Tom Cruise is excellent... so is Jamie Foxx.

Rating: 8/10 (5 March 2005)

The reason for watching this film should only be Tom Cruise. He is just extraordinary at this against-his-type role. That bronze hair and that steely accent just redefined him as a perfect villain here. You can't get a single bit of that handsome good guy with pretty smile. In "The Last Samurai" he was quite good, but here he is magnificent. And let's not forget Jamie Foxx also. He got an Academy nomination for this and why shouldn't he? Foxx perfectly portrays the simple-minded average-character taxi driver. Tough for him that "Million Dollar Baby" released this year, otherwise he got a fair chance for Supporting Actor too; although I'll argue that Foxx's character wasn't confined to a mere 'supporting' category.
And Michael Mann is a top quality filmmaker. And I think this is better that 'Ali' or 'Heat'. There are several shots of the city L.A. which somehow adds to a totality in the film. I like this style... this calm description of a suspense story. And the music used throughout the film are excellent. Definitely one of the best movies of 2004.