What happened to plausibility?

Rating: 6/10 (7 August 2004)

Having read a great review in the LA Times about Collateral, I was excited to see this film. Stylistically it is well done and captures the dark "aloneness" of LA. The acting for the most part was also good and very convincing. Where the movie falls apart is in credibility and plausibility. There is nothing more aggravating than watching what would appear to be the makings of a great action/thriller fall apart because of ridiculous "Hollywood" plot conventions. The viewer is able to write off a few implausible quirks in the beginning of this film but by the end, it is just way over the top, especially with Tom Cruise's character jumping on the train at the end. Can't imagine what the director had in mind when he shot this particular scene. While this movie has some great "film noir" moments, in the end it is just another Hollywood "cheesefest".