Reviewed by: Becca & Joe

Directed by: Michael Mann

Produced by: Michael Mann & Walter F. Parkes

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mark Ruffalo, & Peter Berg

Released: August 6th, 2004

Crime/Gangster and Thriller 1 hr. 56 min. Max (Foxx) is a failed comedy writer living in Los Angeles who makes a living as a cab driver. This movie focuses on one very tumultuous day for Max, as he figures out that the fare (Cruise) he's been driving around all day is a contract killer, committing a series of hits. Now, it's up to him to somehow stop the killer from executing the last witness... as well as himself.

If you are looking for a movie with a heavy plot, then this won't be the type of movie for you. This is a fantastic movie with alot of character development, and some very unorthodox action scenes. Much of the fighting was releastic, and there is even a scene where Tom Cruise falls when he jumps over a chair chasing after someone. This is almost unheard of, but shows that even the most confident of "killers" aren't perfect. Jamie Foxx always surprises me whenever I see him in a movie, he is really developing well as an actor. In this movie, I really think he should be nominated. He starts off as a soft spoken man who lets others get away with just about anything, and watches the world pass him by. However, as the movie progresses you can watch him being bolder and bolder as the pressure is put on.

This movie is a definant must see in the theater, however if you don't get a chance to see it, I am sure the at home experience will feel just as action packed. You don't understand why Vincent (Tom Cruise) was hired to do this, it's all about you putting the clues together. Don't expect it to be explained, and that is one of the great things about this movie. It doesn't take baby steps for it's viewers, you either catch it or you don't and then it moves on. The plot isn't really there until the end and it's really hushed over by the fabulous action series, and the serious humor.

I have one thing to say, when I was at the theater I witnessed several parents taking their 8 and under children into this movie. Was probably more children then adult in there, this is a bloody, murderous movie, so parents please, it's not rated R for the pretty colors.

Collateral started like any other film and could have ended up the disaster it should have been (based on the clear-cut final sequence it finished with) but its impressive cast, tense atmosphere, brutal violence, and, more importantly, its austere message make this film the sleeper hit of the summer. The ending is not disappointing in the sense that is flat or uninteresting but rather that if one figures out early on that Jada Pinkett-Smith’s appearance in the film is more then just a mere cameo (if you caught the appearances on the late-night talk shows, this should be a given to you), the way the film wraps-up isn’t all that surprising. But this hardly deters the audience from having an enjoyable experience none the less. The aspect, one that literary wizards will adore, that sets Collateral apart from other thrillers is the Richard III-ish affect it has on the reactions of the audience. Early on, we should be hating Vincent, a man who viciously kills people without any second thought, but the character is ten times more interesting then Max, who comes off as a cautious neat-freak rather then a hero, that we are easily attracted to him and, dare it be said, root for him even though we know deep inside that we should be loathing his actions. Only when the real hero emerges in Max and he finally begins to escape the precarious shell he has kept himself in do we begin to shift our attention to the person that deserves it the most. Collateral’s message, one that is hammered further and further into the minds of movie-goers as the story unfolds, that life should be lived to its fullest and one should take advantage of every minute of every day. This may sound simple and even clichéd but once you’ve seen this film, it’s easier to understand and therefore take to heart once you’ve exit the theater.