It might be a bold statement, but I think there's a fair chance Michael Mann is the best working director of pure action films. And I'm going to go ahead and make another assertion: Collateral is his best film. While you could certainly make a case for Heat and probably Ali and Last of the Mohicans, I'm going with Collateral as a personal favorite. Does that mean it's the best action movie in the past decade or so? Maybe not. But I'd say it's in the running.
Some critics complained about the film's ending being a little predictable and unwilling to branch out from the Hollywood norm, and I don't think that's an invalid argument. But I think it applies only to the plot. When I consider the characters that are involved in this plot and (especially) the creative, surprisingly low-key way Mann films it, it becomes something completely original. That's just what I think.
The thing that sets Collateral apart from run-of-the-mill action flicks, however, is the complexity of the characters. It's the characters, not the action or special effects, that drive the film's plot and message, and the characters are what keep us invested.
I would say this is Jamie Foxx's best performance (although I haven't yet seen Ray.) Here he plays Max, a Los Angeles cab driver who picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise in one of his best roles), a friendly, self-assured, suit-wearing guy who needs a personal driver for the night, to take him to five different destinations. He pays Max $600 for the job. When it becomes clear that Vincent is being sent to these destinations to kill people he doesn't know (I won't tell you exactly what happens - but it's pretty wild), Max wants out. But Vincent insists they remain a team. He has effective means of persuasion.
The continuing conversation, throughout the film, between Max and Vincent is both philosophically and psychologically revealing. On one side is a polite contract killer with views bordering on nihilism, on the other an honest workingman who is afraid of failure. Each man calls the other out on his flaws at one point or another. Meanwhile, Vincent is killing people from a list he was given, Max is trying to stay alive, and a sort of bastardized friendship is forming between the two.
The way Tom Cruise plays Vincent makes him look like a character from a video game; he moves stiffly and unnaturally, except when he has to move fast to kill or avoid being killed. He and Mann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie have created a phenomenal, dichotomous character. Vincent is clearly the "badguy," but he's not a bad guy. He just wants to do his job. He sees Max as a business associate and is more than willing to be kind to him as long as he cooperates. Problem is, he's also willing to kill him. It's business.
I have noticed a small, intriguing item. At the beginning of the film, Max picks up a lawyer named Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith in an absolutely astounding brief performance) and after he wins an argument about a cab route she asks him if he likes to be the best at his job. I get the feeling this is something he and Vincent have in common. Max wants to be a good driver. Vincent wants to be a good contract killer.
Collateral also features some fantastic action scenes (Mann has this way of making all his gunshots sound so realistic), gritty cinematography that makes the film seem a little more like art than most would expect, plenty of dry humor, and a terrific supporting performance by Mark Ruffalo. If you're looking for an action movie, you really couldn't do much better.
I would say this is Jamie Foxx's best performance (although I haven't yet seen Ray.) Here he plays Max, a Los Angeles cab driver who picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise in one of his best roles), a friendly, self-assured, suit-wearing guy who needs a personal driver for the night, to take him to five different destinations. He pays Max $600 for the job. When it becomes clear that Vincent is being sent to these destinations to kill people he doesn't know (I won't tell you exactly what happens - but it's pretty wild), Max wants out. But Vincent insists they remain a team. He has effective means of persuasion.
The continuing conversation, throughout the film, between Max and Vincent is both philosophically and psychologically revealing. On one side is a polite contract killer with views bordering on nihilism, on the other an honest workingman who is afraid of failure. Each man calls the other out on his flaws at one point or another. Meanwhile, Vincent is killing people from a list he was given, Max is trying to stay alive, and a sort of bastardized friendship is forming between the two.
The way Tom Cruise plays Vincent makes him look like a character from a video game; he moves stiffly and unnaturally, except when he has to move fast to kill or avoid being killed. He and Mann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie have created a phenomenal, dichotomous character. Vincent is clearly the "badguy," but he's not a bad guy. He just wants to do his job. He sees Max as a business associate and is more than willing to be kind to him as long as he cooperates. Problem is, he's also willing to kill him. It's business.
I have noticed a small, intriguing item. At the beginning of the film, Max picks up a lawyer named Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith in an absolutely astounding brief performance) and after he wins an argument about a cab route she asks him if he likes to be the best at his job. I get the feeling this is something he and Vincent have in common. Max wants to be a good driver. Vincent wants to be a good contract killer.
Collateral also features some fantastic action scenes (Mann has this way of making all his gunshots sound so realistic), gritty cinematography that makes the film seem a little more like art than most would expect, plenty of dry humor, and a terrific supporting performance by Mark Ruffalo. If you're looking for an action movie, you really couldn't do much better.
Well done sir. I'll check this out. I've been thinking of seeing it for awhile.
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