Collateral - Film Review

I've been meaning to go back to some of Michael Mann's earlier works for some time now as the thought of having Blackhat be the last Mann film I'd seen left a bad taste in my mouth. I finally got my chance when some friends of mine mentioned they'd never seen this. To be fair, it had been a while for me as well, so I dove on the chance to bring this one back and it hit just as hard as I remembered it would.

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Where You Can Find It: I viewed this one on Amazon Video where it is available for rent/purchase.

General Information 
Collateral is a neo-noir thriller film that was released on 6 August 2004. It was directed and produced by Michael Mann (with Julie Richardson also producing) and written by Stuart Beattie. Music for the film was done by the Emmy and Grammy Award winner, James Newton Howard. Production was done via Parkes/MacDonald Productions and Edge City with DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures distributing. The film won seven major film awards as well as was nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Supporting Actor and Best Film Editing). From a financial point, the film was a fairly great success earning over $220 million (worldwide) with a $65 million budget. Critically, it received generally positive reviews with a 71 Metascore on Metacritic and an 86% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Story
Max (Jamie Foxx) is a neat and soft-spoken taxi driver in Los Angeles that works the nightshift while dreaming of a better life. On one particular night, he picks up the nihilistic and enigmatic Vincent (Tom Cruise) who is visiting the city to see friends. Impressed with Max's perfectionism, Vincent hires Max to be his driver for the rest of the evening. Max is in for quite the payday until he discovers that Vincent is actually a hitman and the friends he's in town to visit are the killer's future victims.

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Vincent is offering top dollar, but it might be more than Max bargained for

One of the awesome qualities of this film's story is it's relatively contained plot. Nearly all of it takes place within the confines of a taxicab while the entire series of events occurs in one night. This level of confinement leaves most of the dialogue to go between just Vincent and Max, which is executed perfectly. There's a deep chemistry between the two characters that develops as the story continues. The contrast is sharp between the two as Max is practically bumbling to the point of where he could be in a comedy, while Vincent is so vile that he occasionally comes off as a horror monster.

Beyond dialogue, the plot manages to defy viewers' expectations on more than one occasion and an ever-growing sense of dread builds as time goes on. There's no telling what will happen to Max by the end of the night, just as it's unclear if Vincent will finish his work on time as both criminals and cops get in his way. One of the issues with many neo-noir films is that the pacing can be pretty slow at times, but Collateral doesn't have this issue as things stay consistent until the build-up to the climax where things to start to rev up.

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By the end of the night, neither Max or Vincent will be the same

I want to get into some directorial touches here as I picked up on some that really stood out to me. One major thing of note is the use of foreshadowing early on in the film that is really interesting to see as it builds up. I would say that Chinatown executes this particular flourish just slightly better, but it's still really cool when it's finally addressed. Another element I noticed was the approach to existentialism that really blossoms as the film progresses on. Max's character growth via his interactions with Vincent is completely organic and brilliantly done. It's a great example of how character interplay can affect a plot and I wish I could see it more often in modern storytelling.

Special Effects/Atmosphere
Just as in Heat, Michael Mann brings the city of Los Angeles to life as its own character. There's a scene near the end where there's a pause in the action and a coyote crosses the road and it's really fascinating to see from a cinematography angle. Interior shots are probably where this film excels at most as most of the shots take place in a taxi. The use of lighting on characters in the cab is especially neat to see as it provides just enough to make each character visible, but doesn't overshow anything either.


Michael Mann has always been great with incorporating music into his films (I'd even say he did a fine job in the abominable Blackhat), and James Newton Howard definitely doesn't disappoint here. The music works perfectly with what's on screen and really adds to the ambience. Jazz is used quite a bit in numerous ways, which harkens back to the neo-noir style the film pursues. A couple of club scenes are just as fascinating to see as the music meshes perfectly with the movements of the characters onscreen.

Something I've always loved about Mann's films is how satisfying his action sequences are. Guns sound and look real in this and the few scenes where characters fight are bone-crunchingly epic to behold. The scene at Club Fever is particularly cool to see and I'd say it's one of the better action scenes I've ever seen Mann pull off. There's nothing like seeing Vincent snap a man's leg in half and it makes me wince every time I see it!

The Acting
Tom Cruise is cast against-type for this, but I would argue that this is the best I've ever seen him. Vincent's nihilistic view of the world and overall callousness is fascinating to behold and it's really incredible seeing him in action in the few set-piece scenes he's in. Cruise gives off an aura of danger throughout the film like seeing a wild wolf in a forest. Seeing him interact with other characters is just as fascinating as that threat of violence is always present, even when he's at his most playful. This interaction is at its peak during the many exchanges between Vincent and Jamie Foxx's Max.

Just as I adored Cruise's performance, I equally applaud Foxx's take on the bumbling Max. With both of the main characters, it's the little things that really sell their performances, and I think that's abundantly true with Foxx. Everything from how Foxx looks at people to how he holds a gun shows just how out of his depth Max really is. Foxx has been in some incredible roles, both before and after this film, but this is probably my favorite of his.

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Everyone brings their A-game in this

In a film that is almost completely set within the confines of a taxicab, one could easily overlook the supporting roles found throughout this. This is most certainly not the case in this as everyone delivers exactly where they need to. Jada Pinkett Smith does an excellent job as the cool and collected prosecutor, while Barry Shabaka Henley delivers an incredible performance as a jazz musician with a dark past. One should also mention Mark Ruffalo's role as the dogged Detective
Fanning who nearly steals the film.

The Best of the Best: The chemistry between Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx is incredible.

The Worst of the Worst: Traffic in L.A. circa-2004

Calhooey Score: 10/10 - Outstanding

Would I Recommend?
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Enjoy the ride

Collateral is a masterpiece that examines the conflict between nihilism and existentialism from within the confines of a Los Angeles taxicab. Michael Mann's direction blends perfectly with topnotch acting and outstanding cinematography. I highly recommend this movie to all adult viewers.
-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------
  • I still find it fascinating that Jason Statham has what is essentially a bit part in this film. This is post Snatch, The Transporter, and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, so I'm curious why he took such a small role.
  • Something I didn't get into in my review, but that I wanted to discuss is the indifference of most of the people in this film's world. Viewers will notice how Detective Weidner (Peter Berg), Special Agent Pedrosa (Bruce McGill), and even the club-goers at Club Fever are all indifferent to the carnage and violence around them. I think this was an intentional direction by Mann to reflect how nihilistic the world is. This same indifference directly conflicts with Detective Fanning's (and later Max's) existentialist efforts to stop Vincent.
  • One of my favorite things about this movie is how Detective Fanning is played up as the real hero of the film, while Max is little more than a reluctant victim until Fanning is unceremoniously killed before the climax. Not only are we treated to seeing Max grow from a reluctant and uncertain victim into a desperate hero, but we also get that upending of expectations in how we thought the story would end.
  • I think one could argue that Max had a bit of plot armor at that final shootout on the train. Although I can see it, I would disagree and more say that Vincent was already off his game when he was hurt in the car wreck and shot in the face. Max was merely lucky since we literally saw him shoot with his eyes closed.
  • I loved that Max continued to point the gun at Vincent despite the fact that it was clearly out of ammunition.
----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------
(1) Listal. (2008, December 20). Collateral film image. Retrieved from: https://www.listal.com/viewimage/435252.
(2) Milwayj. (2019, July 10). Vincent flashing cash gif. Tenor. Retrieved from: https://tenor.com/view/cruise-collateral-dollars-tom-cruise-money-gif-14518641.
(3) Welch-Larson, S. (n.d.). Max and Vincent image. Bright Wall/Dark Room. Retrieved from: https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2021/03/18/collateral-objects-in-motion/.
(4) UltraPixelPerfect. (2013, April 1). Collateral (2004) Coyote Scene 1080p [video]. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX9JNJThhxY.
(5) Lonepine. (2020). Cruise, Foxx, and Henley image. FamousFix. Retrieved from: https://m.famousfix.com/post/collateral-2004-12003850.
(6) Orboloops9. (2018, January 14). Vincent and Max on Train gif. Imgur. Retrieved from: https://imgur.com/gallery/z7hIfzm.

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