Despite strong performances by Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, the fast-moving Collateral careens to a sadly predictable and contrived conclusion.
By STEVE PERSALL
Published August 5, 2004
[Photo: DreamWorks Pictures]
Tom Cruise as contract killer Vincent takes taxi driver Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) on the ride of his life as Vincent tries to kill five people in a single night in Collateral.
Michael Mann's thriller Collateral operates like a taxicab meter, constantly calculating how fast and far the ride has gone without any concern for where it's going. That simply isn't acceptable when a hefty fare - the price of a movie ticket - must be paid in advance.
Moviegoers get their money's worth for about 90 minutes, before Mann's brand of icy precision gives way to coincidences and improbabilities more suitable for a TV cop drama. Collateral doesn't deserve that after presenting a crackerjack premise, two solid lead performances and the funniest violence this side of Quentin Tarantino. It's a wild ride before Mann merges into the lane so many action films have traveled.
The main attraction here is Tom Cruise playing Vincent, the man with no last name, a coolly efficient contract killer visiting Los Angeles on business. Murdering five people in one night in a big city requires transportation and a smart guide. Vincent sees that potential in Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx), a cabbie with limousine dreams and, as we learn through his first fare (Jada Pinkett Smith), a thoughtful, caring disposition.
Vincent offers Max a few hundred bucks for the night without revealing what kind of business he's doing. Max figures it out when corpse No. 1 crashes through a window onto the roof of his cab. He can drive or die; it makes no difference to Vincent.
This is when Mann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie are working on all cylinders, sketching two interesting characters within tight space and time limitations then pushing them into action. Vincent isn't just a mad dog killer; he's capable of flowery declarations and random acts of kindness. The most memorable murder occurs when we think Vincent's savagery has been soothed by music. Cruise's intensity, his singularity of Vincent's purpose and ability to disguise it with wit, makes for a magnetic performance.
Foxx's role isn't as flashy, but his concentration equals Cruise's. He has us on Max's side from the opening shots, mostly tight closeups catching each awareness of what's happening in the back seat. His voice sounds tired yet hopeful, and Foxx adjusts that tone to fit the escalating danger without going into hysterics. He is rapidly developing into an actor of merit, and it will be interesting to see how he plays the late Ray Charles in Ray later this year.
Two guys in a cab wouldn't keep our interest for long, so Beattie devises a couple of interesting detours. A visit to Max's ailing mother (Irma P. Hall) in a hospital begins humorously and ends with a burst of action. A rest stop at a jazz club - the single best scene in the movie - brings Vincent's motivation and ruthlessness sharply into focus.
The movie's credibility takes a shot when Max is forced to pose as Vincent while meeting a drug lord (Javier Bardem). Until then, everything in Collateral seems possible. One wrong turn can be easily corrected or it can lead to another - which is what happens here. Before long, the identity of Vincent's last victim and the ensuing action mechanics convince us that Collateral is running out of gas.
By then, you notice that Mann's signature style in thriller circumstances - the moody blues and reds, chilled execution and obtrusive music selections - haven't changed since Miami Vice. James Newton Howard's musical score grates on our ears, and it takes two cinematographers (Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron) to capture Mann's initially interesting vision. The one-night scenario keeps everything dark enough for their contrasting hues.
As the style thickens, the plot thins and the actors are relegated to foot chases and gasping for breath. Collateral, for all its Mann-ish qualities, feels like any other run-of-the-thrill potboiler. My advice is to catch Max's cab to Hollywood Boulevard, where you can hop on Sandra Bullock's bus from Speed for a better way to reach the intersection of style and substance.
Collateral
Grade: B
Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Mark Ruffalo, Jada Pinkett Smith, Javier Bardem, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Irma P. Hall, Barry Shabaka Henley
