Collateral (2004)

"Collateral"

Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) may just be an LA cabbie but

he dreams of owning his own limo service and escaping

the big city hubbub. That is until, one night, he

picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise), a "real estate

developer" who hires Max to ferry him across the city

to his five scheduled appointments. When the first

comes crashing down on the roof of the taxi, dead, Max

realizes that Vincent is not exactly what he says he

is in "Collateral"

Jamie Foxx plays everyman Max, who has toiled for 12

years behind the wheel of his taxi saving up for the

day when he can start his own business – Island

Limousine Service. Driving at night, because there is

less traffic and better tips, he picks up Annie

Farrell (Jada Pinkett Smith), a federal prosecuting

attorney trying to put a major drug lord behind bars

but who fears that she will fail. Considerate Max

gives her a pep talk and convinces Annie that she can

do it! Attracted to the kind cabbie, she gives him her

card and suggests he call her. Things are looking up

for Max – until his next fare climbs into his cab.

Smooth-talking Vincent asks Max to drive him to his

many appointments that night but the taxi driver

refuses, saying it is against the rules. When his

passenger flashes $600, with the promise of $100 more,

Max can't turn down the offer and they head into Los

Angeles. As Max waits for Vincent to finish his first

appointment he daydreams about the good life, his own

business and a new fancy car when – crash! A body

lands on the cab's roof, smashing the windscreen. Max

learns very quickly that Vincent is something other

than a successful real estate speculator and is forced

to ferry the killer, or die. 

Michael Mann has created a slick and flashy

it-happened-one-night action yarn that keeps its

frenetic tempo moving along as Vincent goes from one

hit to the next with the reluctant Max in firm tow.

The handsome, philosophical hit man goes about his

business efficiently and deadly with his hostage

helpless to do anything but comply or die. As they

traverse LA the body count rises, the FBI get involved

and Max is mistaken, by authorities, as the killer.

It's a very sticky situation for the haggard hack but

Max, in the end, is inspired to act.

"Collateral" is a solid actioner that works for most

of its run time but reverts, in the end, to a damsel

in distress cat-and-mouse game that, while fast-paced

and visually exciting, is little more than a rehashed

"Terminator." The relentless Vincent simply wants to

wrap up his night of mayhem and get the heck out of

Dodge – no matter the cost to others, especially Max.

The finale, unfortunately, slumps into the expected

and loses what edge had been built up for three

quarters of the film. Scripter Stuart Beattie writes

an intriguing, if predictable, night-in-the-life story

that benefits strongly from an everyman performance by

Jamie Foxx and a dead on, chew the scenery supporting

perf by Mr. Cruise.

Foxx, who rose to the top with his electric

performance in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday,"

takes on the role of an ordinary Joe thrust into

extraordinary circumstances. Much of the story is

through Max's eyes as he, first, woos Annie with his

kindness and charm, then fights to survive against the

wily hit man visiting LA to fulfill his five contract

kills for drug kingpin, Felix (Javier Bardem). You can

pretty much guess what's going to happen but Foxx

gives dimension to his portrayal of Max Durocher.

Tom Cruise, on the other hand, does not have to be the

anchor in "Collateral" and, as such, gets away with

murder, literally, in his depiction of a ruthless,

pragmatic killer who is very good at what he does. The

handsome actor gives a tight, physical performance as

a man with a mission who will brook no obstacle to

finish his night's work. I can only imagine that the

megastar had an enormous amount of fun playing a bad

guy for the first time in his long career.

Supporting cast is an embarrassment of underutilized

riches with the likes of Mark Ruffalo as LA police

detective Ray Fanning whose snitch happens to be the

first of Vincent's victims. Jada Pinkett Smith, as the

pretty lawyer endangered by Vincent, is here only as a

plot device and, as such, gets little to do except be

scared and beautiful. Bruce McGill, Peter Berg, Irma

P. Hall and Javier Bardem are also along for the ride

but are definitely passengers, not participants, in

this Michael Mann saga.

As we have come to expect in a film by Michael Mann,

"Collateral" is a slickly done black comedy/drama that

has both murderous mayhem and laughs (often the

uncomfortable kind) to keep you entertained. Techs are

provided by a skilled collection of craftsmen that

give the film an exciting look, from the dynamic

lensing by Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron to the

nighttime scenery of Los Angeles. One scene, the best

in the film, takes place in a huge nightclub, packed

to the rafters with partiers and invaded by Vincent

(with Max forced to tag along) and a slew of heavily

armed cops and FBI agents hunting the killer down.

It's refreshing to see a major star play out of his

usual role, especially for one as big as Tom Cruise,

and let the icon status take a back seat to the

supporting character they portray. It's nice to see

someone as huge as Cruise give the limelight to

someone on the rise, like Foxx. Then again, Mann and

company provide the megastar a role he could really

wrap his arms around. I give "Collateral" a B.

For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com

robin@reelingreviews.com

laura@reelingreviews.com

==========
X-RAMR-ID: 38410
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1303783
X-RT-TitleID: 1134449
X-RT-SourceID: 386
X-RT-AuthorID: 1488
X-RT-RatingText: B