Collateral

Preview Screening

Collateral sees Michael Mann back to what he does best - showing good guys and bad guys at work in LA. Tom Cruise is Vincent, a hired killer who forces Max (Jamie Foxx), a cab driver with integrity, to drive him around for a night when he comes to LA to kill witnesses for the prosecution of a drug lord. Over the course of the night, we see Vincent work while Max tries to think of a way to stay alive.

Aside from the fact that Max appears to be the only nice cab driver in the world, Foxx plays down his usual comedy tricks to be a bit more serious. Dreaming of his future running a limo company, he keeps the cab clean and knows his way around LA. The film follows the story from Max's view point, almost literally; the world is viewed from the confines of his cab, and the views he sees from it. Mann shot the film using High Definition Digital Video, and it looks raw yet beautiful; LA is darkness and shade, interspersed with flashes of strange colour, showing us a different side to the city of angels.

Tom Cruise plays the bad guy but, apart from believing that he cares about nobody apart from himself, he doesn't bring the darkness that a sociopath should have on screen. It's not the same as Denzel Washington in Training Day, but at least it is different from his usual roles, showing a desire to increase his range if nothing else. Cruise displays the efficiency of the killer, and is more natural at the charming aspect of his character, who has to make people not notice him when needed. He is quick, sharp, able, controlled, and doesn't flash the smile (thankfully).

Apart from some coincidences in the narrative that exist solely to propel the story forward, this is quite a taut tale, with a palpable sense of danger as we ride along with the two main characters. There is humour along the way, helping to break up the constant sense of tension, which isn't forced or silly one-liners, which is appreciated. When it comes to the shoot outs, well, Mann always excelled at these, and these give the sense that you are really there, the sound of the gun seemingly more real in his films than anywhere else. The end veers towards more traditional thriller territory, with the chase scene and the bad guy doing the bad guy thing but the rest of the film is different enough to make up for the finale.

Rating: DAVE