Mixes well crime, drama and action

Rating: 9/10 (20 June 2016)

Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx is a unique and intelligently well done film by great director Michael Mann. In this hostage story, the script is on thin ice though the actors and writing make it work well, and better than it should have been. The plot requires that Max and Vince stay together, even though it is in Max's best interest to try to get away. Blackmail, extortion, and bribery would all be just contrived enough to ruin a script. Vince is a professional and Max is an expert at driving in L.A. whose life is on the line. The script needs to be at least as smart as both men. Luckily there are no glaring holes in the logic, and Max very nearly manages to get away from Vince on a couple of occasions.
What makes the film great, other than the visuals is of course the acting from the leads Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Rarely has Cruise been the second or co-lead in his films and rarely does he portray a villain, but in Collateral he delivers one of his finest performances. He blatantly steals the film and delivers on every scene he is in. For a film running at 2 hours, it has a great pace and does not feel boring or slow. Right from the beginning, we are engaged and interested in the story and the characters. The ending is not quite as expected but also not too unpredictable, but it is a well delivered ending to a great film.