Collateral

Keep in mind…this isn’t a Tom Cruise film but a film by Michael Mann, and that means your attention is going to be kept on the screen from beginning to end. With incredible performances, a slick look, and just enough of an edge to leave a mark on you, Collateral is a film worth the time and the ticket price.

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

August is always a tricky month in the summer onslaught of films. In May, we get the warm-ups like Van Helsing, then come the heavy hitters in June and July, this year’s champ being Spider-Man 2. August is when “the leftovers” bubble up to the surface, the movies that were considered either long shots, too odd for the summer crowd, or the titles that studios were regretting to back. Some forgettable August offerings include The Avengers and Freddy vs. Jason. So when a movie is given the release month of August, many look at it as the kiss of death…

But this summer, we are given a real gem in Michael Mann’s latest film, Collateral.

Max is a cabbie working the mean streets of Los Angeles. He’s got big dreams for running his own limousine company, the taxi driver gig being his way of planning and preparing for the jump from “fare-catcher” to “chauffer to the stars”. His night is off to a really good start as one of his fares is Annie, a Federal Prosecutor boning up for the biggest case of her career. On the trip downtown, Max bonds a bit with her…and even gets her number. Just when he thinks his shift couldn’t get any better, his next fare offers him seven hundred in cash to reserve the cab for the entire evening. Oh yeah, this is going to be a really good night, Max thinks to himself.

Everything changes when a dead body falls on top of his cab. And the cause: his fare. Turns out his smooth-talking, overly-confident fare who calls himself Vincent is a high-priced, uber-intense hitman, and Max is his driver for the evening. Now, what was going to be the best night of Max’s life is becoming the longest…

When you drop the name Michael Mann, many people remember him for being the mind behind Miami Vice, but I associate him with two of my favorite all-time films, Heat and The Insider. Both films are very different. Heat is a look at crime from both sides, and there’s plenty of action to go around. The Insider, a deeper look into the 60 Minutes‘ whistle blower, is three-hours of talking…and you are hanging on every word. When you categorize directors, you have “action film” directors (John McTiernan, Renny Harlin), “comedy” directors (Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman), and “epic film” directors (Steven Spielburg, James Cameron, and now Peter Jackson) to name a few types. Michael Mann is an “actor’s” director. He can take actors who are good and make them great. If he gets his hands on a great actor, hold on to something. You see this in The Insider with Russell Crowe who, at that time, was considered a good actor. He was given his chance to shine in this film. Chistopher Plummer, a terrific actor in his own right, gave a portrayal of Mike Wallace that pissed off a lot of people at CBS…especially the real-life Mike Wallace. And then there’s Al Pacino who gave a phenomenal performance without a single bullet or automatic firearm being discharged. In Heat, the action is merely backdrop to the personal stories of the cops and the robbers all living their lives day-by-day, their paths only crossing id something goes horribly wrong. If you have never seen Heat, rent it. The film is one of the best crime dramas ever, sporting what I consider the greatest scene between two actors. In this case, the two actors are Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro.

Collateral is Michael Mann, once again, doing what he does best. Tom Cruise assumes a role that is hardly the norm for him. In The Last Samurai he is the tortured soul seeking redemption. In Collateral, he is the one doing the torturing and he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about redemption. The “cocky” Cruise that people seem to be turned off by is present here, offset by a cold and (in one hit) cruel ferocity. You can’t help but be impressed by his performance. Jamie Foxx is promising great things to come” with his upcoming performance as Ray Charles in the movie Ray, but if you think Ray is out of his league as a comic actor, watch him in Collateral. He charms you as the wide-eyed, eternal dreamer at the beginning of the film, and you’re feeling for him in his dilemma when Vincent “recruits” him for his evening’s work. This is a breakout performance for Foxx and he works well opposite of Cruise. And while Jada Pinkett-Smith was nothing more than “there” in the Matrix sequels, she does finally show her range as an actress in this film. (As I said before, Michael Mann makes good actors great. With actors who are just “a name”, Mann grants them credibility!)

Collateral does suffer from one moment of complete and utter predictability, but there are enough twists, turns, surprises, and nail-biting moments that overshadow its slight flaw. So while you may not have been keeping an eye on the August offering, you will want to see Collateral. It’s not your typical Tom Cruise film, but it is a typical Michael Mann film…and that is a good thing. A VERY good thing.