Think anybody'll notice?

Rating: 9/10 (2 December 2014)

I really appreciate the actors who step out of their box and take roles that are unlike anything they have done before. Tom Cruise here plays a ruthless contract killer who's run in with an everyday cab driver turns out to be much more than what he thought. Cruise, to my knowledge, has never really played the villain. So to see him absolutely kill this role makes me think of the endless possibilities for his future career. Collateral is a near masterpiece in the crime thriller genre. I can even see influences of it in this years Nightcrawler. It is quite simply one of the best crime films of the past decade.
Michael Mann gives us another classic but also presents us with a terrifically well rounded cast. Cruise and Foxx are great as the leads. But Ruffalo and Jada Pinkett Smith are also great. Not to mention the brief but memorable cameos by Statham and Bardem. I loved the dynamic between Cruise and Foxx. Max (Foxx) is just a man who never really went after his dreams while Vincent (Cruise) is just killing people for money but also at the same time wants to be known for something. I really loved the way the film presented these crimes and how Max reacted to them. Most films display murder to a normal person and they shake it off like it was nothing. But Max is truly terrified of Vincent and what he's capable of. They were never truly meant to spend significant time together, but one thing leads to another and we have the most dysfunctional relationship possible. And even Max resents Vincent for what he is doing, there is some sort of mutual respect present here. Max at one point seems to look up to him.
The rides are great and it's interesting watching Cruise seamlessly play this character, but it's the ending this film is worth watching for. It was a great way to be both highly intense but at the same time mostly realistic. There may have been a few times where it seemed unrealistic, but it never took me out of this roller coaster crime thriller. Besides a few misplaced songs this film is exactly what you want from a 2 hour action film.
+Cruise uncharacteristic role
+Foxx displaying his multiple sides
+Dysfunctional relationship
+Ending
-Misplaced music
9.1/10