Without A Doubt, A Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2010)

Max (Jamie Foxx) is a Los Angeles cab driver with big ideas to start a successful limousine company. A man (Tom Cruise) exits LAX airport after Max drops off a fare (Jada Picket Smith). He tells him his name is Vincent and has Max drive him to an apartment complex. He offers him several hundred dollars to be his driver to four other stops, Max hesitantly accepts.
Max is setting in his cab when suddenly a body lands on his roof. Vincent immediately comes down and they put the cab in the back of the taxi after he reveals himself to be a contract killer, sent to LA to kill five people in one night. He holds Max hostage and forces him to drive him to his other four "stops". The entire time, Max is trying to find a way to save the other targets. In between the hits, Vincent and Max connect and have a lot of character development. There is also an LAPD detective named Fanning (Mark Ruffalo) on their trail.
Collateral is probably the best Michael Mann-directed movie I've seen. He's directed several of my other favorite movies like Heat (1995), Manhunter (1986) and Public Enemies (2009). Collateral is just an intense movie experience.
Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise are actors I am not a big fan of. The performances in this movie surprised me. Tom Cruise is awesome as Vincent (very rare kind of role for him) and Jamie Foxx is probably even better. I honestly always thought Cruise was a terrible actor. Mark Ruffalo was also very good, he is a very underrated actor.
Collateral was also filmed in High Definition. The cinematography is awesome, it has a really dark look to it. I loved it.
The whole movie is intense. You fear for Max's life and also begin to like Vincent. You're not sure who you're rooting for. I'm still not sure which character I like better.
This is one great movie. 10/10