Collateral

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2013)

Collateral is Stuart Beattie's ticket into Hollywood. Originally called 'The Last Domino' and heavily rewritten by both Frank Darabont and Michael Mann, it asks the questions: "So what happens if you're a cab driver and a sociopath gets into the car?" So it goes. The sociopath is played by Tom Cruise and it's a part that he's essentially made for. The guy has the capacity to be both utterly charming and utterly cold at the same time and I think he's probably managed to frighten quite a few people in his life. Jamie Foxx is the cabdriver, and what makes his performance so riveting is his capacity to be down on himself while aspiring higher, to be humbled and humbling, and essentially be a lot like probably you and me. It's the dichotomy between these two convergent personalities that make this film work. The actual storyline, while interesting, is at a loss towards the final third of the film, when it devolves into shoot-em-up bang-bang and the cab driver becomes something other than what his character's been the entire film. Also, the coincidences needed to make this script hum might make you wish you watched less movies. Don't think too much and just enjoy the bits of this film that work, because there are a few of them and they are quite enjoyable.