'Collateral' - Movie Review

[skahound]

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.

[Jibgolly]

as soon as i realised you were explaining the story i stopped reading your post.
Baahhhh !!
heat was incredible, so i'm leaving this one alone til i watch it myself.

[viceroy]

great film, wish more where like this, and not garbage like most.

peace,
Steve

[nbpgt]

as soon as i realised you were explaining the story i stopped reading your post.
Baahhhh !!

yeah i didnt realize either & would rather it unfold 1st hand

[skahound]

I gave nothing away that wasn't already given away in the trailer and various press releases. I am an avid movie-goer and would not stoop to that level as to spoil the plot line for anyone. Please read my review of 'The Village' as evidence.

[peloquin]

i saw manchurian candidate last night, i know there is already a thread on it, so i wont bother saying much (except that it IS awesome)

i still want to see collateral, i just thought it looked cool, i will see it sometime and report back with my unwanted opinion

[asdf_admin]

HEAT is one of my fav movies when it comes to that type of genre. Of course it had a blockbuster crew behind it, and the fact that it is so long the fucking bank scene is just "OMG-JIZZ".

I am not sure what to think of this. It seem like it is a little copy cat of one of his own movies. I will wait to see it on DVD. Thank you.

[el presidente Highsteppa]

My review - from Tribe.ca

Collateral is the newest release from Michael Mann (creator of Miami Vice, director of Manhunter, Heat, Ali and The Insider), where he's turned away from the love letter/tale of triumph theme of Ali and goes back to Los Angeles' crime saga, and somewhat comes off like a mirror opposite of Heat (and I mean that in a good way).

Tom Cruise takes the villian/anti hero route playing Vincent, contract killer who wrangles cabbie Max (played remarkably well by Jamie Foxx - who holds his own very nicely across Cruise and probably delivers the surprise performance of this year), into what is promised to be a night of "real estate deals and visiting friends", but turns out to be a hit list of contract killings ordered by a federally indicted drug lord.

Both leads are great, with Jamie Foxx showing some incredibly suitable acting range, going between desperate panic to resignation to weariness to numbness all in the space of a few seconds. Cruise plays the incredibly calculating Vincent with a tight fuse and demonstrates why he's a top list actor (he spends much of the film in the back seat of a cab, unable to move around too much - he manages to make a lot of his dialogue resonnate considering the fact he's in such confined quarters). And yes, there's a possibility of an Oscar nomination for Cruise as well.

There's also a great supporting cast from Jada Pinkett Smith and Mark Ruffalo, who are bit players, but manage to make the impressions they need to, and make their time onscreen count.

Michael Mann manages to tell a very tight, very slick story which really would probably have results closer to Phone Booth in another director's hands. He chooses to use not one but two cinematographers, and on top of that chooses to shoot most of the film digitally (like 28 Days Later) - which gives the film a stunning, incredibly dramatic look unlike anything else I've seen. Colours have always been a very important theme in Mann's films (just watch Miami Vice or Heat - there's a seriously complex pattern to his use of colour) and the use of digital cameras enhance the punch he manages to convey. Script and dialogue are very tight, offering quite a bit of depth and personality to the characters, but not quite venturing into Tarantino territory.

If there's one problem with this film, it's probably the ending, which is a bit weak because of a few logic flaws and contrivances here and there, and probably could have used a slight tweaking and a rewrite. But the film in itself is very tight and very smartly thought out. It's one of the better films you can see this summer and possibly this year.

[skahound]

I've noticed this film has been one of those love it or hate it type of movies. This movie contains scenes that have been overplayed and overused and really seems to have had very little thought when Mann was penning it. Cruise comes off just the same as he does in 75% of his films despite the fact that in this one he is the antagonist. It's a shame that more people haven't seen this to understand exactly what I mean by a severe casting flaw which like I said gives away the extremely anti-climactic ending within the first 20-30 minutes. Foxx's performance is the ONLY thing that saves this film. I am eagerly awaiting his portrayal as Ray Charles in the upcoming film 'Ray'.

[HoneyBearKelly]

Re:: 'Collateral' - Movie Review

Other than the fact that I too am looking forward to "RAY" Skahound I couldn't agree with you less.
Michael Mann took the buddy movie formula and totally stood it on it's head. And if there's one formula that needed shaking up the buddy movie is certainly it . You might not think that this is a buddy movie but deep down that's essentialy what it is. Cruise plays a sociopath that thankfully goes through the whole movie without being redeemed. Foxx plays a regular guy who also thankfully doesn't get slick just because he's forced to drive this murderer around. To Foxx's character Cruise is just a killer. Cruise's character feels like he's just doing a job.
Good movie if you're tired of the ordinary.
Michael Mann gets out of 4.

[skahound]

Good news is that even though the film made an estimated $24.4 million over the weekend, it's total receipts equal close to $100 million after Bacardi Silver gets through paying for the placement of their advertisement which was gratuitously displayed throughout the duration of this horrible waste of acetate.

[Northern Exposed]

I gave nothing away that wasn't already given away in the trailer and various press releases. I am an avid movie-goer and would not stoop to that level as to spoil the plot line for anyone. Please read my review of 'The Village' as evidence.

The Village was FUCKING TERRIBLE.

I shall ruin it for everyone to save them $$$ it would cost to see it.

1. The creatures in the woods are humans dressed up to scare the villagers and prevent them from exploring the surrounding woods.

2. It is present-day and these colonial dumbshits have isolated themselves from reality in a nature preserve. Yeah M. Night actually expects us to buy the fact that 200 or so people have gone UNNOTICED in a nature preserve. IN 2004! BULLSHIT!

3. The only scary thing is that M. Night Shaymalan actually thought this movie was fit for the big screen. It should have gone straight to video at Wal-Mart for $3.99.

4. The Sixth-Sense will be his greatest movie ever. Too bad for him it was his first and last high-quality film.

5. I was about 20 minutes into this movie when I figured it out. Booooring.

[skahound]

I gave nothing away that wasn't already given away in the trailer and various press releases. I am an avid movie-goer and would not stoop to that level as to spoil the plot line for anyone. Please read my review of 'The Village' as evidence.

The Village was FUCKING TERRIBLE.

I shall ruin it for everyone to save them $$$ it would cost to see it.

1. The creatures in the woods are humans dressed up to scare the villagers and prevent them from exploring the surrounding woods.

2. It is present-day and these colonial dumbshits have isolated themselves from reality in a nature preserve. Yeah M. Night actually expects us to buy the fact that 200 or so people have gone UNNOTICED in a nature preserve. IN 2004! BULLSHIT!

3. The only scary thing is that M. Night Shaymalan actually thought this movie was fit for the big screen. It should have gone straight to video at Wal-Mart for $3.99.

4. The Sixth-Sense will be his greatest movie ever. Too bad for him it was his first and last high-quality film.

5. I was about 20 minutes into this movie when I figured it out. Booooring.

You're a selfish fucking idiot. Because you didn't care for the movie you're going to ruin it for everyone? I hope your dick rots off.

[asdf_admin]

Re:: 'Collateral' - Movie Review

[rewing3]

THis movie bombed at the box office this weekend. I think it is hillarious. Another big budget movie not making shit on opening weekend. So many dumb movies out now who really wants to waste there time to go see it. I personally would rather listen to music before watching a movie or tv.