Almost a great film

Rating: Null/10 (24 September 2004)

When LA cab driver Max (Foxx) starts his night shift, he expects it to be just another night amongst all the others. However when Vincent (Cruise) steps into his cab, it turns the night into a dangerous game. Vincent is a hired killer, with 5 jobs to do before the night is out, and Max has just become his personal chauffeur for the night! This simple concept kick-starts the latest film by director Michael Mann (only his fourth film in the past 10 years), and also an intriguing move for Cruise who gets to play a bad guy for once.
Mann is a director who tries to bring life to every shot in his films, and also seeks to get as much realism into each frame as he can. The reports about his attention to detail in the weapon use for the film Heat are all true (he did screen it to marines to see if the cast had 'got the moves right'), and this film is no exception. The camera-work, from the interior cab shots (inclusive of glass partition sometimes obscuring the character talking  a big no-no to some lesser directors), to the off-framing of the speakers in order to capture a small bit of the LA skyline by night. Every scene is beautifully shot by a man who quite obviously has a certain love for the city of Los Angeles, even though he tens to focus on the bad elements in it so much. Indeed, in this film the city itself is as much a character as the stars.
And what stars!
Cruise, as bad guy Vincent, was a risky casting choice. Could Hollywood's Genuine Nice GuyTM actually pull off a flip-side role? Would he be convincing enough? Well, the answer is a big yes! Indeed, so good he is in the role, capturing the essence of the quick-witted, but single minded Vincent, that you actually find yourself rooting for him at times, before quickly realizing that he is supposed to be evil. The character is so well written that you can't help but emote with him at times, and find yourself enthralled by his dialogue. This would be quite flat if not for the surprising star turn of Jamie Foxx in the role of Max, the cabbie. Always support, never lead, Foxx has had quite a varied career, but Mann obviously saw some potential in him on set of Ali (where he played Drew Brown) that he cast him against the Cruise, knowing that he would be able to match the star's screen presence well. This he does, and again we are given a character that you feel for, root for, and really get inside the head of. The limited set up time for the film utilizes the simple art of dialogue to get us to emote with the characters and the situations.
So far so good, but there is a huge flaw in the film. After the initial two thirds of the film has been so well constructed, and engrossing to watch, the script suddenly becomes one huge cliché after another in the final 20 minutes. It is as if the writer, Stuart Beattie, ran out of steam after such great writing, and pulled a Charlie Kaufman to work out how to end the film, asking his imaginary identical twin brother to assist with the script (for those who are confused by this analogy, go watch Adaptation)! Thus the film goes from being well crafted to typical Hollywood, which is a shame as this is the only thing that mars an otherwise excellent film.
Still, this aside, the film is still definitely watchable, and whilst not Mann's best work to date (LA Takedown and Heat far outshine it), it is definitely another bullet in the chamber for the director.