Collateral (Two-Disc Special Edition) Reviews

• Jamie Foxx This Is Your Movie!

  
  By A1TPW86OHXTXFC on 2005-01-30
  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
  
  
  

• Tom Cruise as a bad guy? Hell yeah!

  
  By A2ZWTA18X37QOZ on 2004-08-18
  **Warning: Spoilers ahead**
  
  This movie surprised me. I mean it REALLY surprised me. I didn't know what to expect from this movie. Collateral shows Tom Cruise in what I believe is his first `bad guy' role and Jamie Foxx in one of his few non-comedy roles. But with its tight writing and direction, and great performances by all actors involved, Collateral is without a doubt one of the best movies of this summer, and the surprise sleeper hit of the year.
  
  The story of Collateral revolves around an assassin named Vincent (played by Cruise) who commandeers a taxi operated by Max (played by Foxx). Vincent forces Max at gunpoint to assist him in assassinating five individuals on his hit list. However, this seemingly simple premise belies an incredibly strong story. If you want non-stop balls-to-walls action, and/or have no patience for movies that `have a lot of talking' then look somewhere else. While there are several scenes of gunplay, the core of this movie deals with the interaction between Vincent and Max.
  
  It is true that, like in most movies, Collateral's most interesting character is the villain. Cruise's portrayal of the character is amazing. As Vincent, Cruise delivers his lines with such ease and confidence, that it's more than worthy of Oscar consideration. Vincent is a person who his incredibly calm considering the profession that he's in. He is also extremely resourceful, as shown when he pretends to be a lawyer telling off Max's boss when he (the boss) wants to take any damages done to the taxi out of Max's paycheck. Vincent also always has something sarcastic (and often funny) say to Max when he begins to criticize what Vincent has done. After Vincent kills of the first person on his list, Max asks why he would kill his victim after only just meeting him. To that, Vincent replies, `What? I should only kill people after I get to know them?'. Vincent then asks Max whether he heard about Rwanda. He goes on to tell Max thousands of people died yet `Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Whales, Greenpeace, or something? No. I off one fat Angelino and you throw a hissy fit.'
  
  Max himself is also an interesting character, and is surprisingly well-played by Jamie Foxx. He tells people who get in his cab about his intentions to own a limo service and drive around famous people, yet at the same time he projects a sense that this is more of a dream than a real plan, and you feel sorry for him. His character is also one that continuously changes throughout the movie. After the first killing, Max gets scared and has no idea how to deal with Vincent. But as soon as he sees an opening, Max jumps on the opportunity to destroy Vincent's suitcase with his work inside. And when Max has to confront a powerful drug lord while posing as Vincent, he has to force himself to become as cool and collected as Vincent himself.
  
  An interesting thing to note about this movie is, just like Michael Man's other movie Heat, Collateral likes to use a lot of the wide shots of the background. In Heat this was used to good effect to give that movie a more `epic' experience. In Collateral, this wide shot technique is used to give the viewer to stronger `feel' for the city of Los Angeles, as a bustling, busy, and warm (in terms of temperature) metropolis.
  
  If Cruise and Foxx continue to make performances like that in Collateral, I wouldn't be surprised if one day they get an academy award. Hell it's entirely possible for them to get nominated for their roles in this movie. With so many special effect blockbusters out there this summer, Collateral bucks the trend by providing a movie that focuses on strong characters and dialogue, and a few unexpected twists, rather than relying on huge explosions. Collateral is one of the MUST SEE movies of this summer, so don't deprive yourself by not checking it out.
  
  I give Collateral a rock-solid 8 out of 10!
  
  

• Murder by Numbers

  
  By A2HII4U9WQ0XUV on 2005-03-28
  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
  
  

• intelligent and stylish. Foxx is a revelation

  
  By A2FEGRJQNU51P9 on 2004-08-16
  A film by Michael Mann
  
  Max (Jamie Foxx) is a Las Angeles cab driver with dreams of something grander for his life. His dream, as he tells various fares, is to own his own luxury limo company: Island Limos. This job of driving a taxi is only temporary, but it is a temporary job that has lasted ten years. Max is a man who does not step out and take risks in his life. Into this mundane existence comes yet another fare, Vincent (Tom Cruise). Vincent offers Max $600 if Max would drive him to five different locations so Vincent can do some business and catch a flight out of town at the end of the day. While this is against his company's regulations, Max accepts. $600 is a lot of money for one night's worth of work.
  
  When Max brings Vincent to his first stop and a few minutes later a dead body lands on top of Max's taxi, followed by Vincent looking not at all upset or surprised, we know that this evening is taking a turn that Max never anticipated. Max accuses Vincent of killing the dead guy, but Vincent coldly replies that "the bullets and the fall killed him." Vincent is a hit man, a paid assassin, and despite Max's protests that this isn't his job, Max will drive Vincent around the city as Vincent kills person after person. He doesn't have a choice, really. Vincent has a gun.
  
  What is fascinating about this movie is how the relationship between Vincent and Max works. Despite his chosen profession, Vincent is civil and cultured. As a character, Vincent comes off as somewhat likeable even though we know he is a bad guy and we have seen him coldly murder. Yet, there is a certain charm to Vincent, and he treats Max well so long as Max goes along with what Vincent wants. Vincent suggests that Max will never improve his lot in life until Max himself takes responsibility and does something about it. There is not a friendship here, but throughout the movie a grudging respect between the two characters build.
  
  This respect does not change the fact that Max is being held hostage while Vincent is committing murder. The viewer can guess in what direction the film is going by the way director Michael Mann ties things together early on in the movie. He makes a couple of connections (which would give away part of the ending if mentioned directly) which are obviously not coincidence. We even learn Vincent's unspoken intent by dialogue said by a detective (Mark Ruffalo) investigating that first murder. Nothing is truly random in this movie, and this goes double for the ending. "Collateral" is building to this ending, which I felt was fully appropriate, the entire movie and with the exception of a single scene where Vincent becomes the second coming of the T-1000 from "Terminator 2", everything in "Collateral" works for me. The city itself is a character, giving setting and tone and depth and a sense of place to the film. While the story could have taken place anywhere, the movie would have had a different feel to it.
  
  "Collateral" can be dark and violent, but it is also intelligent and stylish. This sense of style is not to be confused with the typical Hollywood "slickness", but rather it is Michael Mann giving the film its own feel and look that simply "works". The whole film does (excluding that one scene I mentioned), and when put together it is better than its parts, and this includes the fantastic performances by Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
  
  -Joe Sherry
  
  

• Convincing Characters & Dialogue Work Wonders.

  
  By A3UPYGJKZ0XTU4 on 2004-12-26
  Director Michael Mann does what he does best with "Collateral", a well-written (by Stuart Beattie), entertaining thriller that knows just when to be intense and when to be mellow. "Collateral" takes place overnight in Los Angeles. Max (Jamie Foxx), a veteran cab driver who dreams of owning a limousine service, picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise), a slick, talkative fare who offers him $600 for a night's work: 5 stops and get him to the airport by 6 a.m. Sounds good, but when a bloody corpse lands on his windshield, Max comes to the abrupt realization that Vincent is an assassin. He becomes an unwilling accomplice in a murder spree, as Vincent attempts to fulfill his professional obligations and Max tries to walk the line between thwarting a killer and saving himself.
  
  Much of "Collateral" is distinctly mellow in tone. Low-key conversations play out over the classical music in Max's cab. This makes the bursts of action more intense and surprising. No one could call "Collateral" realistic, but the attention to detail in the characters' speech makes it seem so. I have to admire Tom Cruise for embracing villain roles at this point in his career, where other stars have shunned them or insisted on watered-down scripts. Cruise has nothing to lose by playing unlikable characters, and they will among his most memorable work. Vincent's self-possession lends him great presence and charm, while his moral bankruptcy makes him revolting. Cruise is perfect for the role. Jamie Foxx plays the film's "everyman" who rises to the occasion when circumstances demand it. He's stressed, put-upon, and trapped, and he acts it. Jada Pinkett Smith does a nice job in a supporting role as a prosecutor, Annie, who takes a ride in Max's cab, as does Mark Ruffalo as Police Detective Fanning, who suspects trouble in Max's cab after one of his informants is murdered. Great cast, great dialogue, and perfect pacing make "Collateral" an engaging, character-driven thriller that almost everyone will enjoy.
  
  
• DISSAPPOINTED
  By AN312B45TPAA7 on 2005-01-06
  I really liked this movie a lot for awhile. It was really kind of unique for awhile there. Then, when the ending turned out to be the ultimate CHEESY FORMULA PIECE OF GARBAGE, I nearly put my foot through the TV. All of a sudden Tom Cruise is leaping onto moving subway trains after having been shot in the face. Oh, and the hero saves the day at the last second and gets the girl. Oh, and the hero also handcuffed a cop to a car wreck a little earlier, but nevermind I guess. Gee, sure was lucky it was one of those cops with no hand-to-hand skills whatsoever, just so the hero could take him down with a move from professional fake wrestling. That's OK, I hear a lot of cops are not totally on their guard after finding a dead body in the trunk. Oh, and don't forget that Tom Cruise, after blasting about 15 heavily armed people with pinpoint accuracy in a crowded bar and escaping as neat as you please, he's unable to hit the hero from 2 feet away firing about 12 shots. Oh, and... and theres a lot of other BS. Do yourself a favor, rent Big Trouble in Little China... if you're going to rent cheese, you might as well get a few laughs.
  
  
• Tedious, boring and stupid
  By AVOCNUFOXUCA6 on 2005-08-26
  This movie is "Kitten With a Whip" meets "Terminator" and "Miami Vice" - but without any of the excitement, fun, plot or interest you would expect from jamming those things together.
  
  Tom Cruise's performance is at the center of this movie, and even though he may be a bizarre couch-bouncing Brooke Shields-berating spazz, he's still a great actor. He and Jamie Foxx are the only two things saving this moving from direct-to-video land.
  
  The pacing of this movie is atrocious. The Exposition is clunky and ponderous, and even then barely gets out amidst all of the extraneous junk in the first 15 minutes of this movie. By the way, after the first 15 minutes, you know exactly what is going to happen in this predictable dog. Rather than being suspenseful or even languid, the film dithered. Hey, it's not every movie that takes you on a detour to a jazz club. And this movie is polite enough to stop to let coyotes cross the street. However, even chopping out 30 minutes of tedium wouldn't help this movie, due to the plethora of other flaws.
  
  We see many of the most annoying movie cliches here. Man Wrongly Accused - my wife's favorite. Educated Successful Professional Woman Isn't Fulfilled Until Meeting Working Class Man with Heart of Gold - check. Colombians Dealing Drugs - got that. Captive Blows Obvious Chances to Escape - check. Woman Needs Man to Rescue Her - yep. We even have the Incredible Unkillable Villain, and to top it off, the Hero's Death Battle Exemption. You can play this at home. Blend all these together into a script over the course of a tipsy evening and you can do better than "Collateral" did. The problem here is not just that the cliches are tedious in and of themselves; rather, they form the entire plot, such as it is.
  
  Before "Collateral," the movie "Point Break" was the poster child for cheesy pure-coincidence police "work," because one lucky break led Keanu right to the bank robbers with no need for that pesky logical analysis stuff. But "Collateral" really takes the cake, with 4-count-em-4 unlikely-beyond-your-wildest-dreams coincidences assisting the cops in their attempt to figure out what's going on. Because that's what makes a good crime movie - stupid cops and random coincidence.
  
  Michael Mann's contempt for Los Angeles drips from every frame, from the dialogue to the choice of shots and locations. I happen to love LA (just like Randy Newman), and that was one more reason I didn't care for this movie.
  
  And one last thing - what the heck does the word "collateral" have to do with this movie?
  
  Avoid, avoid, avoid. If you insist on seeing a Michael Mann film, rent or buy "Manhunter" instead, from a time before the director started making flabby, self-indulgent films like this.
  
  
• Too implausible
  By AHCBWXOZ7S4KU on 2005-11-02
  A 12 year veteran cab driver (Jamie Foxx) gets a federal prosecutor (Jada Pinkett Smith) for a passenger one night at the Los Angeles Airport LAX. He guesses she's a lawyer, they form
  a connection, and he asks "Important case tomorrow?" She says, "Yea". His next passanger for the night is a contract killer from out of town (Tom Cruise). When they arrive at their first destination, a man falls on the taxi and Jamie Foxx says "I think he's dead". Tom Cruise says, "Good guess". Tom Cruise forces Jamie Foxx to drive him to 5 other spots for 5 contract kills in a single night. A tug of war relationship develops between them, and eventually Jamie Foxx's mother, the L.A.P.D. and S.W.A.T.,
  a federal prosecutor and a leading druglord named Felix (Javier Bardem) get thrown into the mix as Tom Cruise tries to finish his job, Jamie Foxx tries to survive the night, and the druglord
  Felix tries to protect his organization. Jada Pinkett Smith plays the federal prosecutor getting ready to prosecute Felix the following day, and the people Tom Cruise has been hired to kill are the witnesses about to testify against Felix the next day. In the end, Jamie Foxx turns bodyguard as he tries to protect Jada Pinkett Smith from Tom Cruise when he learns she's his next target. Mark Ruffalo plays an L.A.P.D. detective.
  
  A contract killer using a taxi? A professional contract killer using a taxi?
  
  If he uses a taxi, would he tell the taxi driver he's killing people?
  
  In this movie he does, and that's where the movie fell apart completely.
  
  This film fell apart almost before it began.
  
  It fell apart because it was predictable, too implausible and because it was gratuitious and lacked depth.
  
  Why didn't the killer rent a car? Why not borrow a car? Steal a car?
  
  This is the scriptwriters idea of a professional contract killer.
  He rents a cab, leaves his tablet pc in the back seat, makes mistakes,
  leaves fingerprints every place, and doesn't use a silencer on busy Los Angeles streets.
  He raises his voice. He doesn't rent a car or steal a car, or dress incognito.
  He uses a flashy tablet pc to remember 5 street addresses.
  He has no back up of the tablet pc's data, and he runs out of bullets at the end without a spare gun.
  
  Would a contract killer leave his tablet pc unattended in the back of a cab in Los Angeles?
  
  There's a scene with the L.A.P.D. when Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are pulled over for a broken
  windshield. The police let them go. Why have the scene in the movie? Similarly,
  there's a scene where the S.W.A.T. and L.A.P.D. are getting their machine guns ready on route to a club.
  When they get there, no machine guns are fired. Tom Cruise steals the show and shoots every
  bodyguard dead without getting hurt. That kind of false build up makes you feel stood up.
  
  Throughout the film, there was a gratutious element to the violence that I was uncomfortable with and did not like.
  It was violence for the violence's sake.
  
  In some scenes I coulden't hear the words because of loud playing music or the recording level was too low.
  
  This film makes a contribution to the notion that guns are sexy and cool and that
  guns are the first course of action to resolve problems. I resent that. In films like "Heat" or "
  The Last of the Mohicans", guns had a story element and were a tool to the trade or necessary.
  In this film, guns are portrayed as fashion and a wardrobe accessory.
  
  I further resented the messages of Tom Cruise where this is his "career", killing people, and
  he's "good at what he does". Some of the violence in this film is for violence's sake, and not to
  support a story or support a character.
  
  There was no realism to the character played by Tom Cruise. He wasn't real.
  He had no personality or idiosyncracies. He didn't act human. He was boring and robotic.
  
  I doubt that the people who like this film have experienced violence.
  
  It's disturbing that there are people who can take the subject matter of this film lightly and support this film.
  The subject matter is killing people and making guns look sexy.
  
  I watched this film 3 times before I wrote this review.
  
  I wanted to like this film because Michael Mann made it.
  I'm a fan of his work and have followed his work from "Miami Vice" in the 80's and the movie
  "The Jericho Mile" with Peter Strauss.
  
  Contract killers don't rent a cab and expect a stranger from out of town to cooperate on killing strangers.
  
  A huge Michael Mann dissapointment.
  
  Alternative Recommended Film: "The Professional" by Luc Besson.
  
  
• Wake me when it's over
  By A3LGT6UZL99IW1 on 2005-01-06
  This is a real sleeper. Literally. One of the worst "hitman" type flicks ever created. One of the worst movies of the year, and probably the worst flick Kidman's ex ever made.
  
  It's no wonder it came and went in a week in the local cinemas. Pick up "The Replacement Killers" or "The Big Hit" - even "Grosse Point Blank" (or all three!), but don't get this bomb. Save the money.
  
  
• Not without its charm
  By A3N5XIM9R2OQH0 on 2005-04-09
  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.
  
  
• Yes, it's THAT bad
  By A3JUJA6POSPKZ7 on 2005-01-05
  I rented this, against the better judgement of a few critics here who don't like the ending. I have to agree 100% The ending is unbelieveably predictable. This makes it impossible to enjoy, and fills me with regret over the now wasted hour and a half. They even do that bit where the Bad Guy gets shot (the audience is supposedto be relieved at this point) but it turns out to be miraculously a flesh wound (the audience is supposed to be shocked and re-frightened at this point) then the Good Guy and the Damsel in Distress narrowly escape aboard a subway (the audience is to be relieved once more) but the bad guy who has been oh I don't know SHOT IN THE NECK but nevermind that, he hops onto the back of the moving subway and chases the Good Guy and the D.I.D through the train until they have a shootout, empying their clips from about two feet apart (wow how exciting) and there is a dramatic pause (we're to be hoding our breath at this point) before the B.G. falls and makes a dippy little speech before finally keeling over. Then the G.G. and the D.I.D. walk off together to the music for the closing credits. Yes, it really is THAT bad.
  
  
• Wonderful ride
  By AL277B4AQCWBG on 2004-10-15
  The predictable plot symmetry of "Collateral" might be straight out of Screenwriting 101, but it matters little. Ultimately, this isn't a plot-driven thriller - it's the story of a man who is given the chance to take a stand and thereby prove to himself that he has what it takes to change his life. For that kind of story, plot runs a distant second to character - and there's absolutely nothing formulaic about Stuart Beattie's wonderfully original characters, nor the ways in which Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx bring them so vividly to life. The strength of characterization in the writing and performances is phenomenal (check out how much we learn about Max in the cab depot before he says even a single word). Tom Cruise might be all over the posters for this movie - and there is a lot of pleasure to be had in seeing him play a mesmerizingly ruthless bad guy - but Jamie Foxx is the real star. He walks the line between strength and vulnerability so expertly you never know which side of it he's likely to fall. The situations Beattie's script puts them in are wonderfully unsettling, the dialogue is crisp and intelligent, and the music and editing conspire perfectly to create an experience which is horribly unnerving but never less than totally compelling. Mann's visual style is typically excellent, giving L.A. both its dreamlike expansiveness and gritty immediacy. It's an utterly unromantic vision of the city, yet it makes you want to go there right now. That's the touch of a great director.
  
  
• It's hard to buy into this one.
  By A280PONM9YUPIZ on 2006-05-10
  We all knew form the previews of this movie that Tom Cruse is a hit man and Jamie Foxx is a cab driver. And, that Tom commandeers Jamie and his cab for a night of killing. The problem, for me was when the mild-mannered, soft-spoken cab driver turns into a macho operative and then a super hero.
  
  Max (Jamie Foxx) has been a cab driver for twelve years. Although he has dreams and aspirations; that's about all they are. After twelve years he is still a cab drive. Yet, when he picks up a sophisticated lady lawyer, he charms her with his quick wit and knowledge; to the point that she gives him her phone without him even asking for it. I did not buy that for a minute.
  
  His next fare is Vincent (Tom Cruse). Vincent wants to hire Max's cab for the night and is willing to pay well beyond Max's usual night-time take. Yet Max resist. (Why? I don't understand this.) Reluctantly Max agrees to Vincent's request but only after Vincent really pushes the issue. Then, everything changes when Max -- by accident -- finds out that Vincent is a killer. And, that Vincent plans on killing more people with Max as his wheel man.
  
  Remember, Max is a mild-mannered, passive type of person. So he not only fears for his life but he is scared out of his wits. And so, he allows Vincent to intimidate him into going along on the killing spree.
  
  Of course all does not go as planned.
  
  Without giving away the plot (if you can call it that) Max is forced by Vincent to confront some very bad people -- on his own. Yet, while being scared out of his wits and surrounded by gun wheeling henchmen; Max is able to bluff the very bad man by putting on a macho act. I did not buy that for a second.
  
  After more killings, Max is still scared but decides that Vincent must be stopped. So, without regard for his own life (anymore), Max makes an all out effort to stop Vincent. That, of course, does not work. Vincent leaves Max in a precarious situation and continues to go after his next victim. So Max, in his now obsession to stop Vincent, overpowers a police officer who is arresting him, takes the police officer's gun, and goes after Vincent to stop him. I did not buy that for a millisecond. And I am glad I did not buy this movie.
  
  
  
• One of the years best!
  By A2A6NH6DPE0VXR on 2004-08-12
  Tom Cruise stars as Vincent, a hitman who has a Taxi driver named Max (Jamie Foxx) drive himto his hits. Tom Cruise is actually at his best when playing a villain just like in Interview with the Vampire. Vincent is a ruthless and heartless killer and no one could play him better than Cruise. Although people are just saying now, "look at Jamie Foxx he can act". I knew for awhile that he could. Infact he should've been nominated for Ali. He's great in this too as this nice guy who hates this violent situation he's caught up in. He's funny but is also really good at being a sensitive and soft spoken actor as well.
  
  Also good in supporting roles are Mark Ruffalo (13 Going on 30) as a cop who stumbles on to one of Vincent's crime scenes. Jada Pinkett Smith has good chemestry with Foxx eventhough they only have small scenes together. She plays a lawyer that Max picks up one day and they get along so well that she gives him her business card so he can call her. Collateral is suspenseful and has lots of violence but just like in Mann's Heat these 2 totally opposite guys interact and talk and get to know each other. In Heat the cop and robber sit down and talk over a cup of coffee. Here the nice taxi driver and ruthless killer talk in-between hits.
  
  
• Terrible Ending Kills It
  By A1TZH8VFU21HJ1 on 2005-01-10
  There is a lot of justified praise here for this movie. The acting is good, the plot is interesting, the dialogue is interesting and funny, the music is good, and the film looks great.
  
  The ending sucks. I mean, it REALLY sucks bad. The ending to your average Die Hard movie is harder to predict than this. This ending is so cheesy, so cliched, and so out of step with the rest of the fils that it flushes the first, quality hour or so right down the toilet. I was furious, and I strongly reccommend leaving this one on the shelf.
  
  
• Flush!
  By AMVX5VNOV6LGD on 2005-01-11
  The final sequence in this movie transforms it from a cool Mann crime movie into a dumb action movie. I like dumb action movies, sometimes, like all those old bruce willis movies or even steven segal. However, the endings are all the same: stupid. That's OK on those movies, cause they were trash from the beginning, and you take them for what they are. This movie starts off to be a really cool, thoughtful, interesting movie. Then, near the end, you hear the flushing sound, and realize that this movie is just a big loaf, being flushed along with the $3 you spent to rent it. What a waste.
  
  
• Cliche
  By A2C5VLIJMDPWHI on 2005-01-31
  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.
  
  
• Crap
  By A1E2AAUTS7M09I on 2005-03-01
  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...
  
  
• Indifference paves the way to an assassin's accomplishments
  By A2PN7Z2VTHICL8 on 2005-03-15
  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!
  
  
  
• ON LOAN
  By ATUH7LCRIJM5V on 2005-01-17
  Collateral is a thriller/drama in which Max (Foxx), a lonely taxi cab driver, finds himself an accomplice and a victim to Vincent's (Cruise) drug cartel-contracted murders. Max's first fare of the evening, a beautiful Annie (Smith), renders his guard down allowing the next passenger, Vincent, to enter his clean-taxi world. Vincent offers him a cool $600 if he will take him to five stops throughout the course of the night.
  
  When Vincent carries out his first contract of the evening, sending the body smashing into Max's car, Max is so overwhelmed by the reality of what just happened that he could only do exactly what Vincent wants him to do, thus initializing the remaining events of the evening. Max realizes he has to do exactly as Vincent requests when he tries for help and gets two somewhat innocent people killed in the process.
  
  Max, an intelligent man with aspirations of living on a tropical island, quickly gains self-composure and begins to think about the best way to remove himself from this situation. Max bonds with Vincent on some level, and Max even has to portray Vincent to the drug cartel in one scene.
  
  The movie comes full circle, as the last hit of the night is no other than the luscious Annie, whom Max felt feelings of warmth toward earlier in the evening.
  
  If you are part of the millions who always loved Cruise as the good guy, then you will have overwhelming feelings of confusion to see him portraying this murdering, non-feeling, hit man. Foxx puts on an excellent performance opposite to Cruise, and is a natural in this serious role.
  
  
  
• Did anyone else think this sucked?
  By AOTBP4JOEOBPY on 2004-08-10
  This movie was boring, pointless, and plotless. I can't believe people are giving this movie the highest amount of stars. Tom Cruise looks ugly, and Jamie Foxx has the most disgusting flavor saver on his face. Not only does riding in a taxi suck, but movies about them do too. And as a New Yorker, I can tell you that the chance of getting an English-speaking cabbie is rare, as well as a clean cab, along with a nice driver. In a totally braindead movie, the only good thing about this movie is that it ends. I looked at my watch several times, as well as 2 trips to the restrooms. I almost fell asleep. There was like zero action and the previews tell the whole story. Don't waste your time or your money on this movie.
  
  
• "Shootout at the L.A. Corral"
  By A103KNDW8GN92L on 2004-08-16
  As I was standing in a rather long line stretching a good length of a big city block outside the theater ticket window, in seeing all the usual casually-clad people lined up to purchase movie tickets, I thought to myself: "Most of these people are probably going to see either 'The Manchurian Candidate' or 'Collateral'". To be honest, my gut instinct was telling me to purchase a ticket for the former feature. As I reached the ticket window, I inquired to the vendor about a brief synopsis to both films. Upon this vendor's cut-to-the-quick explanation of "Collateral"'s storyline centering on a kidnapping, hostage situation of sorts, I decided this was the movie I wanted to see, since I thought this type of picture would not disappoint, and deliver a lot of intrigue and physical punch in the process, which these blackmail and espionage style thrillers usually endow upon the viewer. So, after sitting through "Collateral" for over two hours, I wished I had gone with my first instinct. Featuring a mostly ill-conceived, slipshod plot, combined with an unbelievable, confusing storyline, "Collateral" stumbles out of the gate, trips up throughout most of the picture, and burns and crashes at the end. To make matters worse, it appears that the overall storyline was written and prepared by a bunch of hung-over, illiterate high-schoolers, which explains Jamie Foxx's character's largely incoherent rambling that rolls throughout most of the movie. As for Tom Cruise's character, it seems that the producers tried to make him into a hybrid between two Clint Eastwood heroes: Dirty Harry and The Outlaw Josey Wales. Adding insult to injury, seeing that Cruise wants to be the ultimate S.O.B. tough guy, and just when one thinks a "Go ahead punk, MAKE MY DAY!"-type moment will sound from Mr. Cruise's lips, he appears both hesitant and tentative in his execution. When the above verbatim becomes affirmative, it is echoed with a trite and forceful resonance that is likely to make one stand up out of their seat and yell: "Blasphemy! Sheer, heaped to the hilt - BLASPHEMY!". Seeing that Jamie Foxx is a comedian/comedy actor and not a straight, serious actor doesn't help matters, either. In fact, Foxx's preschool drivel only makes the proceedings excruciatingly worse, leaving himself to wonder what a castastrophic mess he had gotten himself into. Jada Pinkett Smith's appearance is by far the best of the three main actors here, all the moreso making laughingstocks out of both Cruise's and Foxx's subpar performances singlehandedly. With such a high-profile, superstar cast and a supposedly high-octane, fast-paced plot, I thought forking over my hard-earned cash in exchange for a thin, glossy cardboard paper ticket stub as a permanent sort of 'temporary' "Collateral", would yield a nice return to satisfy my entertainment pleasure. I also thought I'd be "investing" in some big time dividends as a result. As it turned out, I was taken in by a big publicity sham, and received merely a peanut from my so-called "investment". It is wise not to waste your precious time or money giving any ounce of attention to a film that truly doesn't deserve it. Avoid forking over any type of "Collateral" for this dreck at all costs, and view another feature instead. Definitely not recommended.
  
  
• Whew!
  By A2ODBHT4URXVXQ on 2005-01-27
  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.
  
  
  
• When scientologists ATTACK!!!
  By A3K7SD12TNA97Z on 2005-03-15
  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.
  
  
• Ridiculous!
  By A2VD2D1QHCMF9Q on 2005-03-23
  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 . .
  
  
• SuperCruise
  By ANVOS4JLN2MKR on 2005-09-12
  If you're the type of person who doesn't ask questions, if you're only after suspense for suspense's sake, if preposterous coincidences in a plot don't bother you, then this is the movie for you. It would also help if you think Tom Cruise is faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
  
  
• Better living through guns
  By AXG52L30SKF1F on 2005-10-23
  From a craft point of view, of course, the film is superb: Cruise and Foxx give tight performances, and Michael Mann can direct stylish action set-pieces in his sleep. Everyone involved in this project is at the peak of their powers. So the question becomes, Why didn't they know better?
  
  I really loved Mann's "Heat," so it breaks my heart to have to point out that this film is mostly nonsense. Maybe it's because the story, though at least engrossing on the surface level, lacks enough internal resonance to generate anything like 'meaning' or 'importance.' Instead, as so often in American culture, importance is supposed to be implicitly assumed because people are waving guns around.
  
  Cruise, in his always polished and convincing manner, nevertheless spouts a lot of fake philosophical hooey about the cosmos and self-actualization, and we're supposed to listen seriously because (ready for this, folks?) he's a hit man (oooh), and he's got a gun (oh my). Jamie Foxx's character can't live up to who he wants to be, until he finds the inner strength to (get this) fire a gun. As in so much hip-hop music, simply waving a piece around is expected to absolve the speaker of being silly or shallow. Maybe that's just life, but I suspect that it isn't: the power to kill may be menacing, but as Christ pointed out to Pilate, it isn't really 'power' at all. Pity no one in this film notices.
  
  It's a shame, because there's enough brains and talent in this movie to levitate the Pentagon. If you want an agreeable little thriller, I suppose it's a good job, except for some disappointing lapses of story logic, and a few let-downs when you're led to believe something cool and clever is about to happen, and instead, you get more waving around of guns. I'm not an activist on the subject, I just like a bit of artistic insight along with my grand-opera silliness; and I feel cheated when an artist excuses shallowness, or covers it over, with the glamor of violence, and nothing else. Oh well. They've all done enough stellar work that we can let them slide on this one. Try a bit harder next time, guys, and I bet you make a masterpiece.
  
  
• Damaged Collateral
  By A220FJEQNGMSRN on 2006-01-06
  Collateral may well be the single most ridiculous and utterly absurd screenplay ever put into production by a major studio in this century. While the inexplicable critical praise for the film might be expected to result in some failure to live up to expectations, this fails on even the most basic levels of construction for the very dumbest of action movies - and this certainly is the dumbest piece of hokum I've seen in the past ten years. I'm simply at a loss as to how anyone could think this thrill-free thriller even a competent piece of drama, let alone a masterpiece.
  
  One of the problems with people who make more than one good movie is that we very unreasonably expect them to keep on making good movies instead of just being grateful for what they've given us in the past. So I'll go on being grateful to Mann for Manhunter, Heat, The Insider, The Jericho Mile and Last of the Mohicans (even if he is determined to re-edit the heart out of them if left unchecked) and mark this one down as a paycheck. It's just a shame that, unlike Terrence Malick, nobody set up a trust fund for him so that he wouldn't have to make movies this bad just to pay the bills.
  
  The film starts off with a disadvantage - the high concept setup is a hard premise to sell, and the film singularly fails to do so. But instead of going off in the `we know this is stupid, but let's have fun with it' route, instead it tries to play it as serious psychodrama and character piece while offering some of the most ridiculous plotting imaginable.
  
  Cruise is supposedly a top of his game hitman, but is the most spectacularly inept killer the screen has ever seen, revealing himself to dozens of witnesses, beating up and shooting people in crowded nightclubs (the film's utter lowpoint) and even accompanying his reluctant chauffeur on a visit to his mother in hospital. Short of taking over a Presidential press conference at gunpoint, it's hard to imagine him drawing more attention to himself in almost every single scene. By the final reel when he turns into an indestructible relentless Tominator stalking the pair, you suddenly start to appreciate the finely crafted plots and elegant dialogue found in the works of Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Olivier Gruner, none of whom have ever descended to such preposterous lows. It's notable that Jason Statham kept his name off the credits in this one, and he had no such qualms over Revolver.
  
  By the time the unbelievable coincidence of the passenger Foxx falls for being - shock, horror - the last name on the list is wheeled on, we've sat through so many much more unbelievable coincidences and idiotic lapses in logic and credibility that it almost seems rational. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but this is just taking the piss.
  
  Not that faulty suspension is the only thing wrong with this vehicle. None of the individual scenes ever convince or work on their own terms, with every development or line of dialog not just horribly telegraphed but practically written in the sky. Characterization is equally facile and predictable, with only vague moments hinting at possibilities glossed over en route to the next botched setpiece. The performances are variable: Cruise, Foxx, Javier Bardem and, most surprisingly, Jada Pinkett Smith are fine but not outstanding, but Mark Ruffalo becomes increasingly laughable as it becomes ever clearer that the depth of his characterization extends to doing a not very good John Travolta/Chilli Palmer impersonation.
  
  I take no pleasure in writing off this utter trainwreck of a movie. There could have been a good little straight-to-video movie in this, but the end result is a completely unacceptable piece of junk that goes straight into my All-time Ten Worst list. Garbage.
  
  
  
  
• An Amazing Crime Film That Grips You From Start To Finish!
  By A379SAP75SPDHD on 2004-08-08
  Collateral is my favorite film of the summer and my second favorite of the year, only to Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Michael Mann, who already gave us the crime classic Heat, delivers another crime classic in the form of Collateral, a film about a taxi driver who is forced to drive a hitman around town as he goes from hit to hit. For the people who were nervous about Tom Cruise being able to pull the role of the villian off, relax: This is the best performance of Cruise's illustrious career. I loved him in Jerry Maguire, thought he ws amazing in Born on The Fourth of July, saw his greatness in Magnolia, and still think Rain Man holds the most underated performance of his career, as well as his second best after this. From the moment we see Cruise walking through LAX Airport, he takes hold of the film and the audience with his gripping intensity, his sarcastic quips, scariness and mean streak. This is one of the best movie villians of all time, right there with Denzel in Training Day and Hopkins as Hannibal. He pulls off that likability factor with the audience, even as he does many horrendous things. In fact, his character is as charming in some scenes as a Jerry Maguire. The movie is worth a look for his performance alone.
  
  However, Jamie Foxx is just as good as the good natured cab driver who Cruise forces into this predicament. It is Foxx's best performance as well, as he also takes hold of the audience as the protagonist, a cab driver too scared to chase his dreams, but still someone who cares and takes pride in his work, even if nobody notices him or respects him. He has his own set of morals and is a very nice character, and it was great to see him change as the film went along and he had to adapt to different scenarios.
  
  The resr of the cast did their job beautifully as well, especially standouts Mark Ruffalo, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Irma P. Hall. The score was briliiant, as were the song selections. The editing was great, and the script by Stuart Beattie was top notch. Michael Mann does what might be his best work as a director, outside of The Insider, as he shot the film with a digital camera, that helps make the city of LA an integral character in the film. The movie is a little over two hours, but it is so fast paced you don't notice and you don't want it to end. The ending. much like Training Day, takes away from the film a bit, as it seems a little different from the rest of the film, but that is a minor complaint that the movie manages to overcome because of the greatness the movie achieves before that. I love this movie and will be hardpressed to find too many more movies that will be better than this one.
  
  
• "Yo Homie. Is that my briefcase?"
  By AHCO1A34MWJ6H on 2004-08-14
  From my point of view, the premise seemed to be very repetitive and potentially boring, but that all changed on August 12, when I went to see this on a rainy day. Don't get me wrong - the plot does involve five murders by hitman Tom Cruise, playing Vincent, who is driven around by Jamie Foxx, playing Max, but there is a lot more to it than that.
  
  The dialogue is outstanding. Foxx, brilliantly cast, is funny at times, but he doesn't come off as trying too hard to be funny, which is what Will Smith is often guilty of. Cruise, playing a villain for once, shows his dark side and turns in a more than convincing performance. This movie, like other Michael Mann movies, relies on good dialogue. There are extended scenes of just talking, but they are so well-written that you don't even notice. A lesser director would have deleted scenes in favor of the more action-packed ones. Now, there is a lot of action and violence, but it never really gets carried away, and it never is without a point. Vincent tries to convince Max that what he is doing isn't all bad, even though it is murder. This is crucial because it shows the character development.
  
  Also of note, the scenery and cinematography of South Central Los Angeles is beautiful. The more violent scenes are incredibly real, on the same level of being real that Saving Private Ryan was on. It may have just been because I was in a theater, but the gunshots sounded real, and the way Tom Cruise handled himself as a marksman made him look like a real hitman. That's something that you can't train for. You either have it or you don't.
  
  And, there were cops in this movie that were chasing after the cab, but only for a very brief part of the movie, so that it didn't end up being like another one of those cat and mouse movies that I grow quite tired of. Yet, at the same time, there still are lot of thrilling action sequences. This truly is one of the best movies that I ever saw.
  
  

• Man on Fire
• Minority Report (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
• Heat
• Training Day
• The Last Samurai (Two-Disc Special Edition)