Good But Far Fetched!

Rating: 7/10 (4 May 2013)

Michael Mann does L.A. better than any director. And, so being intrigued by the city as I am, I enjoy his L.A.-set movies. "Heat," of course, is great! He returns with "Collateral." The complex and fascinating character interactions of "Heat" are here replaced by a fairly routine thriller.
It is good, but demands too much suspension of disbelief. There are just WAY too many coincidence here! You are okay with them for a while, but as the film goes on, it does get to be a bit much.
Otherwise, Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, except with graying hair! Personally, almost whenever I see Tom Cruise, that is who I see. I have a difficult time buying most of his characters. Same goes with some other stars like Ben Affleck or Robert Redford. I do buy Cruise more as a villain than I have John Travolta, someone I also have a tough time buying as the characters he plays.
Mann experimented with early digital cinematography here, and I personally didn't care for it. I get the idea of making the film edgier, etc., but that's about it. Luckily, there's still plenty of the film, on film!
******* (7 Out of 10 Stars)