Not quite all it's made out to be...

Rating: 6/10 (10 September 2011)

Collateral is an interesting movie in that it made technological leaps in contemporary cinema, but that it is nonetheless only a slightly above average narrative. I think Stuart Beattie did an exceptionally poor job with the script. Some much of the dialogue is unnatural and out of place. I was actually quite surprised to find out after screening the film that Foxx was nominated for an Oscar. I certainly think his performance was good considering what he was working with in the script. The writing took the characters and kept them too contained. The relationship between Vincent and Max was too comfortable. Collateral could have benefited from more tension between the two characters. The film is a near spectacle to observe. The lighting is executed in an unprecedented form with the ELD panels that were placed inside the taxi. I did admire the use of the Los Angeles backdrop, but at the end of the film I felt a noticeable lack of cohesion and unity. The entertainment level of this film was not close enough to where it should have been.