Effective psychological thriller

Rating: 7/10 (30 May 2010)

There's something eerie about driving through Los Angeles in the middle of the night; things are moving and there are people about, but overall the large bustling city is sleeping. No one can capture this feeling like Michael Mann; he did it in his modern crime classic "Heat," and he does it here. This film has the earmarks of a classic thriller: a brilliant script, an expert director, and a couple of nice performances. Unfortunately, the most important role in this film is miscast.
Max (Jamie Foxx) is a nice guy cab driver who would rather help a stressed out fare (Jada Pinkett Smith) get to her destination faster than go her way and get a few extra bucks because it takes longer. However, the stressed out yuppies that he usually has to deal with are going to be the least of his problems. Late one night, a man walks into his cab and tells him that he will pay 600 dollars to have Max drive him to six destinations in one night. But it isn't before long before Max realizes that the man, who calls himself Vincent (Tom Cruise) isn't closing a real estate deal; he's knocking off targets.
For the most part, this is a two-man game of cat-and-mouse between the cold Vincent and the meek Max. It's almost all dialogue and no real action, which would be okay if the film had a better villain. As written, Vincent is a cold, brutal killer. As played by Tom Cruise, he's just Tom Cruise without his famous cheeky grin. Cruise is just not up to the task of playing a conscienceless villain. As the soft-spoken cabbie Max, Jamie Foxx is terrific. His strong performance keeps us interested in this unfolding drama, primarily because it's impossible not to like him.
After "Heat," this is easily Michael Mann's best film. It's stylishly filmed, and it oozes with the after-hours atmosphere. There are moments when it drags slightly, and things can get a little confusing here and there, but Mann is a master craftsman.
Without a doubt I recommend the film. The suspense builds steadily into a heart-pounding (if slightly overdone) ending, and it's almost always interesting. But I just can't help but feel that this movie could have been so much more if someone more able to play a sociopathic killer than Tom Cruise could have played Vincent.