Dark, ruthless and compelling, Mann and Foxx deliver a tale for the history books

Rating: 9/10 (30 April 2015)

Watching Collateral is like having a long, sharp knife dangled by a piece of string, right over your head. That is how tense Michael Mann's icy thriller is. The work put in by the cast and crew is so excellent and in keeping with Mann's direction that he creates one of those few movies that can hook you and not let go until the credits roll.
The premise is simple but superbly effective. Everything blends together without feeling cheap or convenient. There are brilliant lines of dialogue and deep characters. For a fairly routine story, there are thrilling twists and turns throughout. It will keep you guessing all the way through.
The most kudos for the film I feel belongs to cinematographers Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron, and editors Jim Miller and Paul Rubell. They create a clean, sharp shots of early morning LA, and weave them in juxtaposition with Collateral's ruthless violence. Its a technique I loved.
The other kudos for the film belongs with Jaime Foxx. I'm thrilled that he won the Oscar for Ray this same year, because its the only acceptable circumstances for him not winning for this. The best film, without exception, is his scene against Javier Bardem. In one second, he's convincingly playing a nervous cabbie out of his depth. In another, he's pretending to be a ruthless hit-man, and does so with such conviction that he persuades us as much as Bardem.
There's a lingering feeling of dread all throughout Collateral, as I said, like a knife is suspended above your very neck. Now that is master filmmaking.