Enlivened by on-target star performances.

Rating: 7/10 (1 January 2013)

Working from an intriguing screenplay by Stuart Beattie, producer / director Michael Mann offers up a crime thriller with a nice twist, with a dazzling array of Los Angeles locations and cityscapes serving as the backdrop, all of it very well shot by Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron in a hi-def digital format. Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a hit-man from out of town called in to eliminate a quintet of characters. He has easygoing cabbie Max (Jamie Foxx) drive him around, and forces him to become an unwilling "partner" when things start going wrong. And this is where "Collateral" is the strongest, at portraying this antagonistic and yet compelling relationship. As we will see, Vincent is very cold blooded and ruthless when it comes to his trade, but at many turns he works at understanding his new acquaintance and trying to manipulate his life. Try as he might, Max has a very hard time breaking free from this sociopathic creep; they're pretty much bound together for a long and eventful night. This is also that refreshing variety of genre picture where the action supplements the story rather than the other way around. There are some pretty brutal and visceral scenes, but they never take over. The only time that the film ceases to be less than satisfying is when it turns conventional for its last act, turning Max into a hero all alone in his struggle with the bad guy. Still, it's worth noting that Max is not a hero from the beginning: his resolve has to grow as initially he feels impotent and useless. Vincent is also able to see through Max and realize that the cabbie's big dreams of starting up a limousine company may never come to fruition. After all, he may claim his taxi driving job is temporary, but he has been doing it for a dozen years...Foxx's performance is believable, and one is able to sympathize with him. The real surprise here is Cruise, who completely inhabits the role of the killer. You can actually forget you're watching a Cruise performance here; he's that good. The strong supporting cast includes Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Irma P. Hall, and Barry Shabaka Henley, with Javier Bardem contributing a riveting, memorable cameo as a crime lord and Jason Statham appearing fleetingly at the start of the story. In addition, Mann turns the city of L.A. into something of a character itself, taking full advantage of many of its locations. Overall, this is a good, solid diversion, one that really does keep one watching and interested to see how things will develop. It begins in a calm, deliberate fashion, but the tension is soon wound up and the story moves forward faster and faster. Well worth watching for fans of the stars and the director. Seven out of 10.