Movie Review

Collateral

Collateral begins with LA cabby Max (Jamie Foxx), a mild mannered guy who dreams of leaving cabs behind and opening up a limousine service. He tells people the life he has now is only temporary, but upon asking him how long he has been driving, his response is ?12 years". Max is your standard dreamer, a smart guy held back by his own self doubts, and his next fare is just the opposite. Vincent (Tom Cruise) has come to LA on "business,? telling Max that he has five quick stops to make before leaving LA in the morning. Max accepts the task of driving him around, but has no idea what he is getting himself into.

Before he knows it, a dead man is landing on the roof of his cab, and Vincent is the one responsible. Vincent is a hit man, who on this very night has been hired to handicap the prosecution's case against a client of his. He does the job he is required to do and doesn't bog himself down with remorse or morality. To him, what he is doing doesn't even seem wrong. These two men are thrown together on a night like any other night, Vincent taking Max hostage and making him help perform these murders with him.

Michael Mann is known mostly to his fans as a director who knows how to use lighting: his darkly lit locations expertly showcase the underworld of LA, adding to the scene by scene suspense that comes from just watching these characters talk to one another. They aren't deep conversations but they inspire thought such as the nature of the unique bond that seems to form between the two characters. There is also the added interest of just how far Max is willing to go to survive the night. In addition to talking to each other, these characters are thrown into other flawlessly written encounters involving Jada Pinkett Smith and Javier Bardem that crackle with good dialogue.

The cast is very good but the real juice comes from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. Cruise plays a deliciously psychotic individual, cold stare, unfeeling, and his gunplay is also very impressive; he shows just how much fun it is playing the villain. And Foxx again proves he has real talent as a dramatic actor. His restrained but desperate performance only adds to this mild mannered character's dilemma.

Collateral is a really entertaining thriller that never lets up and leads to a predictable but still nail-biting conclusion. It's a movie made with skill by talented people, which in this summer is just as needed as mindless explosions and car chases.

Craig's Grade: B+

A	10.9%
B	41.8%
C	31.8%
D	15.3%
F	0.3%