Strong concept, overly complex execution.

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2005)

Upon hearing about the plot of this film I was very excited to see it. Having now finally rented it I understand the general consensus that it is quite disappointing. The overall concept is clever and the two main characters are easily the strong point of the film. The plot revolves around a cab driver who discovers that a passenger is making stops to commit murder for hire. He tries to find a way out of the situation. Concurrently, it seems Michael Mann tirelessly sought ways out of the basic premise in the interest of creating a less boring movie. In the end he sacrifices the purity of the film.
At the core is the conflict of two characters that represent extreme philosophical viewpoints, Vincent the ultimate pessimist, Max the optimist. Somewhere along the way, Mann gets lost in the whodunnit, the police procedural, and the action gunfight showdown that have noting to do with the original brilliant idea.
To his credit, as a result we see some humor and much needed, very clever dialog from Vincent and Max in various scenes. But the rest of the cast provides very little that we truly need. I will go so far as to say that Mann's goal when creating this picture should have been to commit to removing any scene where Vincent nor Max is present.
Nevertheless, the conflict between the main characters triumphs in the end, to the point where you will even feel a bit of favoritism for Vincent just before Max steps up in what should have been the final scene (but unfortunately isn't).