Pretty familiar, but Cruise's charisma carries

Rating: Null/10 (16 August 2004)

Another movie featuring a Zen-like hitman spouting off life theories, another Michael Mann movie featuring non-stop aerial city skyline views with a 80's-style guitar solo droning on in the background. I was practically waiting for Crockett & Tubbs to come save the day, but their suits were already taken by Tom Cruise. Petty criticisms aside, Tom Cruise once again throws so much charisma into a role that you can't help but enjoy a film based on that fact alone. Vincent is a character that we've seen before in dozens of films since Quentin Tarrantino fashioned them as just as much talk as action in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, but Cruise once again proves himself as one of the most talented actors around by pushing past the familiarities of the script and making the character the driving force behind the film. The movie itself could have used a little tweaking, especially the way Vincent, a professional assassin, handled certain situations. I don't see someone who values his own anonymity so much going on a killing spree in a crowded club the way Vincent did. If you want to see a great movie assassin, check out Assassination Tango with Robert Duvall.