Seeing Collateral as a religious allegory gives it weight.

Rating: Null/10 (7 August 2004)

Collateral is definitely a deliciously stylish and paced piece of cinema entertainment. In my view, that it is also a neatly realized religious allegory adds purpose and meaning to the developments experienced by Max Durocher, the central character. I hope My descriptions don't spoil any suspense elements here.
Popular film history is full of this sort of religious subtext thing, wonderful examples including "The Year of Living Dangerously" and "Deliverance" come immediately to mind as rich enhancements of the filmgoing experience. The Spielberg film "Dual" is a particularly apt example in this case.
In the film "Collateral" we are not presented with a thinly masked retelling of a gospel or biblical tale but slowly absorb a a clever,loose, literally ambiguous development of very common religious themes hard to deny by intention when viewed from just a bit of distance.
Max the cab driver takes great care to clean his car assiduously when beginning his shift. This ablution-like exercise implies a purity in his nature, though his life is far from perfect.
Vincent, the assassin who enters his life is a somewhat inscrutable, all powerful presence throughout his encounter with Max and constantly reminds the cab driver of his failure to fulfill his dreams. Vincent would appear to represent God for the most part in this relationship and his startling ability to accomplish the unexpected and seemingly impossible lends this view much weight.
There is a peculiar and very tense moment in the film when Max Durocher must become Vincent and the echo of the oneship of Christ and God in Western theology is clearly evoked in this part of the film.
One might suppose Vincents (unexpectedly) whitish hair is a halo of sorts or a badge of symbolic purity.
We cant forget that Vincent says (truthfully) "I saved you" to Max and the certain fact that Max awakens resources within himself that can never be erased as a result of his encounter with Cruise's Vincent.
I don't suggest that this allegorical structure is a proselytising exercise but is rather a way to add weight to the obvious progress out of a life adrift which Max Durocher and so many other modern people share.
This film uses very old spiritual themes to add purpose and meaning to a modern dilemma in one life and by implication to show a value for all such lives. If the meaning of Vincent is God one moment and implies something Christlike by the location of his injuries and ultimate destiny in another I'm untroubled by such ambiguities. In modern storytelling the rules float in a poetic fashion but The general progress of this story is quite clear in the allegorical context.
There are plenty of other demonstrations of allegorical parallelism in "Collateral" not least of which is the title. (Christs death is said to be "Collateral" for mans sins.)
Who is Christ, who is man, who is God in this film? It all works out in a rough but compelling logic in a clever dance of action. The allegorical structure makes "Collateral" more than just an improbable wild night's adventure for a randomly chosen fellow. It is a movie with a reason for being and a thoughtfully constructed gift of value and fun for the movie goer. That is saying a lot and I liked it a lot.