Collateral

It is hard to lavish enough praise on the acting on display here from the two main protagonists. Jamie Foxx shows signs of the charisma and ability that made him a cert for the best actor Oscar for Ray. Meanwhile Tom Cruise is a sheer revelation as the psychotic but professional hit-man Vincent.

Cabbie Max (Foxx) picks up Vincent (Cruise) expecting just another job. When Vincent offers to double his nightly earnings if he drives him all night he accepts, until Vincent's mission is revealed. What follows is a night of hell for Max, reluctantly driving Vincent from hit to hit, all the while trying to stay alive and do the right thing, two goals which may ultimately be unachievable together. What is most fascinating about Cruise's character though is the sheer indifference he shows towards his victims. He does not hate them, he doesn't even know them, he has just been assigned to kill them and does so with absolutely no remorse. When a body crashes on to his cab, followed by Vincent's re-appearance, Max is shocked by the answer to his accusatory 'you killed him!" - No, I shot him, the bullets and the fall killed him." This matter-of-fact approach is indicative of Vincent's professionalism, and adds a really chilling level of apathy to the character.

It is certainly refreshing to see Cruise in such a different role, and it is one which he really gets his teeth into, producing a sociopath contract killer, seemingly with no remorse and no redeeming qualities. He pulls it off with a genuinely sinister edge on the character, and the final half hour is particularly impressive from an acting point of view.

Jamie Foxx however is certainly by no means acted off the screen. His likable cabbie with relaxed attitude to life (well, until he meets Cruise) shows many of the qualities he used to really bring Ray Charles to life later.

The action too is well staged by Michael Mann, in probably his best work since Heat. It is easy to track the action through the relatively simple plot, and the set piece scenes are competently done without being spectacular. A very good above average thriller, but most notable for Cruise's revelation of another string to his acting bow. A superbly acted film.

Max thinks his day is looking up when he gets a beautiful fare who gives him a tip and her business card when she gets out. Resting on his laurels, Max nearly misses his next fare; Vincent, in LA for just one night to close out 5 deals, get signatures and then fly out by 6am and he offers Max a few hundred dollars to taxi him around for the night and then drop him at the airport. Max agrees and takes him to the first stop, only to discover that Vincent's job is actually to kill a list of 5 people and, now that Max has witnessed one killing, Vincent has no choice but to keep him with him.

I loved this film; there is no point in trying to hide that fact, but I am not blind to the problems that it has: too many reviewers have either loved it without exception or overly criticised it. The plot has holes – there, I've said it. The plot relies on some actions that don't ring true and other times rely on coincidences or just write things in to move the plot. However this is not a massive problem because it is still very enjoyable and gripping and its other strengths cover these problems. Of course, even with the holes it is still very enjoyable but demands your patience because, although it is tense, it isn't a roller coaster for the vast majority of the time. It has very fast moments but a lot of it is talky and patient – not a problem for me, but I can see why some multiplexers may have had itchy feet waiting for action. However even with this patience, the film is still very tense – helped by some very sudden moments of violence that come out of nowhere and help put the audience on edge. Much was made in Heat of key moments where opposite characters find common ground and in this film it is the opposite but done to similarly interesting effect. Here Max and Vincent are opposites who get under each others' skins over the course of the night; their relationship is very strange and I think the script does well to bring this across even if it is hard to understand at times (part of this is their relationship getting tied up in some of the plot weaknesses).

A big part of the plot problems being covered is due to the strong direction from Mann, who can shoot a city like nobody else. As others have said, the fly-overs look great but for me the surprise was to see Mann add digital film to his cannon. This allows him to mix very rough, intimate shots with film to bring the audience in closer. I also noticed that he seemed to do very close angles and frames with 'proper' film as well, all increasing the feel of being 'there' and intimately involved. Of course, on top of this we still had Mann's usual shooting of LA at night – fluorescent lighting, empty streets and so on – nothing new but it is still very effective and great to look at. If it weren't for the very heavy cast involved here then Mann would be the main star of the film but, as it is, his direction is just part of the film pulling together to produce the goods.

The cast is impressive and those who have come on the basis of Cruise alone will be surprised to find so many well known faces who are very able. Cruise wants an Oscar and he has done several of the Oscar tricks to get one – his most recent attempt here is to play totally against type. He does it pretty well, making for a convincing cold killer on the surface but still able to reveal an empty core when he is pushed. If he had been allowed to do this more then maybe he would have been more impressive but he isn't and the end result is just a good performance. Of course it doesn't help that Cruise has to play opposite Jamie Foxx delivering one of his most assured performances yet. Based on seeing him in stuff like Booty Call and his own comedy show, I was worried when I saw him due to star in this movie but it turns out that he can act! In fact he dominates the film with a quiet role that runs a gauntlet of emotions while Cruise mostly sits in 'cold killer' mode, meaning that, in most scenes, Foxx is the one we are watching. The support cast is surprisingly deep and the amount of familiar faces makes some moments of violence all the more unexpected. While none of them are really given the time to shine, there are quality turns from Smith, Berg, McGill, Hall, Henley and Ruffalo and it gives the (albeit false) impression of an all-star ensemble; although why Jason Stratham bothered to turn out for the one day of shooting he must have done for the airport scene is beyond me.

Overall this is a very effective film. The atmosphere is just right and is helped by the script, the cast and the director – all combining to provide a patient pace that still manages to be very tense and exciting. Mann's direction is great, mixing film with digital to good effect and Cruise is very good playing against type with a good support cast of well-known faces.

However the genuine surprise of the film is Jamie Foxx; better known for clichéd ethnic comedy roles, he steps up here and just about steals every scene he is in.

For the better part of his career, Tom Cruise has played the All-American good guy. Gleaming eyed and bushy tailed, Cruise has played the roll of the hero in many films and is certainly the richer for it.

Something happened along the way, though. Cruise wanted to be considered a legitimate actor, rather than merely a "movie star." Therefore, we've seen him go against type, successfully (MAGNOLIA), and not so much (THE LAST SAMURAI). It's as if Cruise is the neglected kid in the back of the classroom who knows all of the answers but is never called upon, and therefore will go to desperate ends for attention. "Oh, Oh!! Pick me!!! Pick me!!!"

For me, Cruise hit it this time. His character in COLLATERAL is a menacing study in coldness. It is a thoroughly believable depiction of an utterly ruthless hit-man. It seems, finally, Cruise is actually BAD, rather than merely acting bad. He disdains his usual tricks in favor of a simple and very real performance.

Let us not forget Jamie Foxx. His character's transformation into a hero is rendered all the more effective by how wonderfully Foxx captures his character's initial impotence and bewilderment. It's a wonderfully effective, energetic, and yet very subtle performance.

Special kudos to Michael Mann. He has a very interesting eye when it comes to capturing the city of Los Angeles on film. His vision of L.A. in this film is one of unease and uncertainty, hardly the usual glitz and glamor treatment. This work is always compelling to the eye and paced to keep the action moving ever forward. Each scene has its own logic, contributing to the overall whole. This is first rate film-making.

This is a collision of two lives… All collapsed in the events of one night…

The movie starts with Vincent (Tom Cruise) arriving to L.A., a guy who just looks perfect…

Some people happen to people on purpose, in order to tell them something about their lives…And they sit somewhere and share two or three lines, and they leave, and you know, your life is changed…

When Max (Jamie Foxx) first meets Vincent, it was "who cares? He was a dreamer when he said: "I just saw the woman of my dreams…I'm getting married in my mind right now." Vincent says, "I want you to disconnect so that when you guy do connect, it's like day and night." And continues… "I got five stops to make. Collect signatures, see some friends, and then I got a 6 a.m. out of LAX. Why don't you hang with me?"

It's not until the offering of the money that you see really connect…

"Collateral" projects in a much deeper way into Cruise/Vincent character… He can become very quiet, and we can look at the screen, and we will feel that Cruise is totally in command…He's a quick draw…Vincent is fast…As an assassin, he must be economical in his moves…

The film focused some of the wildness, and what lurks below the surface of L.A. Just the opening shot, when we look at that cab driving out and we see the big paintings on the walls, it was just visual sophistication…

The movie is not an action story… It's a compelling drama with realistic action that works for the story… And it is done for an emotional reason… Cruise gives a dynamic performance as the cold-blooded killer… Foxx is terrific as the honest hearted guy driving a cab for twelve years, and both come together suddenly like a spike in a railroad right here in this point where things were going to change in one night…Jamie Foxx finds himself in the presence of a real adversary in the form of this bumbling cab driver, who has never fired a handgun in his life

Very tense, exciting and epic; it's a very good movie with Tom Cruise; I highly recommend it.