How Could Such a Good Movie Have Such a Terrible Ending?

Rating: 6/10 (1 April 2016)

At the end of the very forgettable 1984 ski movie, Hot Dog, the protagonists decide to settle their quarrels by competing in a "Chinese Downhill." In one of the movie's few jokes, an Asian companion of the heroes—who has heretofore not uttered a word of English—asks, "What the f#ck is a Chinese Downhill?" Allow me to answer that question. A Chinese Downhill is any movie ending that—lacking any shred of originality, purpose, or reason—simply devolves into a chaotic and completely stupid string of car chases, mindless violence, death, and mayhem. This boring cliché is to be expected of a low-rent mess of a movie like Hot Dog but some viewers expect something a little more sophisticated in big-budget productions, many of which make Hot Dog look like Citizen Kane. A paroxysm of bomb blasts and gunfire is a pretty lousy substitute for good writing; it's not even a substitute for really bad writing.
Collateral has some brilliant moments and a couple of scenes that set it apart from any other action movie. The acting is top-notch all around with Tom Cruise putting in a stellar performance as the frightening and completely believable hit man. The shoot-out in the disco rates up there with the best shoot-outs in movie history, perhaps topped only by the botched bank heist in Mann's Heat. So why does he end the movie with the really stupid coincidence of the cab driver actually knowing one of the victims? The only thing stupider than this coincidence is the final chase scene and totally unbelievable shoot-out on the train. Heat also had a completely stupid ending, if you will remember which ruined what was a really great movie.
So, in review, don't end a movie with a Chinese downhill.