Wow was I impressed! Nice action thriller

Rating: 10/10 (15 December 2004)

I read no reviews and only knew the basic premise of this movie before watching it. But I have to tell you this thing rocked! The more I watched the more I was glued to my seat. I missed it in the theaters and rented it the first night it came out. And I was blown away 10 out of 10 for me, and I rarely give movies a 10.
I like Action thrillers anyway, so this was right up my ally. It was directed by the same guy who made Heat, another one I loved, though this movie more reminded me of Training day, in terms of the dark flow of the movie, as well as other elements. It started a bit slower with some character development, kind of easing you into things, then once things start rocking, they just get better and better heading towards a huge climax. Very good flow / pacing, good dialog, acting and character development as well. Very impressive movie overall! Cruise is awesome in his role as the stone cold killer with a list of people to whack. Foxx plays the cab driving underachiever with big dreams but lacks the conviction to make them happen. Both did an excellent job. Jada & Mark play supporting roles and give a good performance as well. The script, dialog, situations and acting are top notch. The action scenes seem very realistic, no special effects needed in this movie as the realism of the situation was effect enough. The story, is simple (a little Hollywood-ish) but good and is brought to life by the acting, the script, and of course the directing I'd definitely watch this movie again and would recommend it to anyone who likes action, suspense, drama, thriller movies. It's not for the faint of heart though as its dark heart pounding and involves quite a few murders. Definitely not for young children