Review for Collateral

Rating: Null/10 (13 August 2004)

Note: there are minor spoilers about the premise of the film, nothing more than what is in the Trailer, though.
Collateral is a strong movie that throws the viewer in the midst of a struggle between two powerful character actors playing incredibly developed roles who happen to cross on what is, for both of them, anything but an average business day.
Jamie Foxx plays Max, a 3rd shift Cab driver who says he likes the night shift because the people are more relaxed, the traffic is lighter, and he makes better tips. He's easygoing, but he has a dream of building a business. A dream he's had for a long time. But while Max is a strong, personable guy who works well under pressure, he can't seem to get his dream off the ground. He's just not a self-starter.
Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a lone wolf with a hungry eye who seems to live off the chaos and dynamic nature of his chosen profession - killer. His character seems to draw all of his enjoyment in life out of the white noise of his jobs. Not knowing what will happen next, and having to improvise to the new twists of each moment seems to be his primary motivation and drive.
Tom Cruise hires Max to drive him to a series of five different locations over the course of the evening, with double the money Max would normally make on a given night.
But after the first killing goes wrong and a body has a dramatic, gravity inspired meeting with the top of Max's cab, things start to go wrong.
The film reminds me in many ways of John Woo's Hong Kong classic Killer, and Michael Mann's brilliant Heat, the epic about the LA cop and professional criminal whose paths cross and conflict while their personal lives parallel.
Mann's experience with Heat (both as writer and director) obviously pays off in massive ways in this film.
Max and Cruise are both men with ideas, strong goals, and passion, and Jamie Foxx does a fantastic job of developing a serious case of worry and neuroses over the course of the evening as he struggles to cope with his dangerous new environment. Cruise meanwhile delivers a riveting performance as the professional hit man, both via body language (his movements were obviously trained for the role) and via his dialogue and delivery, which is strong and subtle, and reminiscent of the power and confidence that Al Pacino develops late in The Godfather, but tinged with a thrill seeker's passion for chaos. Jada Pinkett Smith also makes a strong showing as a character in the film, but her scenes seem almost understated compared to the main protagonist(s).
In fact, one of the frustrations of the film is that it is very hard to tell who the protagonist is. Both Foxx and Cruise have such remarkable characters, and the movie intersects their lives so well that it is hard to say that either one or the other is the 'lead' for the film.
The film is visually strong as well, with many beautiful shots of LA at night, all shot in High Definition, which results in lush, vibrant night shots of the city as Max and Vincent travel from location to location.
Seeing the movie in theaters can be awkward, since you'll find yourself (and fellow audience members) laughing at things that are funny, but in retrospect seem horrifying or extreme.
Summary? Collateral is a brilliant film carried by 2 amazing core character actors outstanding performances and one brilliant director guidance.
5 out of 5.