Hard work that paid off.

Rating: 9/10 (24 January 2005)

Tom Cruise put on a terrific performance. Some may say the ending is cliché, but Cruise is not. At points you think he'll say what you expect him to say, but his character has some tweaks that make him all the much better. Jamie Foxx put in some hard work as well, and showed that he is legit in all kinds of acting. Jada Pinkett Smith fit in nicely, and Michael Mann worked his cinematic magic. The soundtrack was well put together, and the use of bright lights and different colors is really appealing and desirable. It is a movie's movie. It's enjoyable, slow- moving but for the right reasons. The pace is perfect, and the story has some holes but that should not be misleading because the movie is all- around solid. Not all will say it was one of the best of the year, but as far as '04 goes, it is a movie that deserves a viewing.