Collateral

I'm not exactly a Tom Cruise fan, to put it mildly, but I have to admit he was great in this film and absolutely convincing as Vincent. The theme was basically simple, but the creators made a very decent thriller out of it, which worked for me even after years. I had as much fun as I had back then. I would even increase the rating, if only the creators hadn’t gotten into a fight with logic and had come up with a plausible conclusion. Despite a few quibbles, I was satisfied. (10/24/2020)

An almost perfect thriller that combines the lightness and complexity of independent American cinema with the flawless visual pomp of Hollywood movies. Michael Mann has found an absolutely perfect tone of narration, which is closely connected to a great soundtrack – here he pensively analyzes the insides of the characters, there he dynamically develops action sequences. For a while it’s a clip and for a while a very sensitive and distinctive study of two completely different characters. It is the Cruise-Foxx duo that is the flawless engine of this spectacle - a cynical and Machiavellian killer versus the idealist and the average dreamer. Their mutual chemistry holds the film together even when the spark of the story seems to fade for a while, and their relationship skillfully balances on the black edge of comedy and personal drama. After a more or less calm (perhaps a little too calm) start and a well-paced middle, there comes a dazzling final gradation, which is disrupted only by an overly ostentatious signaled twist. Unfortunately, it can be sensed in the first minutes, but it does not slow down the catharsis of Collateral. The brilliant work of the camera and brilliantly written dialogues and imaginary characters keep this spectacle at an incredible balance, where the delicate psychological game is precisely balanced by adrenaline. Michael Mann has produced a daring work - a captivating thriller with irresistible cynicism, great characters, an overlap to the dehumanized reality of today and the unmistakable atmosphere of a sleeping and non-participating megalopolis. Hats off! (03/29/2006)

The grainy digital camerawork seems inappropriate in a film of such proportions. Authenticity can be achieved in other ways, and this just does not look good on a multiplex screen. Otherwise, however, Michael Mann is still the same skilful filmmaker we can rely on. He is in control of the actors, the suspense, the dynamics, the atmosphere, the build-up of ideas…in short, everything. Jamie Foxx is good and Tom Cruise doesn’t disappoint, though it’s hard to get used to seeing him in a bad-guy role. (10/20/2004)

Great, but too many logical holes in the script separate this film from a five-star rating (Jamie's missed chances to escape, the conversation in the bar about Miles Davis when Foxx listens with interest and pretends like he's not having one of the worst days of his life, the incomprehensible absence of the police at the prosecutor's office...). On the other hand, Mann's confident direction manages to skillfully combine psychological and action elements, the digital camera is a win, and the "face" of the whole film (Los Angeles full of lights, the play of colours) is very impressive and with a good screening the viewer will appreciate it, don't believe the talk about camera noise. Cruise's cool tough guy is believable, yet a little overacting in places and again, he sometimes indulges in his classic grimaces. The star of the film for me is the excellent Jamie Foxx, who impressed me years ago in Stone's Any Given Sunday and I think we will hear a lot about him in the future. (12/30/2004)

Collateral was the first movie I ever saw by Michael Mann and I have to admit, it has me nailed to the seat just like the first time. You see, Michael Mann has an incredible talent to draw the viewer into the plot in an amazing way and Collateral is, without a doubt, one of those movies capable of doing this. Here it’s not just about the fates of two completely different people meeting, but it’s also about a strange game of coincidence that is portrayed in this movie with amazing precision and forces you to notice it, even if you didn’t want to. The acting performances (both main roles and supporting actors) are excellent as they tend to be with Mann. Tom Cruise actually started to interest me properly as an actor just after watching Collateral, where he gave a perfect portrayal of a killer with sort of a twisted sense of right and wrong (I doubt anyone expected Cruise in this role). Jamie Foxx isn’t bad either, but I had a feeling that he couldn’t get into his role the way Tom Cruise managed to. Plus, this picture is special for being one of the first time that a digital camera was used to such an extent. It was strange at first, but I got used to it quite quickly, because some of the breathtaking shots (mainly those in the dark building at the end of the movie, when the only light in the scene comes from the skyscrapers around and the street lighting several floors below) wouldn’t be possible to film any other way. I mustn’t forget to praise the excellent music that paints the final touches to the movie’s amazing atmosphere, and that goes for the instrumental background music by Newton Howard, and the music of the other interpreters. And what get stuck in my mind the most? Probably the last shot of the departing subway train, portraying the transience and futility of mankind. (08/16/2006)