the action scenes. Because the film is essentially a character piece about two people interacting over a single night, big action scenes don't really fit. At the Koreatown club, in particular, the action seems excessive, over the top and unnecessary. Cruise's acting in this scene rivals Pacino's ham-fisted dialogue delivery in "Heat". I'm not knocking Pacino in "Heat", but he is ham-fisted. With the exception of the Koreatown club and the finale, the action scenes are smaller and lower key, which fits perfectly into the story. I am more willing to accept the action of the finale, but it also seems a bit obtrusive. Because it is the finale, and it is foreshadowed at the beginning of the film, it seems to fit more generically.
During the 2004 Academy Awards, there was a lot of talk about how Jamie Foxx "almost stole the film" from Tom Cruise. What this means is that people felt Foxx did a better job in this film than his more famous co-star. This is incredibly subjective, but each of them portrayed characters that were different for them. Foxx, who began his rise to fame on TV's "In Living Color", was more well-known for his comedic work. In "Collateral", and later "Ray", he shows remarkable skill at drama. In "Collateral", his character is quiet, observant and a bit of a loser. He comments that the job driving a cab is just temporary; he's working on things, trying to get a business started. When Vincent asks him how long he's been driving a cab, Max answers 12 years. There's nothing temporary about it. We then realize that he is a dreamer who has never, and will never realize his dreams. Max becomes all the more real because of this. Cruise has become one of the world's biggest stars playing heroes. So it was a risk for him to take the role of Vincent, a cold- blooded killer. Like most of Cruise's films, he brings an intensity to the role that fits the character. Cruise's role is the more showy, and noticeable, but it was probably less of a stretch for him to pull off than Foxx's performance. Because of this, Foxx is receiving the lion's share of attention. Both performances are very good. Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Javier Barden and Barry Shabake Henley (a very recognizable character actor) pop up during Max and Vincent's travels. Ruffalo has the most extended supporting role, and is the most successful with it.
"Collateral" was released in theaters during the summer of 2004, and it, and "The Bourne Supremacy" signaled that perhaps the studios have realized that there is a market out there for adult action films. "Collateral" is a very good film that will take you along for the ride.
12 Not without its charm
Collateral is the kind of movie for which the term "mixed bag" was invented. On the one hand it's an immensely entertaining watch, full of high style, expansive cinematography, and explosive action. On the other it's at times almost insultingly unrealistic, marred by contrivances, gaps in logic and one of the more implausible endings in cinematic history. In spite of its flaws it's still more than serviceable entertainment if you don't think about it too hard, and it's certainly about as good a crime thriller as you're going to get from Hollywood these days. In other words, it's worth watching, but it's certainly not anywhere near the level of Reservoir Dogs, Heat, or other recent masterpieces of its genre.
The premise is a perfect example of what's both good and bad about the movie. The idea of a top hitman getting a cab driver to chaffeur him around on his hits is an intriguing one, even if it's not all that hard to poke holes in. That any of this works at all is due largely to the efforts of directors Michael Mann and the movie's two leads, namely Tom Cruise as Vincent (the killer) and Jamie Foxx as Max (the cabbie). This movie relies far more heavily on character than most of its ilk, and the success of Foxx and Cruise in their respective roles is largely responsible for pulling it through its less-than-steller parts.
Of all the reasons to watch this movie, I can think of none more compelling than Cruise's brilliant scenery chewing in his change-of-pace bad guy role as a contract killer with a busy night ahead of him. In The Last Samurai, Cruise played a character who started in the gutter and climbed out; in Collateral, he appears to be having a great time reveling in the gutter. Cruise's Vincent is a model of amorality, the kind of character who's so delightfully malevolent that you just can't stop watching. This guy's like a more charming version of the Terminator, cutting a swath of destruction though L.A. when he's not engaging in deep conversation and dispensing nihilistic philosophy with Max. The scene where Vincent shoots, kicks, and punches his way through a crowded club to get to a hapless witness resembles something out of a John Woo movie, only with better production values.
Mann's direction is a huge plus as well. He's always shown a willingess to deviate from the standard and challenge his audience a bit (the recent Ali being a prime example), and Collateral is no exception. The tense, manic plotting is accompanied by an equal number of corresponding shifts in tone, as Mann mixes unflinching violence with striking characterization. Really, it's this emphasis on letting us get to know its two central figures that makes the movie. It's easy to miss at first, but the interactions between Max and Vincent go a lot deeper than initial appearances suggest as Vincent's personality begins to increasingly rub off on Max. It's easy to see why: Max is a nice guy but basically a doormat, stuck in a "temporary" job driving a cab for 12 years, reduced to lying to his hospitalized mother about running a limo service. Vincent may be a calculating, murderous sociopath, but he's also everything Max isn't: assertive, strong-willed, and most of all free from the petty moral and practical concerns that plague most of us on a daily basis. And in an extreme situation like the one Max is faced with, it's a lot better to be like Vincent than like, well, himself.
The first three quarters of Collateral are especially compelling, as Mann puts his two lead actors through a series of superbly executed set pieces interrupted only by the aforementioned cab scenes and a relatively gratuitous subplot that strands Mark Ruffalo (a good actor) in a rather thankless role as a cop investigating the case. Unfortunately, after building up an hour and a half worth of goodwill, Collateral suddenly turns from an atmospheric thriller with action in it to a formulaic action movie replete with ludicrous ending and accompanying hacky twist. Much of what happens before the final act is somewhat farfetched, but it's at least within the realm of possibility. On the other hand, almost nothing that occurs in the last half hour of this movie is even remotely believable. I don't want to give away too much (although others already have), but those who have seen the movie will know what I mean. The ending notwithstanding, however, if you're into crime movies Collateral should suffice for at least one viewing. You could certainly do a lot worse.
13 Tom Cruise is just great and cool in this movie.
This movie is just so much fun when you watch it because it's so simple and not confusing.Tom Cruise is a hitman and Jamie Foxx has a really bad night for picking him up in the first place. Great proformances by the actors,get this movie NOW.
14 Top notch for Cruise and Foxx
Collateral is a great film that is rare during the summer season. The plot is fairly predictable and unoriginal but this movie works. Director Michael Mann uses intensity to create suspense and offers several surprises along the way for the viewers.
Tom Cruise's performance here was definitely underrated. He delivers on all accounts as the murderous Vincent. Jamie Foxx is very good as Max, but was an Oscar nomination really deserving? He had all that hype from Ray and voters decided to give him a nod for this as well. More deserving of a best supporting actor nod would be Mark Ruffalo, who is constantly delivering in every movie he's in. Featured here as a good cop, Ruffalo's performance is as always top notch.
Collateral combines a strong director with a strong cast and ultimately produces a strong movie. Go see it.
15 Why do you like this movie?
I don't pretend to be film connaisseur, but why do people like this movie? It was terrible. The actors did well with what they were given, but the characters were not at all believable and the dialogue was laughable. Terrible movie.
16 Very Hyped and Overrated
Jaimie Fox this, Jamie Fox that. He was so over-rated in terms of acting in this lame action flick. Jamie Fox barely spoke the entire movie, he was consistently mumbling and using facial expressions rather than opening his mouth. I think Tom Cruise played an excellent bad guy if that makes sense....I would love to see him in more pyschotic, twisted, action movies where he kills people. This movie honestly didn't provide a splew of action. Ok the NIGHTCLUB scenario was the highlight of the movie, but what else? I honestly thought this was movie was very predictable in every sense of the word. It was too drawn out , especially towards the end, but I dare not say what happens for whomever didn't watch this movie. Just a typical action movie with a slice of Cruise and Foxx as the leading roles...and I guess thats what makes this movie so damn unique"? I think not. It surprises me Foxx was even nominated for Best Supporting Actor come oscar time for this particular movie. Collateral is a movie i'd wait airs on TNT, or perhaps FX ...but don't waste your lousy money and rent it.
17 Well Made Movie
It seems like people either hate this movie or really like, so it would probably good to rent it first.
Michael Mann, I think, did a very good job with this movie. The plot is very organized, the story is excellent, the action and speaking is very crispy, and the characters in the movie are very interesting. Basically, I was blown away by this movie.
This movie has both equal elements of drama and action, but it is a perfect blend and flows very well. The movie comes with two DVDs and the second DVD has some of the best behind the scenes footage that I have seen.
A GOOD BUY
18 I have never been so motivated to return a rental DVD.
Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx both act superbly. However the movie is simply a series of murders linked together with a very weak and unsatisfying plot . A waste of time and money.
19 A High Quality Thriller
Collateral offers a gripping storyline, excellent acting and direction and a lot of edge-of-your-seat excitement that doesn't falter in the least bit (although it's nearly a 2 hour movie which isn't common anymore.) Just from the moment Collateral started I was glued to the screen. This film's taut atmoshpere, great dialogue, and great acting from Foxx and Cruise makes this an extremely watchable thriller.
Jamie Foxx plays Max, an LA cab driver who inadvertently gets involved with the murders of 5 people from a hitlist being carried out by a contract killer named "Vincent" played by Tom Cruise. I won't go into details, but this storyline is executed very well and doesn't get confusing or complicated at all like what happens with a lot of films of this nature.
And there can't be enough said about the performances from Foxx and Cruise in this one. Playing almost parallel-like characters (Max a hard working man trying to make ends meet who values people and their company, Vincent a contract killer who values no one's life) made watching Foxx and Cruise on the screen a very interesting thing to watch. Plus to see Cruise playing a character such as this was a breath of fresh air in his career in my opinion.
Great thrills, a lot of excitement and some really great acting makes Collateral a film I would recommend.
20 A tour-de-force: Run, don't walk
An astonishing film, a slow burn thriller and one of the greatest pairings of actors and a director in years.
The headliner for "Collateral" is Tom Cruise, and he deserves the hype. After years of doing variations of his "Top Gun" schtick -- even "Mission: Impossible" and "Eyes Wide Shut" are simply ratcheted down versions of the same character -- Cruise shows us something new, the dark mirror to his usual good guy persona. He is more than just quietly sinister, though -- although he certainly is that -- his Vincent has an interior life that is hinted at in the script, particularly his discussions with the jazz man and late-in-the-film arguments with Max, but Vincent's interior world is mostly exposed by Cruise's eyes, a subtle performance I honestly didn't believe that was within his abilities. Perhaps not as big of a revelation as Sylvester Stallone in "Copland," but close.
At this point, the Academy has noted the serious actor inside Jamie Foxx, but before he was "Ray," he was Max, a taxi driver in denial about what's really going on in his life. His slow evolution over the course of his film is wonderful to watch, an actor's performance all the way, but one which is actually entertaining.
Normally, I'd like to toss Jada Pinkett Smith under a bus, but for once, she puts her acting ability in the front seat instead of just letting her improbably huge ego take the wheel, and she gives a delicate and nuanced performance, particularly when we first meet her during a cab ride downtown.
And, of course, no one shoots Los Angeles and gets it right like Michael Mann. It could be no other place in the world, and we see the city at its best and its worst, with the eye of someone who knows and loves it. "Heat" set a high bar in that regard, and Mann leapt over it with ease. Wonderfully directed and beautifully filmed.
A strong purchase recommendation for fans of either of the two stars or of Michael Mann. A run-don't-walk rental recommendation for anyone looking for a stylishly done crime thriller with serious acting chops.
21 good film...even better soundtrack
I really like Collateral and that is coming from someone who is not a great Tom Cruise fan. I think Mr. Foxx is excellent. he is a real star potential here.
The DVD is clean and crisp and that is from someone who watches movies on a protector (you tend to see a lot of problems in films with projectors).
It is certainly one to add to your collection: there are so many classic scenes. Max cleaning the car versus the broken windshield and scattered sandwich. Max reading the Mercedes catalog yet driving a taxi for 10 or 11 years. Vincent and the classic line about the fact that he didnt kill him, 'the bullet and the fall killed him'. As for Mr. Cruise. I dont know where he learned to shoot, but he actually handles that pistol like a real contract killer (and no i dont know any!). He looks like a guy who could get 2 rounds only a few centimeters apart. Again it has been said that the role was created for the way he acts and i think this could well be true. I certainly do not like the terminator stuff at the end, jumping on the back of trains is for Arnie not Cruise. I am a big M.Mann film buff and this certainly goes up there with Heat for intensity and realism (except the aforementioned terminator stuff). The music is EXCELLENT. I would reccomend that as a big buy. It does still have that Miami Vice feel and glow and sound. Finally, what is it with M.Mann and the colour BLUE? ...
22 unbeliveable
The fact that a hitman is driving around in a cab killing people is bad enough but dragging the cab driver around with him was stupid. This plot has so many flaws in it I can't list them all. Its described as a taunt drama between the two men, but its so stupid you cant get into it. Really bad theater bad. By the way Tommy crusie is way over rated as an actor he gets his roles based on his looks not talent.
23 Murder by Numbers
So, listen---a guy dies on the Metrorail, right? And he does loop-de-loops around L.A. for six hours, and nobody notices, you know?
So the real question is this: if a hitman gets gunned down on the LA metro-rail, and nobody hears him die, does the movie really stink up the joint?
The answer is: definitely yes. The fact that Michael Mann produced this dog, which has made-for-TeeVee written all over it, is astounding, perplexing, and more than a little sad.
If you haven't been hiding in a cave above Kabul for the last three years, then you probably know the preposterous premise behind Collateral's wafer-thin plot: hitman (Tom Cruise, with ugly grey flannel suit and ugly silver hair) blows into town with list of victims, hires cabbie (Jamie Foxx, who tries manfully to fake a working man) to take him to Points A, B, C, D and E.
Never mind the stupidity of the premise: what professional hitman, ferried in by Colombian druglords to slaughter the witnesses in a major federal sting, is gonna trust his precious, deadly mission to the hands of some random schmo he picks up at LAX? Let's go by the numbers, alright?
1) Every professional hitman works hard to blend in to the scenery by frosting his hair silver, wearing Agent Smith-style refracting wrap-arounds, and donning a dress-to-impress grey suit---especially in LA, where business-formal is defined by the length of your Bermuda shorts;
2)Every professional hitman in LA with a high priority job to do hires a cab to ferry him to his destination. Because, you know, cabs are the---ummmm---most efficient way to go if you're carrying off a major hit and want no witnesses. Right.
3) In a major federal drug trial, none of the witnesses, let alone the prosecutor, are provided with even the most rudimentary police protection, even when it's evident someone is bumping them off one by one.
4) LA Federal buildings have just one crummy security guard, even on the eve of a major trial involving a Colombian drug cartel.
5) If you're a high-profile international assassin, it's a great idea to leave all your critical assassin files locked up in a big obvious black briefcase that you dangle around in front of your hijacked cabbie and anyone else he thinks of tossing the thing to.
6)If you're director Michael Mann, you're obviously too successful to worry about choreagraphing a coherent, visually compelling action sequence in the dance-club "Fever". Far better to just let things go, in random chaotic fashion, for about 10 minutes, and then call it a rap. Oh yeah, and did I mention? If you're a federal witness on the eve of a major Drug trial and you hear gunshots and the screams of the dying in a club you're chowing down in, it's better just to ignore it and keep eating sushi. Maybe it will go away.
7) If Jada Pinkett Smith gets hired to do what would amount to a three-second throwaway role at the start of a flick, it must mean she's coming back for seconds. Or that she's tied into the plot in a big way. Right? Right?
8)An expert shot will always miss the hero in a totally unpopulated LA subway terminal, but the hero will always be able to bring down the baddie with one lucky shot.
9) When you run out of interesting dialogue/expositions, following a cab using an aerial shot of LA always helps. It lends, like, you know, credibility, man. Big City stuff. Word.
10) When chartering a cab for your hit, it's always a good idea to shoot your first victim so he flies out the window and does some major hood and windshield damage to the cab. That way the cops know who to look for.
Aside from one scene---a nasty little set-piece with a jazz trumpet player, which ends with a brutal little coda---I've seen all of "Collateral", any of "Collateral", on about 1000 TV-cop shows over the last decade. Everything here has been done, done better, a million times before.
Move along folks---there's nothing to see here.
JSG
24 Not for us Boomers
If you are in your 40's or 50's as I am, have an above average IQ and appreciate music, avoid this film. Jamie Fox was impressive in an ubelievable character. Too many flaws to count; as an example expert shot Tom Cruise misses Jamie Fox in the Metro Rail shootout, yet Fox hits him. Fox uses two shots on a glass door at the office building but only one on dangerous Cruise. Most of the sound track was probably an elementary school percussion class.
25 Enjoyable thriller
To begin with, the movie had a pretty good story: A Los Angeles, cab driver Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) picks up a gray-suited man named Vincent (Tom Cruise). Vincent offers Max a large sum of money to drive him to five locations around LA before the night is up. Max accepts, but realizes that Vincent is a hitman who has been hired to kill five people that night.
'Collateral' features the career best performances of two seemingly different actors: Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Cruise is a heavy-hitter; every one of his movies usually makes good dough, and a lot are good. Foxx, up until now, has been reduced to your typical funny black guy roles in nearly every one of his movies. When you hear their names mentioned for the same movie, you don't think it's stupid or impossible, just that the product movie will be some sort of run of the mill, action/comedy buddy picture. The movie is directed perfectly, with silences and cinematography that capture the emptiness of the night. Michael Mann manages to make the streets and skyscrapers of L.A. beautiful, both his direction and the grainy cinematography is worthy of an Oscar.
Another magnificent aspect is the ending. I wont spoil it, I'll just say that Vincent finds out the answer to the question, 'Who notices?'
26 my first review, hip hip hooray!
One of my pasttimes is to read the movie reviews on Amazon. Well I felt semi-inspired to write a brief one about _Collateral_, the film I just experienced.
I thought Cruise was fun to watch, whether his acting was good or not. I thought Foxx was lousy to watch and his acting was lousy. I thought Smith could have been replaced by any of a thousand actresses who looked decent crawling on their hands and knees. I didn't seem to find any chemistry between Foxx and Cruise; they were directing their lines at a camera, not at each other.
As for the plot, it was very fun to watch and very engaging until Foxx called Smith from the top of the building and, surprise!, his stolen cellphone battery dies. From then on it was lousy cliche chase stuff which suddenly rendered Cruise ineffective.
Bye for now!
27 Ridiculous!
Tom Cruise was very interesting to watch in a real bad guy role, but the movie just didn't keep up with him. The chance occurrence regarding two random fares in a taxi winding up having very much to do with each other is ridiculous. Having the taxi driver pretend to be a hit man and getting away with it was another incident that left credibility behind, as well as the insertion of the mother into the film. This film was an excuse to portray Tom Cruise in a particularly nasty role, but that was just not enough of a reason to sit through it, at least not for me . .
28 Worth Seeing
This film is by no means phenomenal, as many have said...rather, it is your typical three-star film.....two A-list actors (Cruise-compared to jean reno's performance as a hitman, cruise's performance was weak; and jamie foxx-a better performance than cruise's...foxx proves himself to be quite a versatile actor in this film..), unique plot-hitman hires cab to drive him around to make his hits...decent action, laughs, acting, etc., and a somewhat thought-provoking ending...it's creative and exciting cheap thrills make Collateral worth seeing, but it doesn't go down as one of my favorites
29 Jamie Fox shines and Cruise is masterful.....
Everyonce in a while there comes along a movie that just seems to capture someone's attention with the suspense, the action, the acting, and the drama so well that they don't know what's going to happen next nor do they want someone to spoil it who's already seen it.
Collateral is the perfect example of that type of movie. Both Jamie Fox and Tom Cruise share chemistry together so well you'd might think they have been doing dozens of movies together.
I haven't seen too many Cruise movies; just Top Gun and the Mission Impossble series, and I thought Jamie Fox couldn't get on the same level as he did in Ray, but this movie was awesome to watch and see what both men could do.
Jamie Fox stars as a cab driver named Max; a man who has the cleanest cab in Los Angeles. The first few minutes show how Fox can carry a regular cab scene with ease, and proves it when he shows his character's background who wants to open a limo driving business. [Don't worry, he actually is serious in the movie]
Max picks up a man named Vincent; played by Cruise, who gives him three hundred dollars up front to make five stops, "To visit some friends" It basically is a typical scene, till Max gets a rather nasty shock on his first stop [I wont give what it was away, but it is rather surprising]
To make a long story short, Cruise is a hit man on his way to five different people. His protrayal of Vincent is astonishingly cold, cool, and cruel. He will kill anyone who gets in his way and he informs Max that in order to save those people, "Don't attract anyone who doesn't need to die's attention." Seems easier said than done with what Max has to go through.
The camera angles are unique and styllized but the lighting is probably the only thing that I have a problem with. The whole plot takes place at night save a few minutes at the beginning and the end, showing when the plot begins and end.
And there is a scene near the end when vincent is chasing another victim where it is really hard to see. But besides those small minor details this is one pretty good movie with great camera angles.
To sum everything up I would definately reccomend this movie to those who want to see a styllized action flick with the most regular good vs. evil plot you might see. The action is great, the suspense is nail biting, the acting is off the charts, and the ending is powerful to say the least.
30 pretty good considering the silly hitman formula
I usually hate movies about hitmen. It's so comical how in hitmen movies that they can go on a rampage, shooting things, exploding things, and still wander away from a scene without much police attention. When's the last time you saw a news story about a hitmen on a rampage? Yeah, never. It's just Hollywood story time. Anyway, that said, I had fun with this movie, to my great surprise. Talent is the key - talented acting, writing, and directing. Some parts of the movie had serious artistic flair. Am I the only one still haunted by the scene were Cruise and Foxx come across the coyotes crossing the street?
31 COLLATERAL DAMAGE
Michael Mann's direction is solid and intriguing in this unusual crime thriller. His 80s' MTV style resonates even in this new millenium, and he manages to combine his trademark action elements with satisfying performances from his two leads. First of all, though, I have to comment on Jamie Foxx's performance. In his Oscar winning portrayal of Ray Charles, Foxx WAS Ray Charles, and one had a hard time believing he was acting. In COLLATERAL, he is obviously acting; his nuances and mannerisms are trademark acting---good and solid, but his nomination for supporting actor leaves me wondering if this performance deserved that accolade, particularly in light of his shooin for Best Actor. Certainly there were other actors out there (Liev Schrieber in Manchurian Candidate; Alfred Molina in Spiderman 2, for example) who should have had Foxx's spot in the supporting category. Anyway, while Jamie does well in this role, I found myself more mesmerized with Tom Cruise. As a legitimate superstar, Cruise has not taken the comfortable route by doing roles that appeal to his audience or do not challenge him. In COLLATERAL, he takes the risk of being an extremely cold, unlikeable killer, with no redeeming qualities. His hair sleek and silver, behind those Raybans, Cruise oozes menace and is one of his most interesting performances. His physical dexterity, his cold steely glare intensify his performance, and it's to his credit that he shares so much of the movie with Foxx. COLLATERAL ultimately is a twisted "buddy movie," although the bonding is definitely not one of choice but of necessity. I had a hard time believing a cabbie could change so quickly and outsmart a suave professional hit man, but cinematic rules dictated this heroic twist. Jada Pinkett Smith is cool in a small but pivotal role; Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg and Bruce McGill offer solid support in standard roles; and catch the cameos of Javier Bardem as Felix and Jason Stratharn as the man Cruise bumps into in the opening scene.
COLLATERAL works on many levels and I enjoyed it, although its rather despondent ending only reinforces Cruise's assertation that death is so common in LA that one might not even notice someone is dead.
32 A Pointless Film
This movie at first glance is very cool. After you watch it, it holds a terrible emptiness. What do we learn? Nothing. The ending was deppressing. The last line we hear is "a man goes into a subway, sits down, and dies. Who's gonna notice?"
A truly sad and hopeless film, "with some cool action." :)
33 great movie
Tom Cruise at his best demonstrating a professional serial killer who is doing a clean up for a mafia gang.
whts not convincing is the way he lost at the end while he could avoid it .all in all a brilliant movie worth watching.
34 Good Suits and Nihilism
OK. so we've got a crime drama with some easy cliches: assasin with preternatural skills, ordinary guy (cabbie) with dreams of a better life; a brief meeting with casual love interest that turns out to be a key element to the plot and lastly of course a shortening list of victims that provides the engine for everything else.
Usually, when you watch a 'Firstname Lastname' film the whole point is the branding and the quality of the film is inversely proportional to the amount of desperate product placement and insecure-film-director ego identification. The need of one person to grab the credit for the work of several hundred talented individuals renders the whole thing worthless.
After a build-up like that you might be expecting the 'Collateral' falls into one of two extremes: awesome or pitiful. More interestingly, it's neither. For those of you that enjoy the 'Michael Mann' flavour, this is an opportunity to experience it in a new mix. No, it's not 'Miami Vice' with 20 years of additional designer stubble. Nor is it 'Heat' re-visited - although that would not necessarily have been a bad thing. One of the hallmarks of previous Mann productions is the creation of atmosphere using well matched musical accompaniment. The MTV generation in particular will remember how Miami Vice epitomised the fashion for a storyline crafted seemingly specifically to match the mood music - almost as though the program was an extended rock video. Style over substance, the critics said, as though that was something bad and shameful. It was the 80's - need more be said?
So how does this all relate to 'Collateral'? Well, something happened with the editing and particularly them music production. No honey-smooth music; it's jarring, disjointed and - most significantly - noticeable. If you've noticed no mention of the trivial stuff such as visuals & cinematography or the acting ... something happened there too and it was much more interesting. It's refreshing seeing Tom Cruise step outside the pretty-nice-boy stereotype and if he'd been given more to work with he could have added some serious depth and grit to story.
Despite the soundtrack let-down; despite the 2-dimensional storyline, all is not lost. This is worthwhile entertainment that will grab you in the mood and take you with it. It's not going to set you ablaze so set your expectations appropriately and you'll enjoy it.The pace is unusual; uneven with a slow-fast-slow approach that creates a 'when will the punch land?' feeling. The violence is causal, matter of fact and by no means purely physical, which supports the overall atmosphere nicely. Whatever else you might fault with the production the visual treatment is terrific. There's a bleak, almost monochromatic edge to the colouration and a washed-out look that - once again - supports the atmosphere. Nihilism should be effortless to be convincing and 'Collateral' takes the less is more approach to good effect. There's enough blam-blam-crash-boom-bang to keep the action folks interested but 'Collateral' provides more than a succession of set pieces choreographed around then next explosion. The morality is ambiguous (thank goodness) and while there's some sense that a message should be taken from it all it's not rammed down your throat or telegraphed with endless 'major-plot-point; major-plot-point' signposts in the written-for-morons style.
For:
- stark, nihilistic, ambiguous and visually delicious.
Against:
- intrusive soundtrack and some crashingly illogical elements to the plot that - had they been left out - would have improved the overall effect of the movie tremendously.
The Near Miss:
- Can someone give Mr. Cruise a role where the character has some SERIOUS depth? Given how well he did with what he had here there's every indication he could join the ranks of the unforgettable nasties. Bring it on.
Recommended dining:
The Gaumont production 'La Femme Nikita' by Luc Besson provides a better example of mood and atmosphere or the so-called style over substance genre but with a surprising amount of substance and some pathos thrown in for good measure.
35 Total insult, total gahbage...and I do mean GAHBAGE!!!
I thought my sobriety was impeding my ability to enjoy this "film"-after all, I heard so many great things about it, and my goodness!!! Jamie Foxx was even nominated for supporting actor!! So I had a beer..watched some more, and just got angrier. I like dumb movies, really, but when dumb movies try to look smart, I just can't stand it. If you couldn't figure out where this was headed after the first "hit" by Tom Cruise, maybe you should swallow a bullet yourself and save your neighborhood dog-catcher the trouble. This movie should have been 20 minutes long. Let me put it this way-if you don't get agitated with the scene where the cops pull over Jamie and Tom, chances are you are a moron-enjoy the film. The rest of you-check out a film by Michael Mann that doesn't suck-"Heat". I could watch that movie with the sound off and enjoy it a million times more than this Hollywood drivel.
36 I just expected way to much i guess
This movie was just not near as good as it could have been. I guess after seeing the previews I just got to built up for it. When i finally saw it i was dissapointed. Tom Cruise is a pretty decent actor in my opinion and Jamie Foxx was a big let down. The acting was definately Tom Cruises worst and Jamie Foxx's acting was just pathetic. The acting really brought the movie down. The plot itself was very cool and i couldn't wait to see it. I was so excited and was so let down by how it ended up. How much more predictable could the movie have been. Not much. It simply could have been so much better and that is why i rate it 2 stars. When you have something with this much potential then you need to make the movie as good as it can be. Tom Cruise can do so much better acting and Jamie Foxx should re shoot every scene he was in. Sorry if you think i'm being rude about the movie but seriously if you don't think the movie could have been so much better then your simply wrong. It had so much more potential. If you think the acting is good then you need to watch more movies cause it was terrible. Definately see the movie (rent only), but never buy it cause its not worth the money you'll pay.
37 Indifference paves the way to an assassin's accomplishments
Cab driver Max (expertly played by Jamie Foxx) has been driving a cab for twelve years in Los Angeles, saving up for his dream of creating Island Limousine service. He picks up a fare, Annie (Jada Pinkett-Smith) who is working late for the Prosecuting Attorney's office, preparing for a big trial the next day. When Max gives Annie a speedy ride and pleasant conversation, Annie impulsively hands him her business card.
Max then picks up his next fare, a man named Vincent, who says he is only in town for the night on real estate business. Vincent tells Max he needs to stop at five separate addresses for paper-signings, and winds out hiring Max's cab for the entire evening. But Vincent is not into real estate, he is an assassin. When his first hit of the evening inadvertently falls out of a fourth story window and onto Max's waiting cab, Vincent confesses to Max his real profession and orders him to drive him to the remaining four hits.
When Max asks Vincent what he is, Vincent replies, "I'm Indifferent." Indifferent is a kind word for Vincent, he is a cold and ruthless sociopath, and expert in his field with a reputation for getting the job done. Max is in over his head, stunned and shaken by the brutality that has entered his world, and desperate to find a way out of his situation without really knowing how to achieve such a feat against such a monster.
Get ready for some truly spectacular performances in this tension filled film. Vincent is a new type of role for Cruise, that he carries out with amazing believability and casual elegance. Jamie Foxx outperforms himself as Max, highlighting the superior actor under the hilarious comedian. Jada Pinkett-Smith's role as Annie was fairly small, but stands out because of her excellent performance.
Can Max survive this hellish night? Will Vincent achieve his merciless mission? Is there any rhyme or reason to the selection of his victims? How does Annie tie into Vincent's plans? Just because the plot to this movie can be summed up in a couple of paragraphs does not mean that it is in any way boring or predictable. `Collateral' is a tense thriller, with a tight script, great performances, rapid action bursts, and enough mental friction to keep you on the edge of your seat.
My hat is also off to Michael Mann for his superb directing skills, bringing back memories of Manhunter and Miami Vice as he expertly melds audio to visual, creating that sensory indulgence so unique to Mann's work.
This is an excellent movie whether you are in the mood for action, thrills, or tension. Pick yourself up a copy, it's a buyer. Enjoy!
38 The "Mann" does it again.
The assasin character is greatly developed in this flick, could care less about the taxi driver. Typical Mann movie; dark, powerful, and the atmosphere makes you recall Heat (especially the nightclub shoot-out scene, wish there was more of it). If you already own couple Mann movies add this one to your collection, it is definitely worthy of my collection.
39 Great Action
The film is worth seeing for the action and the character developed by Cruise. Cruise's character was extremely interesting. As for the rest, most of the dialogue was good to bad. But the script has Cruise's character taking some uncharacteristic decisions, and Foxx's character doing things that amounted to unbelievable, magical, "god from the machines," heroe-stuff. Michael Mann usually is very impressive, and with referrence to Cruise's character he came through once again. But there was also way too much cookie-cutter, juvenile heroe non-sense in this movie. And dare I say that I came away with the impression that there was a lot of P.C., racial, brain-washing going on with the other characters in this movie, which is something that I am just about sick of watching.
40 An evil Cruise is good for a change
Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a contract killer, who hires Jamie Foxx, a taxi driver, to play chauffer for the evening. While Cruise's character is dynamic, and it is refreshing to see him in a "evil" role, I found Foxx's character lacking in the same depth.
The plot of the film is great and has an ironic twist at the end which I loved. However, there were a few moments in which the action and dialogue grow tedious. Also, I was often -- too often, for my tastes -- left wondering why Foxx's character didn't just leave Cruise high and dry. The opportunity was presented several times throughout the film and nothing was done.
Overall, it was a good movie and enjoyable as one of Cruise's rare bad guy roles. Foxx is a good actor but I simply could not relate to his character's plight.
41 One of the best action films of 2004
The acting was great by all actors involved. You felt that the actors were really the characters they were playing as supposed to "Hey look, it's Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx." The story was well written and well executed. The best thing was that it was believable, there was no matrix moves, no superhero antics, no special effects to make up for poor acting. The only draw back is that the ending was predictable. I agree with the critics however, they dont make movies like this anymore.
There were some 'laugh out loud' scenes that brought some comic relief throughout the movie, my favorite being the cab radio dialogue between Max, Max's boss, and Vincent, after Max's taxi sustained some windshield damage. Also enjoyed the soundtrack. This is a definite must see.
42 interesting film
Jamie Foxx&Tom Crusie have real good chemistry in this film that feels sometimes like a virtual Reality film in spots.Michael Mann does a Good job here with the pacing after a while. Jada Pinkett Smith ain't bad. 04 was Brother Foxx's Year. He was on Point in all his works last year.Tom Crusie was cool in this film though certain things didn't make sense,but overall the film was cool.
43 Good viewing, but glad I didn't buy this film.....
I doubt I would want to watch "Collateral" more than once.
Max (Jamie Foxx) is an LA cabdriver who dreams of owning a top-flight limo service. He's just driving a cab til he can get the cash to do it right. He drives at night: the traffic's better, the tips are higher.
He picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise), who offers him double his shift pay if he'll break the rules and take him to visit five 'friends.' First stop, when a body lands on the cab, he realizes his passenger is a sociopathic killer performing hits for a drug dealer.
This begins a surreal ride down the dark side of men's souls. Max tries to get away, to stop what's happening, and is foiled at every point.
Until the last hit. It's Max's previous fare, a lovely US Attorney. Will he be able to save her? Himself?
While the movie's premise was interesting and the action for the most part flowed well, there were long gaps of dialogue that took away from the action going on. Further, one character who I had thought was going to be on Max's side got killed quickly. What was the point of developing a character to that point and blowing him away?
Overall, I think that was my major question about the movie. What was the point? My opinion, this film is not worth owning.
44 Blatant Hollywood PC Race Baiting
Tom Cruise plays heartless killer who blames abusive, alcoholic, presumably Irish father for his pathology. Sob. Jamie Foxx plays virtuous black cab driver who speaks fluent english and knows and actually employs shortcuts. Foxx is cabletied to steering wheel and seeks assistance of group of youths who proceed to rob him...they are white, and the setting is Los Angeles. Uh-huh. White cops are dismissive and uncaring, leaving lone Hispanic cop to piece together Cruise's modus operandi. Not a bad action flick aside from the PC (...), but I'd imagine most people would prefer something that respects its audience's intelligence a little more, regardless of race, color or creed.
45 A decent film, but not very memorable
Collateral, brings to the screen the story of an LA taxi driver who finds himself driving a hitman across the city as he takes care of his contract killings.
Overall, the acting is very good (both Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx do a good job), but it's Jada Pinkett-Smith that really steals the show for me.
As for the plot, it is interesting, though not without flaws as the previous reviewer has very correctly pointed out.
In short, far from being a masterpiece, it is a movie worth watching, though you might not want to go as far as purchasing it.
46 Crap
OK, where do I begin...?
...Why does Cruise use a cab...? why does he continue to use this cab after the window is smashed and cops pull it over for that very reason?
why doesn't Jamie Foxx tell the cops Cruise is a killer when he has the chance?
why does he only later make all that noise to alert someone to help him? why does it have to be a corny, cliched "street gang" straight out of Death Wish 3 (total classic) that happens to hear him?
why doesn't Cruise use a professional getaway driver?
why am i supposed to care about the cop character when he gets shot?
why is it so contrived and ridiculously coincidental that the chick from the beginning is the last victim? likewise, the scene when the cop happens to get into their elevator in the hospital?
why does the music in this movie suck so bad? and why doesn't it ever stop for one second to let me breathe? likewise, the cheesy, overdone editing?
why does this end with a lame, been-there-done-that chase scene on a subway?
why do Foxx and the girl just sit down across from Cruise, not checking to make sure he's dead...?
Answer to all of the above: because without all of these things, there'd be no cliched "action" movie and no one would make any money. Michael Mann is one of the most over-rated directors working today... He's like Michael Bay for psuedo-cineastes... His Ali is god awful, too...
47 Stylish thriller
This was a very good movie. It is stylish, which is a trademark of Michael Mann's, and has good performances by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Foxx proves he can really act and Cruise makes a believable sociopath. Cruise is a hired killer in L.A. for one night to kill 5 people and he hires Foxx's taxi to take him from place to place. An unfortunate event at the first murder makes Foxx an unwilling accomplice. There is a lot of psychological warfare going on from Cruise's character and eventually Foxx begins to fight back. This is a good thriller with an intelligent script and good actors creating good characters. My only problem would be a little bit of a contrived ending but then again maybe I'm thinking too much and I should just shut up and enjoy the movie.
48 Both Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise deserved Best Actor....
Both Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise deserved Best Actor nominations for this movie, Michael Mann deserved Best Director, and this should have been nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Film. Jamie Foxx is a lead in this movie and was actually nominated for Best Supporting Actor, not sure what is with that-is an actor not allowed to have two Best Actor nominations? Tom Cruise plays the best professional killer since the original Terminator, and there is even a homage to that movie in the club shoot-out. But Tom plays a human, not a machine, and truly deserves Best Actor for his performance. Allegedly Tom Cruise had never fired a real gun before training for this movie, and his pure-speed athleticism shows off with the two street thugs and the takedown in the club, where Cruise is so fast you can only fully understand the action when watching it in slow motion. In the Director's commentary, Michael Mann waxes eloquently on the digital camera photography and the artsy visual poetry is in the beautiful night scenes of Los Angeles. The cinematography is so beautiful that it can almost be enjoyed by itself with the sound off-- like the scene where the taxi stops while two coyotes cross the street. There's clever camera work like the "falling camera" shown just before the body hits the top of the taxi. But by turning off the sound you'd miss the clever dialog and soundtrack. The comeback to the accusatory "You killed him!" is one of the best movie lines of all time: "No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him." The AudioSlave scoring from the coyote scene to the club shootout is in itself worth buying the CD, which also includes the Miles Davis jazz scene. But like an iceberg, this movie is really about what is going on underneath the psyche of the two men: the sociopath's cold heart is slowly being pierced while the procrastinator is finally forced to face his complete lack of leadership and initiative for action. Quite simply, this is not only the best movie of 2004 but one of the best movies of all time. Watch it once "as is", then watch it again to slo-mo Tom Cruise's action secenes, then watch it again with Michael Mann's commentary. Fantastic!
49 Jamie puts it on Cruise control !! (spoilers)
Based on the foundations of a classic 'good vs evil' action film, the script further delves into a number of various social\moral conflicts... hence the appropraitely named Collateral.
Most of the social concepts expressed by Cruise are cliche. It reminded me of Fight Club and its analysis of today's consumers, hypnotised by day time Tv, and depressed from unaccomplished dreams. Brad Pitt's tutorial on society's flaws are similarly questioned by Cruise, in an 'in your face, lawless, im too cool' fashion.
Also, the characters and plot interwind in a similar fashion to "HEAT", the director's previous work. Where good and evil come to understand each other, leaving a bitter sweet fight off at the end.
There is no doubt that Tom Cruise is a multidimensional actor, his role is convincing enough, once you get passed the grey hair and baby smooth skin. But I'd like to see him step outside the cool, charasmatic self and really give us next level performance. Funny, enough... I thought he was going to say "ill be back" at one stage on the train!
Overall, it was an okay movie, soon to be forgotten. Had they pondered more on the REAL complexities of good vs evil, this movie could have had more impact, instead it came off somewhat predicatable, mundane and already said.
50 Cruise, Foxx in Death Duel
Jamie Foxx is in a mellow mood when Tom Cruise enters his taxicab at Los Angeles International Airport. He has just performed a kind deed by providing an attractive young lawyer who has expressed frustration and doubt over the success of the federal case she is in Los Angeles to prosecute a free ride, for which she was grateful and provided him with her card.
It turns out that this federal prosecutor, played by Jada Pinkett Smith, will be linked to Cruise, but this is something Foxx finds out later. Initially Cruise behaves in the manner of the successful executive type he appears to be, articulate, well dressed and bemoaning the fact that Los Angeles is so spread out with people failing to connect. He makes a comment that one can die in a Metropolitan Transit Authority vehicle without the death being discovered for hours.
The death comment contains a connection to what Cruise's profession turns out to be, to the shock of easy going Foxx. Cruise takes him on an all-night mission as he seeks to eliminate witnesses in a federal drug case in which a leading syndicate being operated by a Los Angeles racketeer stands to be shut down and its principals sent to prison.
Foxx attempts to shake loose of Cruise, but to no avail. Cruise is so cold-blooded that he politely engages in a conversation about jazz and an appearance by the great Miles Davis with the operator of a club in the Leimert Park section of Los Angeles, who also plays the trumpet in the band. After Cruise, Fox and the proprietor finish a relaxing drink the sociopathic hit man kills his cringing victim.
At one point, so suspicion will not be drawn toward Cruise, the hit man buys flowers for Foxx's sick mother and visits the hospital with him, where he is expected that evening. Cruise makes a positive impression on Fox's mother through his engaging conversational manner.
It is Foxx who undergoes the character change during the nerve-wracking evening. The formerly easygoing taxi driver toughens up significantly under the strain of the moment. He has a strong hunch that he is intended to be Cruise's last victim. This is borne out by police records, which reveal a recent incident in which an Oakland cab driver committed alleged "suicide" under strange circumstances while some unsolved killings were being committed in the same areas he had traversed before his demise.
Foxx ultimately concludes that Jada Pinkett Smith is prosecuting the case in which Cruise is seeking to eliminate all federal witnesses, and that the prosecutor is the final target on the narcotics syndicate's hit list. The story spins into high gear, along with Foxx's strategy mode, as he seeks to save her from what will otherwise be a swift and ruthless death performed by a killing automaton with no apparent conscience.
Michael Mann directed the film from a screenplay written by Stuart Beattie. The crafty cinematography by Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron accent the rapidly paced action with bull's-eye close-ups of people battling for survival in Los Angeles as a vicious drug mob does battle with federal and local authorities.
51 Great movie, not Cruise's show
This was a really good movie and it was all thanks to Jamie Foxx, he stole this show 100% and left Tom Cruise looking confused and gray haired in the background. Highly recommended, fresh screenplay, stylish direction and a solid even pacing make this one a keeper.
52 Old School Michael Mann
This is without a doubt old school Michael Mann (director of this flick and creator of Miami Vice). Standard crime flick told very well. I say standard because its got all the cop show cliches: bad guys and and briefcases, undercover cops bickering with smarmy FBI guys about whose got jurisdiction, nightclubs, bodyguards, indicted drug dealers bumping off witnesses- you name it. Its kindof fun to 'count the cliches' in this flick. But still it succeeds on the talent of all the principles. (Cruise, Fox, and most significantly, Mann). Michael Mann has such an artists eye and (to a lesser extent) storytellers sensibility that most of his flicks are great fun to watch.. (this flick is better than Heat..)simple plot: Hit man Tom hires cabbie Jamie Foxx to drive him around LA to take care of business. Foxx doesn't know that Cruise is actually bumping off suckas till after the first one comes flying out a window and lands on Foxx's cab. Any more about the plot might ruin it, but it's pretty good stuff. Tom does a real good job in this, giving the character just the right balance of big-time butt-kicker intensity and time weary vulnerability.. a vulnerability that Foxx's character reveals and later, exploits. The performances.. these and the fairly gorgeous photography elevate this film to better than average. Plus on disc two you get some pretty good extras: a long making of film, Jamie foxx and Tom Cruise rehearsals, one deleted scene and some other stuff. A nice package.
53 Cruise & Foxx are excellent!
I loved this film.
Tom Cruise was bad to the bone. Jamie Foxx was brilliant and incredibly believable.
You've gotta see this one.
Plus Jada Pinkett Smith was looking seriously good too. Something for everyone. LOL!
54 Not an Average Fare
Question: what do you do if your normal routine is interrupted by an opportunity do something that promises a bigger than usual reward? Most people would take the opportunity. Next question: what happens if that opportunity turns out to be more than you bargained for? That situation is the one that Max, played by Jaime Foxx, found himself in the movie 'Collateral.' Max's whole world gets turned around after he agrees to drive Vincent, played by Tom Cruise, around all night as he takes care of some business deals.
Max is a cab driver. He tells everyone that this job is just part time and temporary. Its something to do while he makes other arrangements. Those other arrangements are his plans to start his own limo company. Problem is, those plans have been developing for twelve years. Max also has a gift for getting his customers to their destination on time, and in the amount of time he predicted.
Then one night, Vincent shows up. Vincent appears to be a business man in town to close a few deals. Max intrigues Vincent, so he offers Max the opportunity to make some extra money and a bonues if he'll drive him to all of his appointments and get him back to the airport in time to catch his 6 a.m. flight. Things are going well until Max learns that Vincent is a hitman, and he has no way of getting rid of him.
'Collateral' is a good movie. It explores quite a few aspects of human behavior. Amongst its themes are the stories we tell ourselves that get us from one day to the next, even though everyone else sees right through them. This theme is at the heart of the relationship between Max and Vincent. Its subtle in points, but it clubs you over the head in others.
The best part of the movie is the acting. Cruise and Foxx were ideal for their roles. For Foxx, this film continues his entry into dramatic roles and away from comedy. For Cruise, this is a dark turn away from his good guy leading man roles. Both of them do a superb job.
The drawbacks to the movie is that it can be a bit preachy at times, the end sequence wasn't overly spectacular, and a few of the earlier scenes tended to drag a little. However, most of these flaws are relatively insignificant in the face of the acting and the theme of the movie.
Overall, I'd recommend this film to fans of Cruise and Foxx and those that like dark gritty movies. Kids will probably be bored with this one, and its not appropriate for them anyway. The DVD has several features for those than look for those types of things. Overall: 4.25 stars.
55 Formulatic or a meditation on reality?
Collateral is not a particularly easy film to review. It borrows heavily from film noir conventions and is dependent on a rigid plot. It's more like a play than a standard movie in that it relies on strong characters and a simple chance series of events to make its point. To respond to earlier reviewers, I would argue that the plot is supposed to be implauseable in order to illustrate the idea that life is basically a set of events over which even the most prepared individuals have little control. Vincent epitomises the man in control. He is witty, dangerous, and utterly ruthless, a professional who is not the overly compentent standard sociopathic antagonist. In the rules of the game in Collateral, no matter how in control a character like Vincent is, he or she can still be taken out completely by chance. Of course, the shot that kills Vincent is blind luck. What better irony that the consumate professional killed by someone he never considered a threat who he could have killed under any other circumstances?
56 I love LA!
Michael Mann is expanding on his own genre of gritty crime dramas with Collateral. Using high definition video, he creates the most realistic vision of L. A. that I have ever seen on screen. Stylistically, everything in the film is toned down to keep it as closely grounded in reality as possible. There is no slow motion, self conscious cinematography or indulgent set pieces. Mann reigns in all of these tricks to keep the audience wrapped in the story. He continues with his recurrent themes of masculinity, professionalism and skill. Cruise and Foxx are exceptional here. Both deliver stand-out performances that are unique in their restraint. While both have ample opportunity to take their characters over the top, they don't. Instead they keep with the whole tone of the film and what you do get is much more rewarding and compelling. Like Mann's other films, he relies on the complexity of the characters to tell the story and not mindless action to fill in where the writing lacks. Mann is not afraid to show you the quiet contemplative moments because he knows they will sharply contrast with the action when it comes. There is nothing overtly exceptional about the story or even the writing, although both are good. The real reward here is in the performances and the brilliant direction of Mann, who achieves even greater success with a more minimal approach.
57 Easily One Of The Years Best
Collateral is easily one of the best movies of the year. In any way there is not one aspect of the movie that is less than great. The director, Michael Mann, who has made a lot of excellent films like Manhunter, The Last Of The Mohicans, and the severely underrated Heat, has made one of his finest films ever.
Tom Cruise takes a different character path than usual as the bad guy in Collateral. The difference in this movie is that the bad guy is the most exciting character and the same guy that a lot of people would rather take sides with than the guy doing the honest and good thing. Tom Cruise does an above excellent acting job and is amazing to watch in this movie. His performance playing the bad guy in Collateral is so perfect, that it clearly stands out and gives him a chance to show an even larger amount of talent on a whole new level. It's actually so good that it is a good enough reason alone to see this film.
What makes this film better than a lot is the setting, tone, and look that it carries. Add that on top of Cruise's performance, and a better than usual job of acting by everyone in the film and you have a fantastic movie. In the dark night of the city, in a taxi cab and on the streets is where a lot of the movie takes place. The camera shots combined with the just the right cool music give the film a great amount of entertainment. You even have an rare, and unusual artistic touch in a part of the film where music from Audioslave is thrown into at just the right time. Then you see the camera follow a wolf wandering on the streets while Cruise and Foxx are in riding in the taxi cab.
Michael Mann takes the film in the right direction as usual. He then combines all the elements of a sure winner to come up with a brand new and enjoyable movie that you want to keep watching from the start to the very finish. Collateral is a five star movie that has everything going for it. The most important being that it is highly entertaining and exciting to watch.
58 Refreshing
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this movie. It was refreshing to see Tom Cruise play bad guy, and Jamie Foxx is terrific as a cabdriver caught in the middle of his scheme. Tom Cruise is Vincent, a hit man who essentially forces Jamie Foxx, his cabdriver, to take him from one hit to the next as he attempts to kill 5 people in one night. Things change when Jamie Foxx's character realizes that Vincent's final victim is a woman (Jada Pinkett-Smith) Foxx had met earlier that day.
The movie takes place over less than 10 hours, and as a result has a very high-energy, crazed feeling. You find yourself viewing the story from the perspective of Jamie Foxx's character, and I certainly wondered quite a few times what I might do if I was in the same situation. Cruise and Foxx are excellent, and once the story picks up you are completely engrossed through the conclusion.
59 Loved it!
This is a movie that will definitly keep you at the edge of your seat for the entire length. I love the characters. They are so well played. It's amazing how this story springs up. The fight scenes are so awesome, especially the one in the blue-lit danceclub. It's fast-paced and sexy. I highly recommend it to everyone looking for some fun!
60 Good Movie
I watched Collateral for about 10 minutes and fell in love with Foxx's charecter. Foxx play "Max" taxi driver with dreams but not actions. Tom Cruise plays "Vincent" a hitman that is as cool as ice and you can not help but like him. Throughout the movie Max drives Vincent across LA to different assasination points all the while discusing everything from the philosophy of killing a man to the improvisation of jazz. Overall I thought the movie was great. I thought the screen play was spot on, the plot twist was not predictable, and the way Mann filmed LA at night was simply beautiful. The scene where the car was parked at a light and you see the silhouette of the palm trees against the incandescent LA sky was gorgeous, along with the three coyotes. The only thing i did not like about the movie was the shift from a psychological thriller to a shoot-em-up action movie near the end, i really enjoyed the dialogue a lot.
61 The ride of his life
"Collateral" stars Tom Cruise as Vincent, a cool-as-ice assasin in L.A. for a rather ambitious group of hits in one night. Jamie Foxx plays Max, a cabbie with big dreams but little ambition. Vincent hires Max to drive him to his assignments, and the two spend the night becoming ... not exactly friends, but they do end up having a understanding of one another. The film is directed by crime genere great Michael Mann ("Heat" and "Miami Vice"), and he makes this movie his showcase; it is his life's achievment. He has a way of not just showing you Los Angeles, but making you feel like you are there; but it never feels like a travel log, and never gets boring. Cruise and Foxx are both great here, both at the top of their game. Cruise shows that his arrogence is put to better use as a villian, he is much easier to bare when you're supposed to hate him. He is cool, smooth, vain, and very intellegent; much like Lestat from "Interview with the Vampire". My only complaint is why the white hair and three days beard? Anyway, on to Maxx. It is very easy to identify with him, a little man with big dreams. We like him instantly as he flirts innocently with L.A. District Attorney Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), and she likes him too, because she gives him her card. She likes him, so he must be OK. And then the rest of the movie is all about Vincent and Maxx, as the two become begrudgeingly friends. Some how this strange relationship works, like when Maxx takes Vincent to his mother in the hospital. I liked that the whole movie isn't about Vincent's killing, although when he is on the job he is amazing to watch, especially in the crowded night club.
62 A Movie with no direction
The movie starts erratically. I believe I could see they were trying to develop Jamie Foxx's character and the mood of the city, but it fails and it looks conspicuous in the attempt, like a teenager trying to write classic literature. For the next hour Jamie Foxx makes a valiant attempt to salvage the movie with his acting, but it's in vain because the movie is dreadfully boring and pointless. Halfway through the movie it becomes a different style; it seems to switch from a dark, psychological story into an action, shoot-em-up type. At this junction we have a few minutes of potential character development, why Cruise is a hitman, why Foxx is a cabbie, but it doesn't work. Jamie Foxx does a very good job overall, but it seems like the script and the directing held him back. Tom Cruise, assuming he's capable of a good performance, does a fairly good job also, but is held back by the same things.
63 Very Good
I thought this was very good, certainly good for a night's entertainment. I thought both Cruise and Foxx were good, but probably not for a nomination (must be a slow year in movies). Cruise has his "Mission:Impossible" mode and Foxx changes from a waddling to active state back to waddling, but you always want him to pull through.
64 "hey homie, that my briefcase?!"-Tom's character
Watching this film noir was pleasurable, I had plenty of opportunities to interact with it. Saying to the box, "Why don't you just kill the man?" (refering to max when he throws vincets brief case of evidence including his hit list down upon a busy street from an overpass. The entire film is full of them, the climactic end not sparing either! After being shot in the face he manages to leap frog onto the back of a speeding subtrain. But it's just one of those films. I wouldn't go as far as saying low brow, not with the sometimes engaging conversations, and hilarious dark humor. The cinematography focuses, at its most creative moments, on the lonely nature that lives on the peripheral of the city limits. Showing how close indeed L.A is to the desert. Along the way in following Max (the taxi driver) you cross landmark streets (such as le brea-named after the le brea tar pits), and some of the most notable superstructures in the los angeles area. You can follow the timetable in which the night flows from Max's fare reader and other places in the movie. (such as a subway sign that read "today is january 25,2004. The time 540AM.) The time is referred/displayed 5 times in the movie. See if you can catch them all.
65 Tom is equal to his talented self - Quality entertainment
When I get a Tom Cruise movie, I expected it to be well acted, to have a good story, and to be flawlessly made. I got my money's worth with Collateral.
Cruise is a great villain, ruthless and human in the space of the same second. The interaction between him and Foxx is worth seeing as they ride around in a taxi, unseen and unremembered. To top it off, the ending is the cr¸me de la cr¸me; don't miss it.
An upcoming actor who is worth seeing is Mark Ruffalo. He started as Jennifer Garner's boyfriend in 13 Going on 30, and then he tried his hand-and succeeded-in unrated territory with In the Cut, to be back in the role of the tough, good-hearted cop in Collateral.
66 If only negative stars applied
Unfortunately I saw this movie in theaters and paid the full ten dollars. This movie I do not even consider rent worthy material, it was terrible. If you want to watch this movie do suspend all realistic belief before watching this and prepare for an oh so boringly predictable plot. I would give this movie negative stars if possible it was terrible.
67 Got off to a fantastic start...
I have to admit that I *loved* this movie much more than I thought. The previews I saw made me immediately disinterested, but I just signed up for Blockbuster's Online Rental Service (and I have been a renting FOOL), so I figured what the heck.
From the start I was hooked. It was not what I expected. Over and over again I am surprised by how great a talent Jamie Foxx is. I have loved him since his In Living Color days, and lemme tell ya - this is quite a departure.
The movie moves quickly, but it's not difficult to keep up. The action is great, the dialogue is even better. Jamie and Tom were in perfect form and they couldn't have picked a better pair.
The only thing that keeps me from giving the movie 5 stars is the ending. Like another reviewer said, kismit action movie formula kicked in - the ending was abrupt, and slightly disappointing.
I still must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happened next. I'd watch it again, and would like to own it.
68 May Remind Some of Middle School
If television tells me anything, it's that many people in America have had the unfortunate experience of being held by the ankles while their head is dunked into a flushing toilet.
Personally I'd never experienced this. I was quite content with this, I might add. Then I watched this DVD.
I now know what it is like, as the conclusion of this movie is quite akin to the director giving you a swirlie, only more humiliating.
The movie begins quite strong and quite well. However, Michael Mann seems to enjoy advertising this as an intelligent film. It is quite the opposite. Towards the end of the movie there is a car accident. This is when all logic goes out the window and the film bows down to the standards expected in a mindless action movie. Horrific accidents without seatbelts yield little damage. Professionals forget their incriminating laptops. Professionals forget how to fire a gun. The planets align and convenient coincidences are abound.
The director explains that you need a brain for this film. The first 3/4 seem to use the brain. However, the last quarter entirely asks that you turn that brain off, forget all you know about life, logic, and what the movie has told you, and baa like a sheep.
3 stars because it begins well. I feel as if it should be worse, though, as it's amongst the most infuriatingly insulting films I've ever seen.
69 A CLASSIC IT IS NOT!
A take-off on the movie - THE JACKAL - with Bruce Willis -
Tom Cruise as a hit man just does not pull it off.
Jamie Foxx was decent as the troubled cab-driver.
Plenty of action - fairly fast paced --- but what ever happened to the police? Did they end up closing their case?
Too many questions left unanswered.
Will probably have to see it again sometime to see what I missed.
70 Evocative thriller with tons of atmosphere
I must admit when I first heard the idea of Tom Cruise playing a hit-man, I thought it might be an example of miscasting, much like Tom Hanks in Road To Perdition (Hanks was good but it was still hard to accept him in that role). But Cruise continues to surprise with his versatility as an actor and you can see him get better with each film he does. His steely-eyed professional contract killer is intense in every sense of the word and combine that with Jamie Foxx's terrific performance and you have the makings of a very good film.
Foxx plays Max, a nice guy cab driver who longs to have his own company but dreams about it more than actually doing anything. He ends up picking up a fare called Vincent(Cruise), who is impressed by Max's knowledge of the streets and routes around Los Angeles. As they are driving to the first location, Vincent makes an offer to Max he can't refuse--a ton of money if he will stay with him all-night as he makes 5 stops. At first Max refuses (he could get fired), then changes his mind when he sees all the money but even then he is not totally comfortable with the idea. But what Max doesn't know as he waits for Vincent at the first stop is that he is a contract killer hired by a drug lord to wipe out 5 people involved in an upcoming criminal trail against him. All that changes when the first victim decides to jump out of the window onto the Max's taxi. He's dead and Max starts feaking out. Vincent regrets that Max had to find out what his job entails and now has to use a gun to get a reluctant Max to finish out the night. The plot really picks up and never lets down after that great scene that sets up the rest of the movie.
Even though the basic plot is quite simplistic, there are other things going on in film, which, in my mind, elevate the film beyond the ordinary. You find out the motivation behind Vincent and why he became the man he is and how this ties in with Max and how his life is not everything he thinks it is. These are not the things of a by-the-book thriller and I found that aspect very interesting. Vincent is not faceless madman with no humanity and Max is the not the totally great guy we are lead to believe in the beginning.
The first thing that struck me about the film was the unique look. The cinematography, which is beautiful but very dark, adds greatly to the atmosphere--it's almost like another character in itself. It really grabs you and pulls you into the story. And Michael Mann's direction is sure and steady, keeping the action coming just when things appear to be slowing down. Mann keeps proving himself as one of the best directors out there.
While Collateral proves itself as an above-average thriller, I was let down somewhat by the conventional ending. Up to that point I felt the film was very unique, but the ending seemed to drawn from every other film of the genre. Still the film packs a great punch and features two great performances by the lead actors.
71 Tom Cruise kills and Jamie Foxx is along for the ride
Michael Mann returns with this edgy masterwork of a movie about an ordinary taxi driver who gets caught into the world of a contract killer. It was like any other day and night for taxi driver Max, a superb Jamie Foxx (RAY, Held Up) Foxx picks up a grey haired mysterious man named Vincent, played with ferocious intensity by Tom Cruise (the upcoming War Of The Worlds, The Last Samurai), and after he picks him up things start to turn a little weird. Cruise is a hitman, who needs to kill 5 people he was hired to kill, so Cruise takes Foxx hostage. A nicely done character study with the two stars giving one of their best and believe me Foxx gives it all his best and when is Cruise ever dull as a villain?. Lots of action and excitment especially the scenes when Cruise shoots someone. Mark Ruffalo (In The Cut, 13 Going On 30) and Peter Berg (The Last Seduction, Aspen Extreme) play cops on the case. Ruffalo looks in good form and Berg looks tired. Also starring along for the ride is Jada Pinkett Smith (The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions) who is the 5th mark on Cruise's list, Bruce Mc Gill (Animal House, Rosewood), Debi Mazar (Space Truckers, Nowhere), Bodhi Pine Elfman (Mercury Rising, Enemy Of The State), Javier Bardem (The Dancer Upstairs) and a quick and unbilled cameo by Jason Statham (The Transporter, Cellular) at the beginning. A fast ride worth taking. One of the best movies of the year.
72 Pacy Thriller let down by Predictable outcome
I was looking forward to seeing this movie after the hype, and found Cruise and Foxx to be both believable and talented in their respective roles. A brief synopsis finds hard working and "nice" cab driver Max (Foxx) being unwittingly hired for the evening by ice cold mystery man Vincent (Cruise), and then dropped knee deep into an assassination spree, from which he is inextricably trapped. After a moderately slow start, the story builds nicely, with some intelligent plot work, good action sequences, and promises much in suspense, action, and the ability to hold your attention. Somewhere in the middle of the movie this gets lost, and even the most innatentive of viewers will see what's coming next from a mile away, and that's a real shame. Cruise and Foxx play off each other nicely, and there's a strange attraction to Cruises meticulous character, despite his sociopathic tendencies, and ice cold indifference to his victims. This is not a bad movie, but let's itself down with some avoidable mistakes, the main one being to revert to unlikely and implausible outcomes, just to reach the desired ending it self telegraphed earlier. Questions you may find yourself asking are: (DANGER SPOILER AHEAD)
1. The US Attorney general building is guarded by one solitary guard, and otherwise uninhabited?
2. Despite numerous security features in the building, Max is able to gain entry by simply walking through a side door?
3. Max can run, jump and arrive to save the day from half a mile away on a parking lot roof, before Vincent can go from the 14th to the 16th floor in the same building?
4. Three armed FBI units, a night club security team, LAPD, and a South American Druglords hit squad ALL in the same building with weapons drawn, ALL miss the target?
These are just a few discrepancies, in an otherwise tight and pacy thriller, but given that a multitude of better directions with the story could have been taken, the one chosen is a disappointment. Good movie, but NOT great. Enjoy
73 Intriquing, great action, beautiful cimematography
This is definitely one to watch. Tom Cruise has never looked sexier than he does as Vincent. At first I was not sure about the silvery-gray hair, but boy oh boy, after watching Vincent "on the job", I was speechless. He plays one smooooooth contract killer. The interactions between Vin and Max the cab driver were very amusing and interesting, to say the least. The one point in the movie that I did not care for, and what kept it from 5 stars, was the ending which kind of left me hanging. It would have been much better if Vincent was just faking his death, perhaps to make it look as though he died to Max and Annie, and as the train pulled away from the couple, he lifts his head and grins or something to that effect. I was sad to see such a cool, suave character as Vincent biting it like he did. I mean, if he was supposed to be such a great man-for-hire, he should have been smart enough to be wearing some Kevlar under his crisp, tailored white shirt. Besides the slight disappointing ending, the movie still rocked and BRAVO TOM, if that is how you are going to age, you will still be HOT, HOT, HOT!!!
74 Watch Out Below
I had never heard of director Michael Mann before watching "Collateral," but I confess now I'm watching. In the early going's of the movie, I grew leery as short MTV-like shots were fused together in the artsy style that leaves people saying, "that sure is artsy," but mumbling under their breath, ""that sure is annoying." You know the spliced scenes in which no one or nothing truly comes into focus, voices talk but their separated bodies are off-camera somewhere. Don't worry it's only the first minutes of introduction. When you get down to the meat of the story "collateral," is an engaging more unique than most ride. Hold on to your seats.
The screenplay is a gem and the movies real strength is the sense of characterization you get from Jamie Foxx (playing cab driver Max) and Tom Cruise (ruthless and smooth hit man Vincent). These are multi-layered people that you get to know on a more intimate basis and oddly enough especially in the case of Cruise care about. The first part of the movie leaves you wondering what is it all going to be about until Vincent/Cruise truly checks in on the time clock and goes to work as the assassin he is.
There are moments that leave you laughing as the screenwriter shoots for irony and humor amidst the chaos and violence. For that it reminded me a little of Pulp Fiction meets Die Hard. Certainly not a brilliant movie or a best of category but well worth the watching and well worth the ride. Cruise turns over a new leaf as evil killer and Jamie Foxx is just beginning to reveal his true talent. Jada Pinkett-Smith, as prosecuting lawyer, is extremely easy on the eyes as always.
--MMW
75 Entertaining, Above All Things!
"Collateral" delivers an interesting story with a tight pace, with some intense action sequences. It has good acting but does not delve too deep into its characters. And we wouldn't expect it too, because the whole story takes place in the course of one night. However, the cast of characters does make enough interesting revelations about themselves as the movie progresses to keep the plot moving along.
The best part I thought was the action. Tom Cruise plays "Vincent", a contract assassin who has the good looks of a GQ male model, the suave intellectual capacity of a business negotiator (at one point he dishes out an impromptu jazz trivia about where Miles Davis went to school to learn music), and the deft killing skills of a Navy Seal. There's a really cool scene where he takes out a battalion of bodyguards, cops and hitman in a dance club to finally execute his target. Jamie Foxx is convincing at playing a cabbie going about his daily doldrums, and is gradually pushed past the border of sanity by his involuntary role in a killing spree. He eventually reacts to it in the most heroic and unthinkable way. Foxx is good in this movie, but I'm not sure if he's Oscar-good.
This movie gave me a vibe like "Training Day", where characters are forced into a situation together, and people begin to reveal themselves bit by bit, as they are not really whom they seem to be. Eventually you know someone is going to be pushed to act totally beyond their normal behavior. The action is intense and tight here too, and definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. 3 & 1/2 Stars.
76 Oh if only there'd been a competent screenwriter on board.
Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise make a surprisingly electrical pair. They make a typical Hollywood action/drama fairly liveable. Michael Mann's shots make it watchable. Unfortunately the screenplay sometimes takes a turn for the HIGHLY predictable. You will surely know what the final showdown will be before it happens. And when you can tell that the movie wants you to be all like, NO WAY, and you're all like, SAW THAT COMING BEFORE I FINISHED MY HOT DOG, that is a bit of a cinematic failure.
Other than that it is a beautifully shot, well acted, concentrated study in tension.
77 Cliche
This was an extremely cliche movie about a killer (Tom Cruise) who forced his cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to become his designated driver for the evening so he could kill people. The movie was so terribly cliche that for about twenty minutes of it, I got up and dusted and vacuumed with the movie still going. I added a new vacuum bag, came back, and the movie was still as boring as it had been for the past 45 minutes. The only interesting parts were when Jada Pinkett came in.
78 Jamie Foxx This Is Your Movie!
Jaime Foxx, you are the man! What a performance. First, he comes across as the articulate, smooth -operator taxi driver. Knows the routes into, around and out of LA, and can guesstimate the amount of time it will take for the drive. It doesn't appear he is wrong at all. Then, he loves his momma. And, as a man driven literally by a madman he is able to fulfill the role of a hero.
Tom Cruise first appears as a sophisticated older man with grey hair and an air of a man on the make. It doesn't take long before we forget the color of his hair. It is the action of his gun and his stance and his body movements, all together, that make this man look deadly and menacing.
Jada Pinckett Smith has a small role, but she is able in this amount of time to let us know she is a beautiful, intelligent woman who understands who she is and what she wants.
Mark Ruffalo plays a local LA Detective. He knows and understands "something" isn't right about the 3-4 deaths coming into the morgue on this night- all the bullets from the same gun. And, then the taxi- the same type of scene heard before with 4 unanswered deaths and now this taxi man. Wait, wait, Max the taxi driver isn't the man!
"Collateral" directed by Michael Mann is an action movie, beautifully photographed by hand-held cameras. Always moving, always studied and superb. The story is that of a hired gun, a hitman, and in this instance hired to kill all involved in some sort of trial. The high tech communicatopn of the "hits" is amazing. As the movie proceeds, Tom Cruise, as Vincent, first hires Max, Jamie Foxx, to drive him to his five destinations, then Demands he drive. Max begins to understand his role after the first murder and tries valiantly to stop this madness and get away. Vincent is cruel- he knows his job and he will stop at nothing.
The action is fast, the soundtrack is brilliant, and I was so disappointed to learn the sound tract was not recorded. All in all, this is the movie that .I will remember as Jamie Foxx becomes his character. There is "Ray", of course, but this role as Max, the taximan is Jamie as I will remember him.
Highly recommended. prisrob
79 A great way to spend a couple of hours!
I have been waiting for years to see Jamie Foxx take his rightful place in the pantheon of great American performers. He is a gifted actor, funny-man ( who can forget the I'm gonna rock your world lady from " In Living Color " ) and a very skilled musician. In " On Any Given Sunday " Foxx showed the movie viewing public that he could deliver a first rate, solid dramatic performance. I also have to admit to loving " Booty Call ".
Cruise has always been a bit of a problem for me. I have disliked many of his films; particularly those projects where he has been a producer. I have found that there is a limit to how many shots of his hair, smile and steely gaze that I can stand. I include " The Last Samurai " as one of the worst big productions of all time. Still... he was wonderful in " Rain Man " and I thoroughly enjoyed his work in " Minority Report ". However I have always believed that he has done his sincere best and is capable of great generosity with his fellow performers.
In " Collateral " Cruise intelligently takes a step back and lets Foxx shine. His performance as a professional killer is nuanced, and well developed. It would have been so easy to overplay his hand and start chewing scenery, but instead, he has shown an intense restraint that is very powerful, and creates the room that Foxx needs to leave his imprint on this film.
Foxx has established, once and for all, that he can hold the screen as a lead in a big time, big budget movie. He puts all of his wide range of dramatic and comedic to superb use. In numerous scenes he subtly uses his eyes alone to described shifts in his thinking and moods. He also has demonstrated that special ability to merge so thoroughly with his role. that it is easy to forget that it's Jamie Foxx on the screen.
The films plot move at a quick pace, but not so fast that there isn't time allowed for scenes and moods to be well established. The overall casting is perfect. The movie is beautifully filmed. The direction is first rate without being overbearing.
Jada Pinkett Smith also shines as a Federal prosecutor. I swear she grows lovelier with each passing year, and her screen presence and acting ability have followed a pace.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the contribution to this film of Irma P. Hall. She came to acting late in life and brings her wisdom and life experience to every role she plays. She is an American treasure!
This is a first rate action thriller. Don't miss it!
80 Prepare for a crazy ride!
I love the types of movies that keep me on the edge of my seat throughout, and this one definitely did. There are so many twists and turns throughout the movie that it'll make you dizzy!
Cruise was good as the bad-ass hitman Vincent (not his best acting job though) and I absolutely loved Jamie Foxx's portrayal of the honest cabbie Max. I think my favorite part of the movie was when Max slowed down to let the coyotes cross the street. It cleverly showed just how different these two men are from each other.
The only problem that I had with the movie was that the last "hit" that Vincent needed to accomplish was pretty predictable, but other than that, it was an excellent movie. I'm just disappointed that I didn't go see it when it was in theaters!
81 Whew!
I don't like Tom Cruise. I don't like him, his Scientology `religion,' his strutting style of acting, or the horse he rode in on. BUT. He's really good in Collateral. He plays a ruthless hit man out to eliminate 5-6 people who might potentially testify in an upcoming high-profile trial. He hops into a cab driven by Max, superbly played (I mean, SUPERBLY) by Jamie Foxx, and sets off on an all-night shooting spree.
Cruise doesn't change one whit throughout the film: he's a killing machine, period.
But Foxx. Omigod, Jamie Foxx begins as a taxi hack in a nowhere life and slowly becomes the reluctant hero of the film as he valiantly (and very improbably, but hey, this is an action movie, so sit back and just take it on faith) tries to save the life of Cruise's last and ultimate victim: the pretty DA in charge of the case.
It's exciting and edge-of-your seat tense throughout, and only 3 things really bothered me: 1) It's not believable that a car would overturn and crash to smithereens without either of the occupants getting more than a bruise, and Cruise's clothes don't even get mussed up, 2) It's not possible for women to run that desperately fast in 3-inch heels, and 3) The very last scene of them outside at dawn overlooking a freeway and parking lot was just...empty. Anticlimactic.
Anyway, it's a terrific shoot-`em-up film, if you like this sort of thing.
82 WELL DONE THRILLER FROM MICHAEL MANN
A CAB DRIVER [JAMIE FOXX] PICKS UP A CONTRACT KILLER [TOM CRUISE], WHICH LEADS TO SOME VERY CHAOTIC EVENTS. BOTH JAMIE FOXX AND TOM CRUISE DO VERY WELL IN THIS MOVIE. FULL OF SUSPENSE, GOOD PERFORMANCES, AND A GOOD STORY WITH SOME EXCITING TWISTS, THIS SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO PLEASE JUST ABOUT ANYBODY WHO LOVES A GOOD SUSPENSE MOVIE. FROM THE MOVIES I SAW THAT CAME OUT IN 2004, THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST.
83 Exquisite Crime Thriller with Explosive Leading Performances
Beautifully shot and directed, this tour de force features stellar performances by both Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx (should have gotten a "Best Actor" nom...there's nothing "supporting" about his role...it's 50/50 with Cruise, who also does some of his best work to date).
Novel concept, smartly adapted and interpreted. Fantastic supporting cast led by Pinkett Smith and Ruffalo. So much care and attention went into the detail of this film that it is a pleasure to watch and gripping from beginning to end.
The DVD contains many interesting special features, particularly rehearsal footage and Director's Commentary. Kudoes to Cruise, Foxx, Mann and Beattie on a wonderful work.
84 rich action, poor ending
***************contains spoilers****************
Great action, up until about the final third of the film...when it degenerates into nonsense.
Cruise is the infallible hitman, nailing his victims even in a crowded nightclub crawling with feds, cops and bodyguards.
Foxx is a sensitive, mild-mannered cabbie, definitely not an action hero. Hijacked by Cruise, he does a bunch of soul searching...until he gets fed up. This is where the film starts to lose it.
He deliberately flips the cab at high speed. The cab is totalled; neither Foxx nor Cruise so much as sprain an ankle.
An LAPD cop arriving at the scene finds a reason to regard Foxx a violent, dangerous criminal. Cabbie is on the ground, just about cuffed...and the next instant, it is the cop in the cuffs, and the apologetic cabbie has the gun.
Cabbie continues to go superhuman.
Does not seem to know how to use the gun, but that does not stop cabbie from zooming up the builing and getting the drop on infallible hitman. Not only does he get the drop--naturally the same instant hitman lines up on his last target, the damsel--but this cabbie that does not know how to use a gun drops the hitman with a single head shot from across the room.
Not the end, though; gets worse instead.
Hitman not dead. Chase ensues.
Final faceoff: the hitman that can precision nail running targets fifty yards away in the dark empties a full clip at the cabbie in a face-to-face standoff, with the cabbie and the damsel trapped in the narrow compartment at the end of a subway car. Shooting fish in a barrel, you say? The cabbie, and the damsel, walk away without a scratch!
With a different ending, would have been a great movie!
85 Above-average, intelligent suspense film, but overpriced
"Collateral" was a very pleasant surprise in the summer of 2004. Unlike most modern suspense films, which are really just thinly disguised horror movies, "Collateral" served up adult-sized portions of stomach-twisting suspense.
When hitman Vincent (Tom Cruise) steps into a yellow cab driven by Max (Jamie Foxx), it's the audience that gets taken for an often chilling ride. The film falters badly in the last third of its long running time, reverting to a standard Hollywood action formula. But until that happens, we're treated to a suspense film that is equally strong in atmosphere and in characterization. Much has been written about Jamie Foxx's "star-making performance" - but I would rate it as competent dramatic work, certainly a step up from his "Booty Call" days but nowhere near as memorable as his press agents suggest. Tom Cruise delivers yet another overlooked virtuoso performance, on the other hand, playing a heartless killer. Cruise altered his appearance for the film, dying his hair white and wearing a powder grey suit; he looks like an angel of death, which is exactly the point. Both Foxx's and Cruise's characters have plausible, believable motivations, which adds to the fun. Foxx's Max is a mild-mannered hack whose big dreams are nothing more than a a delusion to make his life a little more bearable, and Cruise's Vincent is a reptilian sociopath, moral relativist and master manipulator. Foxx and Cruise have excellent chemistry together, and it's the interaction between those actors that help make "Collateral" a film that will be remembered years from now.
A two-disc set is excessive, however. I always welcome well-thought out extras, but there comes a point where too much information is shared. This is a flaw common to many of Cruise's feature films. I'm getting tired of needless "special" editions with bonus discs. Wouldn't it be nicer (and cheaper?) if only the best extras were included on a stripped-down *single* disc? Extras are great if a film is technically groundbreaking in some way, or if a film is adapted from a difficult novel. Neither seems to be the case here. Padding a film like this is a lot like adding demos to a reissue of a CD; it's rarely enlightening and often tedious.
The hasty, Hollywood happy ending will ruin this film for many. I myself left the theater more than slightly disgusted at how Michael Mann's film backed away from its scariest implications, and retreated into action movie cliches. To me, the greatest pleasure of the film is watching the way the night-time cinematography reveals so much about two characters most of us would innocently pass by on the street. Adult pleasures like this are rare in summertime blockbusters, and should be applauded. Suspense and noir fans will definitely want to add this to their collections. Maybe next time we'll get a suspense film that doesn't cop-out near the end and give the kiddies a happy ending with a standard-issue action showdown.
86 Amazing, Dark Movie
This is an amazing pshycological thriller with great action scenes! The way that Mann shot it is superb and I watched it twice in the same week, this week that is!
It's all shot in LA, over one night, and despite the trap of making a boring, typical action movie, these guys make the most out of LA by night!
Great twist, although nothing remarkable, but the overall film experience is worth it. Once again, Tom Cruise shows that he knows how to choose scripts and directors!
Well Done!
87 Horrible plot
Everything up to the climax was decent, then the whole movie just crashes and burns when the story takes an unbelievable turn and then it ends.
88 Collateral
It started like any other night.
This movie is alright. But you get tired of it after a while. The dvd is nice it is a two disc set. The features are in the second disc. And the disc has pretty good features. I reccomend an action fan to get this movie. Cause it is a great add to your action collection
There is over 54 minutes of special features on this 2-disc dvd!
89 Collateral
I don't really have too much to say about Collateral. It's the first time I've seen Jamie Foxx in a serious role, and I was impressed. Tom Cruise's performance as a bad guy assassin was also pretty good. I liked how matter-of-fact his character was. Case in point, when
