Collateral

Finally, Michael Mann is back to his roots in the crime drama. This is the man who got Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together for the crime epic Heat. And while this film isn't on the same level as that masterful piece of direction, it's in the same league. Tom Cruise plays a hitman with the agenda of taking out key witnesses to a crime in one dusk till dawn play through the streets of L.A. Unwillingly assisting him is Jamie Foxx as the cab driver unlucky enough to get this particular fare. The film is somewhat slow and thoughtful, trying to convince us of the goodness of Foxx's character while also pointing out the humanity of Cruise's character. That's somewhat (if not mostly) unbelievable, and worst of all, transparent. (The method of blatantly telegraphing how the audience is supposed to feel about characters is the worst screenwriting mistake a writer can make, in my book.) There are twists towards the end, and if nothing else Foxx is superb in what could be considered a thankless role, playing next to a high-wattage superstar. Probably the most interesting thing about the film is its grayness. Cruise's character is dressed in silver gray -- sharp, edgy, professional, daring. The lighting is somewhat blurred, creating the effect of grays instead of the sharp blacks and whites you might expect from a film shot at night. I was unaware that it was entirely digitally filmed until after seeing it, and that's a good thing, as it means that digital video is finding a foothold in certain types of films.

year: 2004
length: 120 min.
rating: 3.0
IMDB link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369339/combined