great cast, great film

Rating: 9/10 (17 December 2010)

Collateral (2004)
Collateral has a great and captivating story line along with some of the best work by the cast and crew. A hit-man kidnaps a cab driver and makes him drive him around town to make his hits. It seems like a relatively easy plot but somehow it's quite original.
The thing that makes this film work so well is the cast and crew. Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are both at their best. Jamie Foxx was nominated for plenty of awards for his role and I think he really deserved that. His performance is only rivaled by his performance in Ray. Tom Cruise didn't get that much praise for his role but it is personally my favorite performance of his, very intense and real.
Besides the acting you also get, in my opinion, Michael Mann's best directing as well. It might not be his best film but I think the directing stands out more than any other. But what I liked even more than the directing and the acting is the cinematography. It's very dark very similar to The Godfather but even darker, almost like the whole film was done in the shadows, its fantastic.
The film is two hours long and I think that was perfect, it never really draws out or anything, it stays tense and interesting the whole time. My only complaint about the film is the ending. I like the actual ending but the minutes leading up to the final scene seems a little to ridiculous to a point. It doesn't ruin the film, if anything it just makes you say "yeah right"
******Spoiler******
Tom Cruise is chasing Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith through a building, though he's quite a ways behind them and can't see where they go he guesses which way they go and what train they go on. He thinks about which way to go at every turn but is still confident he made the right choice every time and stays ready. I guess it is possible but I don't think it would happen. again it doesn't ruin the film, its just a small complaint.
****End Spoilers*****
I think most people will enjoy this film, especially fans of Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx and Michael Mann, or just action films in general.
9/10