Cool "Collateral"
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
"Collateral" is an unexpected ride that seemingly
takes you in one direction before surprising you
with a quick turn. It is like one of those
carnival rides where you pile into a 4-seat car
that takes you into a makeshift haunted house.
It's dark inside; things pop up at you, and
you're never quite sure when the ride will end.
Perhaps riding a taxi offers the same kind of
feeling. And in this film, that distinctly
yellow vehicle serves as our ride as we make one
unexpected turn after another.
Now, this film doesn't pander to the
Friday-night, fun-seeking carnival crowd. This
is a skillfully written yarn that requires your
focus, but will reward you for it. If "Harold
and Kumar Go to White Castle" is the kind of
movie that's best seen after midnight and
half-awake, then "Collateral" is its opposite.
This is the kind of film that is best enjoyed
around sunset just as the city starts to awaken.
The film starts off like a spy flick, but the
film isn't that. We meet the seasoned and
confident Vincent (Tom Cruise). He says that
he's in Los Angeles for one night to visit a few
friends and to fulfill a contract, but he's not
really that. He coaxes Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive
him around, and although our cabbie may seem
meek-minded, we learn that he's not really that.
That "Collateral" primarily centers on the
interaction between Vincent and Max for much of
the film is unexpected given that it's
summertime. Essentially, it is one long
conversation that creates a three-dimensional
picture of these two people. Interspersed are
the various stops that Vincent makes throughout
the night which help further defines these two
characters. You may find that refreshing or
boring. However, Tom Cruise excels in this role
as a person who is self-assured and in control of
his situation as he dictates to Max what needs to
be done or as he improvises to remedy a volatile
situation. He reaffirms why he is a bankable
star. But the real surprise is the measured
performance of Jamie Foxx, who most will
associate with silly comedies with silly titles
like "Booty Call". This is the role that he's
been waiting for, In his dramatic supporting
role, he is always convincing as a ordinary taxi
driver who dreams of something better while
realizing that Vincent is not the fare you want
to have.
Yet, the one element that will draw you in is the
realness of this film. Take for instance the
scene in which Vincent is ahead of schedule and
decides to relax by catching a jazz performance.
He is impressed with one of the band members and
they have the kind of conversation that makes you
wish that all your uncles recounted stories like
that jazz player, all your parent's had the
healthy skepticism of Max, and that all your
co-workers were as focused as Vincent. Also real
are the locations in which this was filmed. It
uses real shots of Los Angeles, and at no point
does the film feel like it's being cluttered with
special effects or being shot on an obvious set.
Like being in a martini lounge, it pulses with
energy, it conjures the perfect sunset
atmosphere, and it's as cool as old-school jazz.
Grade: B+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 3 out of 3
========== X-RAMR-ID: 38466 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1310528 X-RT-TitleID: 1134449 X-RT-AuthorID: 1370 X-RT-RatingText: B+
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews