"Collateral"
Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) may just be an LA cabbie but
he dreams of owning his own limo service and escaping
the big city hubbub. That is until, one night, he
picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise), a "real estate
developer" who hires Max to ferry him across the city
to his five scheduled appointments. When the first
comes crashing down on the roof of the taxi, dead, Max
realizes that Vincent is not exactly what he says he
is in "Collateral"
Jamie Foxx plays everyman Max, who has toiled for 12
years behind the wheel of his taxi saving up for the
day when he can start his own business – Island
Limousine Service. Driving at night, because there is
less traffic and better tips, he picks up Annie
Farrell (Jada Pinkett Smith), a federal prosecuting
attorney trying to put a major drug lord behind bars
but who fears that she will fail. Considerate Max
gives her a pep talk and convinces Annie that she can
do it! Attracted to the kind cabbie, she gives him her
card and suggests he call her. Things are looking up
for Max – until his next fare climbs into his cab.
Smooth-talking Vincent asks Max to drive him to his
many appointments that night but the taxi driver
refuses, saying it is against the rules. When his
passenger flashes $600, with the promise of $100 more,
Max can't turn down the offer and they head into Los
Angeles. As Max waits for Vincent to finish his first
appointment he daydreams about the good life, his own
business and a new fancy car when – crash! A body
lands on the cab's roof, smashing the windscreen. Max
learns very quickly that Vincent is something other
than a successful real estate speculator and is forced
to ferry the killer, or die.
Michael Mann has created a slick and flashy
it-happened-one-night action yarn that keeps its
frenetic tempo moving along as Vincent goes from one
hit to the next with the reluctant Max in firm tow.
The handsome, philosophical hit man goes about his
business efficiently and deadly with his hostage
helpless to do anything but comply or die. As they
traverse LA the body count rises, the FBI get involved
and Max is mistaken, by authorities, as the killer.
It's a very sticky situation for the haggard hack but
Max, in the end, is inspired to act.
"Collateral" is a solid actioner that works for most
of its run time but reverts, in the end, to a damsel
in distress cat-and-mouse game that, while fast-paced
and visually exciting, is little more than a rehashed
"Terminator." The relentless Vincent simply wants to
wrap up his night of mayhem and get the heck out of
Dodge – no matter the cost to others, especially Max.
The finale, unfortunately, slumps into the expected
and loses what edge had been built up for three
quarters of the film. Scripter Stuart Beattie writes
an intriguing, if predictable, night-in-the-life story
that benefits strongly from an everyman performance by
Jamie Foxx and a dead on, chew the scenery supporting
perf by Mr. Cruise.
Foxx, who rose to the top with his electric
performance in Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday,"
takes on the role of an ordinary Joe thrust into
extraordinary circumstances. Much of the story is
through Max's eyes as he, first, woos Annie with his
kindness and charm, then fights to survive against the
wily hit man visiting LA to fulfill his five contract
kills for drug kingpin, Felix (Javier Bardem). You can
pretty much guess what's going to happen but Foxx
gives dimension to his portrayal of Max Durocher.
Tom Cruise, on the other hand, does not have to be the
anchor in "Collateral" and, as such, gets away with
murder, literally, in his depiction of a ruthless,
pragmatic killer who is very good at what he does. The
handsome actor gives a tight, physical performance as
a man with a mission who will brook no obstacle to
finish his night's work. I can only imagine that the
megastar had an enormous amount of fun playing a bad
guy for the first time in his long career.
Supporting cast is an embarrassment of underutilized
riches with the likes of Mark Ruffalo as LA police
detective Ray Fanning whose snitch happens to be the
first of Vincent's victims. Jada Pinkett Smith, as the
pretty lawyer endangered by Vincent, is here only as a
plot device and, as such, gets little to do except be
scared and beautiful. Bruce McGill, Peter Berg, Irma
P. Hall and Javier Bardem are also along for the ride
but are definitely passengers, not participants, in
this Michael Mann saga.
As we have come to expect in a film by Michael Mann,
"Collateral" is a slickly done black comedy/drama that
has both murderous mayhem and laughs (often the
uncomfortable kind) to keep you entertained. Techs are
provided by a skilled collection of craftsmen that
give the film an exciting look, from the dynamic
lensing by Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron to the
nighttime scenery of Los Angeles. One scene, the best
in the film, takes place in a huge nightclub, packed
to the rafters with partiers and invaded by Vincent
(with Max forced to tag along) and a slew of heavily
armed cops and FBI agents hunting the killer down.
It's refreshing to see a major star play out of his
usual role, especially for one as big as Tom Cruise,
and let the icon status take a back seat to the
supporting character they portray. It's nice to see
someone as huge as Cruise give the limelight to
someone on the rise, like Foxx. Then again, Mann and
company provide the megastar a role he could really
wrap his arms around. I give "Collateral" a B.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
robin@reelingreviews.com
laura@reelingreviews.com
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