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| Richard's Movie Reviews |
| Rating : 4 out of 5 Cabs |
| Collateral |
| Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx & Jada Pinkett-Smith Directed by: Michael Mann The Plot Setup in a nutshell: Cab Driver picks up the worst type of passenger that he could ever pick up, a contact killer. And what is worse than that? A Contact Killer that is working and need the Cab Driver to ferry him around. And thus the movie title "Collateral", "accompanying as a secondary fact, activity, or agency but subordinate to a main consideration" or "Of a secondary nature; subordinate: collateral target damage from a bombing run." (* Explanations taken from www.dictionary.com) Review: Rarely does Tom Cruise takes on the role of the baddie here. A hired contact killer that does not share the righteous gentlemanly killers' "code of honors" made famous by Chow Yun Fatt (Killers & the Replacement Killers). Jamie Foxx on the other hand, crossed over from his comedic roles to play the cab driver with the lousiest luck: fetching the killer. Both stars shone in their respective roles. Tom Cruise brought his usual cocky confident mannerism into "Vincent" endearing his character to the audience and amassing support. Jamie Foxx shone as the underdog always dreaming of a better life with the last night of his life staring point blank in his face. Michael Mann, director of films such as "Ali", "Insider" and "Heat" is skillful with crime thrillers. His films often take on a slow-boiled method; taking some time to build up the characters and enabling the audience to feel for them. Using scores of closed up scenes on Vincent and Max, he manages to showcase every emotion and turmoil both are going through. Michael clearly loves the city of LA, using breathtaking cinematography to bring out the indifference of a beautiful city Verdict: Fans of films with assassination plots will like this film. Although the main premise of this film is about a killer going about his round and enlisting the help of a cab driver, the collateral part of the film also touches on the philosophy of life and the dreams we have. So if you are looking for stirring thriller with mortality issues, this is the film for you. This film is also highly recommended for people who enjoy character driven plots and those patient enough to wait for the PLOT to unravel itself slowly. Besides Spider-man 2 & Shrek 2, this film is the third one that I found worth catching on the big screen this year. |
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| Date: 10 Aug 2004 |