A stylish and well acted thriller

Rating: 8/10 (18 December 2016)

Michael Mann's Collateral is not a widely discussed film by any means, but I truly think it should be. Collateral excellently mixes dramatic aspects with thrilling sequences of action, all involving well-acted and developed characters that we can really attach to. Sadly, Collateral falters when our claustrophobic game of "Simon says" opens up and a lot of the tense intimacy is lost.
The acting in Collateral generates a large amount of personality within the film as we gain attached to vulnerable, yet gutsy, Foxx and the brilliantly professional Cruise. The extremely uneasy relationship that these two characters share gives the entire film a sense of urgency as well as a touch of humanity. This being Tom Cruise's first major villainous role, he absolutely kills it. The grey-haired hit-man in which he so elegantly portrays is surprisingly likable. Cruise brings such charisma to a seemingly black and white character, making him easy to like even when he's dropping people left and right. Foxx's performance also compliments Cruise's performance perfectly as we witness his transformation from the film's victim to the film's hero. His actions are believable start-to-finish as many little screenplay details contribute to the character's relatablility. Sadly, supporting characters, such as the agents on Cruise's tail, are not nearly as interesting. While they are decently acted, they aren't really given much to do or say within the story. It is indeed a waste of good Ruffalo.
The story, while simple, feels refreshingly original as the film mixes tense action sequences with intriguing moments of character study. There is always a feeling of tension and intimacy, especially the scenes in which Cruise and Foxx share the cab. Their relationship is not completely friendly, but there is almost a sense of mutual respect between them as they learn more about each other's outlooks on life and their place in the world. The dialogue they share in which they question each other's philosophies is excellently written and sometimes even beautifully encapsulating.
It is in the last half-hour where the biggest flaw with Collateral is realized. In the final 30 minutes of the film, the claustrophobic and brilliantly intimate cab atmosphere is left behind and the film's flow suffers greatly because of this. Once these two characters are separated and allowed the entire city to continue their feud, Collateral slows considerably as we lose a lot of the tension that was constantly building up for the entire movie. It continues to be well acted throughout, but it is noticeably slower paced and not nearly as gripping. After this point, the film slowly starts to lose momentum up until the surprisingly satisfying conclusion. If only Mann found a way to make this final act of the film more involving and as gripping as the rest of Collateral.
Despite the flaws, Collateral is still an excellently acted and endlessly entertaining dramatic thriller. The stylistic and colorful shots of Los Angeles mix brilliantly with the constant taut tension shared between our main characters. Collateral is almost constantly invigorating as it never seems to slow until the final half hour where it sadly takes a steep dive in quality. This can be forgiven though as the film in it's entirety more than makes up for the slow final act. Constantly involving and charismatic, Collateral takes us on a ride that neither I, nor Max, would've expected.