so-so Michael Mann

Rating: 7/10 (29 December 2004)

I was a little disappointed in "Collateral". I don't think it should be on anyone's "top ten" list for '04. Maybe I'm finally tiring of this gender, maybe I'm finally immune to these over-the-top, super-violent movies. It was not plausible from the get-go, and the story took about an hour-and-a-half before I finally became immersed in it's drama. Tom Cruise was impeccable as the cold-blooded killer, and Jamie Foxx did well, but so what....the story was just not inventive enough. Mark Ruffalo continues to amaze me with his chameleon-like screen presence. He's so different from movie-to-movie; I stare in bewilderment, realizing it's the same guy. He's as hot as anyone in Hollywood right now. But alas, in this one, he just isn't given a chance to develop the character, though the role as the only smart cop on the chase begs for a more defining presence written into it.
When compared to an earlier L.A-based drama "Heat", Michael Mann comes up short. "Last of the Mohicans" and "The Insider" were considerably better Mann movies, as well. Better luck next time.
footnote: I liked Denzel Washington's "Man on Fire" a lot better (another over-the-top violence flick), though I doubt it got better reviews. It was a story with a little more meat to it; a plot with some refreshing twists-and-turns to it.