COLLATERAL

Cole's Rating: ★★★ ½
Jesse's Rating: ★★★ ½

Director: Michael Mann
Year: 2004
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
MPAA Rating: R

        If there’s anything to be taken from Collateral, it’s that Tom Cruise can play a heck of a “bad guy”. I mean outside of his whole “you’re a jerk” and “glib” thing, the general audience sees Tom Cruise as a “good guy”. Understandably so, too, considering the many films he’s starred in in his life; some examples of his “good guy” characters can be found in Mission Impossible, A Few Good Men, War of the Worlds, and many more. And all performances considered, I can’t decide which one I prefer more. But I’ll tell you what, he sure does make this movie a whole lotta’ fun. Tom Cruise's performance, along with Jamie Foxx and most of the material, highly attract the general audience. And when I say general, I mean general. It has so many different details of it that can be looked at, appreciated, and remembered by any moviegoer with a brain.

        What we have in this vehicle is Jamie Foxx playing a cab driver, who works hard to earn the little things in life that come much easier to Cruise, who plays the criminal that invades Foxx’s cab, and forces him to drive him from destination to destination, all in one long, murderous, and connective night. My personal favorite aspect of this film is Foxx’s gentleness, and how well he plays his role. I was fascinated with his character, obsessed if you will. He was utterly genuine, and the part that got to me the most was when he explained that his job was “temporary”, even though he had been doing it for 12 or so years. When he became stressed out or realized that he wasn’t moving on with his life, he would pull down the overhead flap on the drivers seat, and stare at a six by four picture of a beach; he called it his vacation. I was fascinated with his character because of how delicately he was constructed. The way he unfolded his Jimmy John’s sandwich, the way he couldn’t comprehend Cruise’s ability to kill a man, it all added up to the ideal, good-natured city guy. He’s the guy we all would like to get as a cab driver. I couldn’t think of anybody else better to play this role, too. Foxx has a look of sincerity in his eyes, and it’s evident in Collateral more than ever.

        And Cruise is great too. He’s ferocious, and his modified hair style accents his persona quite well. Experience and knowledge linger in his eyes when he stares his victims down. I’ve talked about the acting so much already because the movie is incredibly simple, and is fueled almost entirely by its performances. Michael Mann didn’t deliver us Heat. He didn’t zoom in on several of his character’s personal and lifelong dilemmas with a microscope, and didn’t entirely flesh out the plot line. But with these characters and the film’s running length, it works. It doesn’t feel long or simple, as much as it is. The only complaint I have about the film’s simplicity is that the ending is all too by-the-book typical. It turns the tables and leaves us with a mixed impression: a well-crafted film, with a dumbed down Hollywood studio type feel. And that’s where the film gets confused; it’s not supposed to end how it did. It’s supposed to end with the magnetic, character-driven brilliance that the rest of the movie had, because otherwise, it’s a pretty darn good movie. I think it’s safe to call Collateral a new term I have invented: a good “cruiser”. It’s a good vehicle because it’s mainly fueled by its performances, one of which is by Tom Cruise.

-Written by Cole Pollyea


Jesse's Thoughts: I liked Collateral a lot. It was fun watching Cruise play the villian. Director Michael Mann sets up some great action scenes and keeps the story moving. But at the end, it's all about Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx's characters. Secret best buddies, searing adversaries, and gun toting renegades, these guys know how to entertain an audience during one wild night in the city of angels.