Utter drivel

Rating: 3/10 (30 January 2005)

This movie is unbelievably bad or, rather, supremely believably bad if you consider the current state of Hollywood's formula-driven, star-studded mentality. Tom Cruise (Victor) is a shadow figure hit man who gets into the cab of Jamie Foxx (Max) and takes Max on a journey down the dark side of Los Angeles, drug deals, unfortunate witnesses, damaged childhoods, and {insert the next cliché}. Along the way we have gestures toward character development including a visit to the hospital to visit Max's mother during which it is Victor who undertakes the appropriate filial duties, lest the viewer have little sympathy towards a cold-blooded assassin. But the whole thing devolves into chase scenes, shootings, and strained moments of false profundity. Cruise's character would have to be interesting to pull this off and it's just not.
Cruise's performance is much as you would expect since you've seen it before. Foxx is fine as the morally upright but self-deceiving cabbie and Jada Pinkett is given little to do.
All in all, a waste of time.