A claustrophobic sense of urgency in a haunting, noirish, apathetic Los Angeles.

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2005)

Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a hit man who hires a cabbie, Max (Jamie Foxx), to help him do his dirty work in L.A. Cruise is a stone cold killer who is blunt but insightful, and almost likable, if it weren't for the fact that his conversation with you probably means that he's going to shoot you in the face the next minute. Foxx is terrific in his role as a hapless cabbie; he conveys a sense of quiet desperation as he is figuring out how to cope with the predicament he's in. Director Michael Mann borrows a page from "Rear Window" and "The French Connection" to develop a tense and thrilling climax. Mann paces the movie well and creates a claustrophobic sense of urgency in the taxicab and a haunting, noirish, apathetic Los Angeles.