A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Michael Mann is one hell of a diverse filmmaker. From his hard-hitting feature film directorial debut “Thief,” starring James Caan, to the supernatural thriller “The Keep,” to Hannibal Lecter’s first big-screen appearance in “Manhunter,” followed by “The Last of the Mohicans,” “Heat,” “The Insider,” “Ali,” “Collateral,” and “Miami Vice,” he never shies away from subject matter and/or classification. Many filmmakers like to stay within the confines of one particular genre because they are good at it but I like how Mr. Mann constantly strives to tackle new topics and narratives that are outside his comfort zone. If more filmmakers took risks like this, we would have much better movies to watch, instead, Hollywood prefers to churn out unoriginal and derivative titles in order to line their pockets over praiseworthy, high-quality features.
With “Collateral,” Tom Cruise plays Vincent, an intimidating, no-nonsense hitman who comes to Los Angeles for one night to eliminate five targets. He hires Max (Jamie Foxx), a taxi driver, to drive him around town and tells him he is trying to close a real estate deal and offers him $600 to take him to the various locations. Initially hesitant, Max accepts the offer but when they reach the first address, after a corpse falls onto Max’s car, it is revealed that Vincent is actually a hitman, and states that there are four more targets he needs to execute before the night is over as they are set to testify against a drug cartel in federal court the next day. Max freaks out, afraid for his life, and tells Vincent he can take the car and that he won’t tell anybody what just happened but Vincent forces him back into the cab and threatens to kill him if he doesn’t finish the job. Target after target, Max gradually begins to regain his composure and slowly gets under Vincent’s skin as he tries to comprehend his mental process and just before they arrive at the last location, he refuses to allow him to kill one more person and turns the tables on him, forcing him onto the streets where Max grew up. Now, for the first time, Vincent finds himself in unfamiliar territory and must track down and kill Max and the last target, if he is to complete his assignment in time.
Every so often, director Michael Mann shoots “Collateral” from an almost documentary perspective, his wide-angle and uninterrupted shots make you feel like you are watching a real hitman and his taxi driver navigate the dangerous streets of L.A. Mann also decided to shoot all of the exterior scenes on HD video, while filming all interior scenes on 35mm film. The reason for this was shooting on HD video meant he was able to make the most of available light in and around the city of Los Angeles. Many of the exterior scenes have a grainy, washed-out look, more akin to a low-budget, independent feature, which is what Mann was aiming for and at times, you forget you are watching a big-budget film starring two of Hollywood’s most prominent movie stars. Both Cruise and Foxx are at the top of their game here, trying to outperform and outmaneuver each other as they go along. Up to this point in his career, Cruise had only ever played the good guy so it made for enthralling cinema to see him play the antihero, a hitman with no conscience who will kill anybody for money. Foxx is equally as impressive but at times, I found myself telling him to grow a pair and stand up to Vincent, which is what he does at the end in a very satisfying albeit contemplative finale. If you’ve never seen “Collateral,” I would highly recommend you do so, watching Cruise and Foxx go at it is worth it alone.
Available on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo December 8th
