Wow...

Rating: 10/10 (8 August 2004)

When was the last time you witnessed a scene of film violence that came off the screen as being so "real" it almost turned your stomach? I've seen them all and the closest I ever came was Johnny Depp's "killing the cook" scene in Once Upon A Time In Mexico.
That doesn't even begin to hold a candle to one all-too-short sequence in the middle of Michael Mann's masterpiece "Collateral."
Oh, sure, in my opinion "Heat" is a superior film, but when you have the combined forces of Pacino and DeNiro in your arsenal, how could you go wrong? No, "Collateral" nips closely at their heel's. Jaime Foxx and Tom Cruise put on a masterful two man show the commands your attention. You don't want to miss what Cruise's next trick will be...and what Foxx will have to do stay alive in the process.
The plot is simple: Foxx is a cab driver who randomly picks up a fare (Cruise) who turns out to be a hitman cleaning up witnesses in a high profile drug trial. Although reluctant at first, even without the knowledge of the killings, Foxx decides to take on the all-night chauffeur job as a way to make a little extra cash. He quickly realizes he has made a mistake that could possibly kill him.
Cruise's character is masterfully written. He's sly when he needs to be, violent and down-right mean when pushed and has a plan for everything. He knows exactly what the endgame of this night is going to be, even when obstacles are thrown at him...except for one.
Coming from someone who spent the better part of 1986-97 hating the bulk of Cruise's work, ANY praise I can heap on this guy is going to be genuine. Sure, Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise but his silver hair and confident delivery help us to forget the "Jerry Maguires" he's been in the past. In one explosively violent scene Cruise kills two street hoods who try to steal his briefcase containing all the information on his jobs. Without looking, Cruise administers a coup de gras shot on one of them with casual abandon. Never has Cruise looked more vicious than in that exact second.
True praise however should be reserved for Jaime Foxx. This guy exploded on the dramatic scene in Oliver Stone's could-have-been-brilliant "Any Given Sunday" and then perfected his abilities in Michael Mann's biopic "Ali." If the trailers for this year's "Ray", the Ray Charles biopic, are any indication of what's to come, we could be smelling dual Oscar Nominations for this guy. Foxx comes across as a young Samuel L. Jackson/Denzel Washington all rolled into one. He captures the true power of what an actor must do...react. Unfortunately for his character, that's all he can do...with one exception. Foxx's hesitation is the perfect Yin to Cruise confidant Yang. Their interactions are flawless. Watch the scene where Cruise forces Foxx to tell his boss off over the cab radio. It's never under the penalty of death...just one imposing his will over another. The power of peer pressure.
And where's my praise for Michael Mann? Right here: Shooting his beloved L.A. in Digital Video? Brilliant. His casting of Jada Pinkett Smith (an actress I hate) as the lawyer whom Foxx develops a desire for? Outstanding (first movie I have liked her in). His unorthodox framing methods that defy the norm for cinematography? True to form. His usual stock of supporting characters? Exceptional (Peter Berg was an interesting surprise).
But it all comes back to that moment. That one single solitary second of neo-reality filmmaking that made my stomach churn. The moment, like Johnny Depp's executing the cook, where digital video actually makes cinema murder leap off the screen like a snuff film. Be ready for it, it might stop your heart.