Excellent

Rating: 7/10 (1 April 2005)

I enjoyed "Collateral" quite a bit. Not that surprising maybe since i consider Michael Mann a very competent, but maybe not that exciting, director.
"Collateral" has a few things going for it. First of all it has a story and script that is original without being revolutionary. Also it's reasonably plausible without becoming dull or too focused on staying true to reality. With this script the movie could have been a decent thriller. However there are two things that lift this movie and make it better than decent. The first of which are the actors, the second the directing.
Tom Cruise is something of a mystery to me. I have trouble standing him when he does his frantic noisy parts, like in "Jerry Maguire". But as soon as he comes to his senses and keeps it down he can be excellent. He is very good in "Collateral", better than i thought he could be in a part like this one. It doesn't feel like familiar Tom Cruise territory to say the least. Still though Tom Cruise is still Tom Cruise and i expect some quality from him. The one who surprised me was Jamie Foxx. I still feel that somewhere along the line i missed something with this guy. One day he was the irritating guy in "Any Given Sunday" or the loser in "Booty Call". Next day he's excellent in movies like this one, and perhaps most notably in "Ray". The chemistry between Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise is perhaps the biggest key to why this movie works.
I also mentioned the direction. There is a sense of style to everything that Michael Mann does. Even if i find him rather dull sometimes i can't deny his talent and his sensitive fingertips. Here the visual style, the music and the pace is mixed in an excellent way. Scenes that could have been pathetic are carried with a steady hand by Mann, all the way through the rather weak ending.
So, what about flaws? This movie is not a ten, so what's wrong with it? Well, for one i DID find the ending to be weak. It just didn't live up to the rest of the movie. Of course i can't really say any more without ruining it for you. But still. Also there is the thing about originality, but that is a minor thing.
So, even though this is not one of the most original movies in recent years i think most people will enjoy it. I found it to be a display of excellent film-making, acting and directing. While a few more elements of chance and surprise would have spiced things up, this is still well worth watching and one of the best thrillers of 2004.
I rate it 7/10.