I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie was!

Rating: 7/10 (5 August 2004)

I saw 'Collateral' tonight & I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It was entertaining, tightly-wound thriller with several unforeseen twists. There were some highly funny moments where I & other audience members laughed. This isn't a comedy by any means, more like humor breaking up a tense situation or laughing because a character has personality traits or a favorite saying that's funny.
Tom Cruise did his usual solid performance, but Jamie Foxx just hit it right out of the park. He is very talented with a great acting range. I now look forward to seeing the Ray Charles biopic he is starring in soon. The rest of the cast did very well, especially Javier Bardem (bad guy Felix) and Barry 'Shabaka' Henry (jazz musician Danny). The only poor performances, IMHO, were Bruce McGill playing a by-the-book-case-taking-over FBI agent and Peter Berg as the flashy detective who can't be bothered by details that don't add up. They are both usually good performers.
The relationship between Max (Foxx) & Vincent (Cruise) is cerebral & intense. In the inside of the cab, you watch as Vincent spins his web, and Max is compelled (for a variety of different reasons) to do what he asks. In one of the key moments of the film, there is a big confrontation between the two, and I thought, 'It's too early for the big showdown.' That's when the movie 'kicked it up a notch.'
I had read on some sites that the music was too loud & the camera work was too busy, but I found both enjoyable. The movie was shot in a frenetic style that did make me a little motion-sick once or twice!
I definitely recommend this movie!