#1 Summer flick of '04, perhaps even #1 film of '04

Rating: 8/10 (17 August 2004)

Rarely do I make any comments on here anymore, but this is one movie I MUST comment about...
"Collateral" is such a good film, and for a number of different reasons. This is one of the few movies of the turn of the century where I can truly say that absolutely everything is perfect (perfect is a good term that I fail to OFTEN). Take the acting for example. I've always wondered about Tom Cruise. I thought that he was a mild actor (post-"Collateral"). I thought that he had HUGE talent, but failed to show it in his movies, and therefore he could do more with his characters. But "Collateral" (with the exception of "Jerry Maguire"), has got to be THE best acting I've seen from Tom Cruise. Sure, "Minority Report" and "The Last Samurai" were descent, but the talent hasn't come through until now. And this doesn't apply to only to Tom Cruise...Jada Pinkett Smith and Jamie Foxx, make a remarkable performance. And personally, I think that Foxx is the one that steals this show. This, like Cruise, IS his best performance to date.
Another thing that caught my eye was the cinematography. I thought I read in "American Cinematographer", or somewhere else that Michael Mann decided to use High Definition for this film. Perhaps, I'm jaded; but I think I could tell the difference, and I seemed to like it. Plus, I noticed quite a lot of close-ups...Interesting, yet effective.
I've always been a big fan of scores; and "Collateral" doesn't fail to bring a great sound to this film. Esspecially how they brought back Elliot Goldenthal's theme from "Heat" after hit #3.
And finally the direction...Perhaps I'm bias because I seem to enjoy his previous work; but in my mind, Michael Mann can't seem to fail. His direction is supreme, and it brings a fresh style to the table. I think as Mann continues to do more and more films, people are starting to get an understanding of what a "Mann" style film. Much like the unique style's of directors like Burton, Tarantino, and Gilliam-Mann is coming to his peak in which his style, talent, and capability will give birth to a legacy that will live on throughout film history. And to confirm that that will happen, "Collateral" is projected proof.