Michael Mann enlisted the services of some very talented actors in 'Collateral' but unfortunately their abilities all but go to waste during the telling of this story. The premise of this movie revolves around one night in Los Angeles when Max Derocher (Jamie Foxx), a cab driver with borderline OCD, picks up a gray-haired fare named Vincent (Tom Cruise). Vincent offers Max $600 to bend the rules and hire the car for the evening so that Max can drive Vincent around the city while he makes his rounds. When Vincent's first job goes wrong Max gets sucked in to a situation he can't bail out of. Vincent continues about his nefarious business until his pattern is uncovered and law enforcement begins pursuit. Unfortunately for Max 'Johnny Law' doesn't know that he is just an innocent victim who has been threatened several times to cooperate with Vincent's evil schemes.
Throughout much of this movie it seems as though Vincent's own murderous patterns were more carefully thought out than the story itself. Mann doesn't seem to know where he wants to end up when the credits role and it is quite obvious. This movie was billed as edge-of-your-seat suspense and not until the last 20 or so minutes of the movie did I even become concerned with the characters. There was even a serious casting flaw in this movie that gives away much of the ending within the first 30 minutes.
2 out of 5 for Foxx's acting and semi-suspenseful (overworked) ending. I guess I should have expected this though since the movie was released in early-mid August.
Throughout much of this movie it seems as though Vincent's own murderous patterns were more carefully thought out than the story itself. Mann doesn't seem to know where he wants to end up when the credits role and it is quite obvious. This movie was billed as edge-of-your-seat suspense and not until the last 20 or so minutes of the movie did I even become concerned with the characters. There was even a serious casting flaw in this movie that gives away much of the ending within the first 30 minutes.
2 out of 5 for Foxx's acting and semi-suspenseful (overworked) ending. I guess I should have expected this though since the movie was released in early-mid August.
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