All Flash, No Bang

Rating: Null/10 (25 August 2004)

Collateral was disappointing.
Could it really have been directed by the same person did such a great job on 'Heat'? I came away with the feeling that this wasn't the movie Michael Mann set out to make (the script did hint at a much more satisfying conclusion). As the movie's initially intriguing premise slowly degenerated, I could hear the twelve year old son of a studio exec suggesting excitedly, "I know, guys, let's have a car crash / lady-in-distress / creeping about in the dark / chase through the subway / final shoot-out ending, and because we've got Tom Cruise aboard, let's throw in a bit of Mission Impossible."
The movie looked great, but DV is inconsistent in capturing atmosphere. There were times when the 'film' looked as though a piece of video had been edited in and kept breaking the spell of the moment.
Jamie Foxx fought bravely to overcome the implausibilities in the character of Max the cabbie and did battle with some dire lines.
Tom Cruise was Tom Cruise.
And if anyone could explain to me exactly what was going on in the shoot-out at the nightclub, I'd be eternally grateful.