Michael Mann = Life Insurance

Rating: 8/10 (13 December 2005)

A hit man (Tom Cruise) kidnaps a taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) to use him as his personal chauffeur during several of his "jobs". Jamie Foxx's character will be torn between empathy (the killer is not a bad guy) and rejection (but hey, the boy is quite an unmerciful butcher), and eventually he'll have to make a decision.
Nice mainstream action cinema made but one of the more classy specialist on this kind of stuff, Mr. Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider). A nice script, good tension, and Tom cruise making a good job, which is quite a surprise (he seems to give his best only when playing amoral characters -maybe he identifies more with'em-).
Michael Mann knows exactly what the audience wants, but that doesn't mean he has to make second rate products. Not at all. When it's tome to film a big project with big money, and some stars, Michael is the "mann". Not everything is perfect in "Collateral" though... The character of the girl (Jada Pinckett) is pretty diffuse and forced. One of the best films of the year as far as the commercial movies is concerned.
*My rate: 7.5/10