Tom Cruise as hit-man. ***MINOR SPOILER***

Rating: 9/10 (19 August 2004)

Michael Mann may be one of Hollywood's best, if not somewhat underrated directors; he isn't exactly one of my favorite filmmakers, even though he made "The Last of the Mohicans" in 1992, which is #14 on my all-time best movie list. Tom Cruise isn't the best actor in the world, but with a career spanning well over 20 years and with each role he's taken in his years as a big screen performer, has been more varied and detailed.
With "Collateral" however, two Hollywood wild cards come together to make what is certainly one of the most entertaining and stylishly-crafted action thrillers I've seen in a long time. Add to this equation a popular and talented comedian - Jamie Foxx - and you've got pure gold.
Foxx is no stranger to serious performances despite his stature as a stand-up comic, since he has worked with Mann before, on 2001's "Ali" and earned widespread acclaim with the recent made-for-TV drama "Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story." Here in "Collateral," he plays an innocent cabbie named Max, who makes the unwitting mistake of picking up a cool and casual hit-man named Vincent (Cruise). Vincent has come to Los Angeles to wipe out five people and needs a ride around the city and Max has just the nice enough vehicle for the job.
What we get with "Collateral" is a slick, stylish and intelligent thriller that utilizes the talents of its two leads almost perfectly. Foxx provides a valuable counterpoint of dark comedy and fear, artistically-speaking of course, to Cruise's all-too-savvy Vincent. There is even a romantic interest, provided by Jada Pinkett Smith as Annie, who unknown to Max, is on Vincent's hitlist.
Michael Mann gives us one of his best films in a long time. Tom Cruise gives a truly Oscar-worthy performance as well as Jamie Foxx, who turns in what is probably his most convincing role to date.