Collateral is the story of a hit man who has to kill a number of people overnight. To make his job easier (and to facilitate the plot for the film) he takes a cab driver hostage and has him drive around the town from one suspect to the other. Tom Cruise is the hit man and Jamie Foxx is the cab driver.
Michael Mann who has given us some unforgettable films over the last decade (‘Insider’, ‘Last of the Mohicans’ and the epitome of modern crime films: ‘Heat’) paints his film in melancholy, light philosophical banter and chrome polish. He vehemently refuses to take side in the battle of good and evil. In fact he clearly refuses to label them as such. To him, people just do what they do, and he does what he does, best. Tom Cruise is like Heat’s De Niro and Jamie Foxx is Pacino with the important difference is that while that film concentrated on the parallel in their lives and how they never met, this one focuses on their immaculate intersection.
Mark Ruffalo is wasted again (just like in ‘Eternal Sunshine…’). This man has to be given consequential roles. Jada Pinkett-Smith does another good role as a woman who is externally sure of herself.
Tom Cruise is brilliant. Cold, calculated, businesslike and simply put: very successful. At the age of 42, he easily has some of the most promising resumes in film history and considering he has more than 2 or 3 decades of roles ahead of him, he will certainly be the most successful actor ever (hold the ‘MI’ series, please.)
This is an uncharacteristic role for Jamie Foxx and he has loved it. His Max is so much the lost warrior and so much the man in need of help that you instantly root for him even though Mr. Cruise attracts your attention constantly.
The dialogue between Vincent (Cruise) and Max (Foxx) could have been better. The crux of the dialogue is that while no life is really significant in any large way, most lives are in their own microscopic way and there is something to celebrate about that. There is humanity in the celebration and that’s about the only where it is.
The film collapses in its climax, of course, like all modern melodrama about crime manufactured in Hollywood almost always does. However, that very fact buys it some excuse and immunity against it.
Collateral is much like the suite Tom Cruise wears in the film. Crisp, elegant and simply beautiful but refuses to hold through a tough day (or night’s) work.
Michael Mann who has given us some unforgettable films over the last decade (‘Insider’, ‘Last of the Mohicans’ and the epitome of modern crime films: ‘Heat’) paints his film in melancholy, light philosophical banter and chrome polish. He vehemently refuses to take side in the battle of good and evil. In fact he clearly refuses to label them as such. To him, people just do what they do, and he does what he does, best. Tom Cruise is like Heat’s De Niro and Jamie Foxx is Pacino with the important difference is that while that film concentrated on the parallel in their lives and how they never met, this one focuses on their immaculate intersection.
Mark Ruffalo is wasted again (just like in ‘Eternal Sunshine…’). This man has to be given consequential roles. Jada Pinkett-Smith does another good role as a woman who is externally sure of herself.
Tom Cruise is brilliant. Cold, calculated, businesslike and simply put: very successful. At the age of 42, he easily has some of the most promising resumes in film history and considering he has more than 2 or 3 decades of roles ahead of him, he will certainly be the most successful actor ever (hold the ‘MI’ series, please.)
This is an uncharacteristic role for Jamie Foxx and he has loved it. His Max is so much the lost warrior and so much the man in need of help that you instantly root for him even though Mr. Cruise attracts your attention constantly.
The dialogue between Vincent (Cruise) and Max (Foxx) could have been better. The crux of the dialogue is that while no life is really significant in any large way, most lives are in their own microscopic way and there is something to celebrate about that. There is humanity in the celebration and that’s about the only where it is.
The film collapses in its climax, of course, like all modern melodrama about crime manufactured in Hollywood almost always does. However, that very fact buys it some excuse and immunity against it.
Collateral is much like the suite Tom Cruise wears in the film. Crisp, elegant and simply beautiful but refuses to hold through a tough day (or night’s) work.