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After the biopic double-header of The Insider and Ali, Michael Mann was all set to direct his third in a row: The Aviator. Then he apparently had a change of heart and decided to return to the world of fiction, and more specifically, his most celebrated genre, the crime thriller. This series of events turned out well for the movie-going public, because it meant we got Martin Scorsese's impressive version of The Aviator and Michael Mann's taut, engrossing Collateral.
The main reason Collateral was noticed by most was not Mann's name (despite his critically acclaimed track record he's never been hugely commercial or well known to non-cinephiles) but rather Tom Cruise's casting as Vincent, the villain. The casting of such a huge star pays off handsomely, with the silver-haired Cruise grabbing the viewer's attention simply because we've never seen him like this before in both appearance and attitude. It's quite a rare opportunity to see him outside of a big blockbuster, but his portrayal of a hitman's cold detachment and ruthlessness combined with likeability proves that he can still put in a strong performance if given a suitable challenge. Cruise's good guy foil is Max, an unlucky Los Angeles taxi driver forced to shuttle him from hit to hit. Mann had wanted the role to be played by Robert De Niro, returning to the same profession that made his name in 1976. While De Niro passed, his replacement is no letdown. A pre-Oscar win Jamie Foxx is simply superb (he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this film the same year that he won Best Actor for Ray) and actually manages to outshine his onscreen tormentor, investing Max with humanity and nuance.
The storyline of the film is lean and straightforward, so much so that it does feel that the middle is slightly padded to stretch out the running time. Nevertheless the inevitable forward momentum provided by the premise draws you in and keeps you on tenterhooks throughout. Some of the set-pieces are classic Michael Mann, especially a typically well-staged nightclub shootout. Many identify the third act as the film's weak spot, as in this section a couple of convenient coincidences occur and it suddenly starts to feel like a standard action thriller, with Cruise becoming implausibly unstoppable. The script also falls back on some clichés that it had managed to avoid until this point (for example, a mobile phone's battery runs out at the most inopportune moment). I can see why some may dislike the sequence but in my view it's entertaining and suspenseful enough that it succeeds, with Mann making great use of the digital camera technology to shoot in some extremely low light situations. The intimate character-based moment that ends the film is a fitting way to finish, an unnecessary epilogue thankfully absent.
The extras
The digitally-shot picture is tailor made for DVD, and it shines. On Disc 1 the film is accompanied by a dry but informative yak track from the director. The main feature on the second disc is the 40-minute "City of Night: The Making of Collateral", which provides a suitably thorough look at the production. What really comes across in the documentary is Mann's incredible (and perhaps over the top) perfectionism, which results in huge amounts of takes, like Stanley Kubrick was famous for. It may be an exaggeration, but at one point actor Mark Ruffalo recalls an innocuous little shot requiring 75 takes. There's one deleted scene (with optional commentary) which doesn't really add anything but shows off the LA locations a bit more. The rest of the extras comprise a few short featurettes, the longest being just over four minutes, providing a glimpse at things like actors rehearsing. There are five short and easy to find easter eggs too. In terms of running time the extras aren't hugely substantial but I felt satisfied with the amount of content.
The summary
All of the director's trademarks are present in Collateral: top-notch central performances, gritty and realistic action, great soundtrack and superb use of locations. As you'd expect from Mann, it's an intelligent mainstream film.
