Collateral Reviews

I'm definitely not comfortable seeing Tom Cruise in negative character but he was good.

One of the best films by Michael Mann.

Super underrated film. In my opinion, Tom Cruise's best performance. Dialogue could use a lot of work and there was pretty bad editing. Tom Cruise carries this movie. Great and engaging character development. The cinematography is definitely worth mentioning. Great crime movie.

Michael Mann perfectly mixes art and entertainment as a one masterful whole and the result is one of the most experimental and best modern film-noirs made so far. There are so many layers and nuances in this story of a cab-driver who runs into a assassin and gets thrown into a situation where there seems to be no way out.
As a story this might not be as epic as Miami Vice, The Insider or Heat, but that is exactly what makes it so fresh among other Mann's films. Making this more of a battle between two men in a limited space makes it much more psychologically richer than any of his earlier films.
There are many of Mann's trademarks visible here, including the constant use of different shades of colour blue and outstanding use of handheld camera, supported by master lenser Dion Beebe. This was actually the first one of Mann's films that was shot mostly in HD and boy it does look great and groundbreaking. Los Angeles has rarely never seemed so threatening and mysterious as it is here, only David Lynch's dark take on Los Angeles is something that can be compared to Mann's near hellish vision of L.A. It is like a maze made out of skycrapers and nightclubs, a place that never sleeps and where anything is possible. It is a city where nights glow eerily with millions of neon-lights, while industrial-factories lurks somewhere in the horizon, pumping dark pollution clouds to the sky.
One of the Collateral's real revelations will always be the superb performance by Tom Cruise, whose hired assassin is truly one of the most fierce killers in the history of cinema. It most certainly will stand as a career best performance for him. But i'm not saying that the other actors doesn't shine too. Jamie Foxx is a perfect match for Cruise, and Mark Ruffalo gives wonderfully nuanced performance as a detective who gets in the collision course with the suspenseful events.
This is a work of neon-lit art that takes us into a world of Michael Mann. I dare you to see this intense cat and mouse game that is hell of a intriguing film from start to finnish. It is art and suspense in a same pack.

It gave a lot of respect for Jamie Foxx and it was pretty interesting.

One of Tom Cruises best films. Outstanding.

Good cast with a chemistry. Both believable in their roles. Good narrative however I found the end unsatisfactory.

A very well written film that really puts Michael Mann in the spotlight as the director. But it's hard not to notice the brilliance of the script. Everything was pitch-perfect in that aspect. A thrilling ride that just does not stop, and continues to get better and more exciting with each contract completed by a menacing Tom Cruise. This is definitely one of his better roles. Enjoy this suspenseful, tightly-wound script and movie. You won't be disappointed.

I saw this movie really late at night, and how surprised would I be to discover I was watching a really cool and almost flawless movie. Collaterol was tremendously acted, great moral, and awesome plot. Nothing really went wrong until probably the end where I wanted to know what happens to Jamie Foxx now. But other than that small flaw, this is the perfect movie.

A well-casted, well-scripted yarn concerning a taxi cab driver (Jamie Foxx) who picks up the wrong guy (a hitman, played by Tom Cruise) who hires him for the night to drive him around as he offs certain individuals. While there aren't as many action bangs as in Mann's previous work (see "Heat") it certainly is impressive in many aspects, especially capturing the L.A. night scene. The twist at the end of the film is disappointing since it is really very predictable, which weighs the film down to a large extent seeing it ties everything together a bit too neatly. Still probably worth seeing just for the electric performances by both Cruise and Foxx.

Despite rave reviews, I found this to be a film of two halves. The first half of the film was slow, dull and unengaging to say the least. Tom Cruise plays the hitman Vincent who forces an unwitting taxi driver (Jamie Foxx) to drive him to each of the hits. Who is he killing? Who knows. Why is he killing them? Who cares. Michael Mann has made a lackluste effort at trying to apply depth to either character and we're left feeling "so what?"

However, I did say this was a film of two halves. The final 30 minutes turns into a fast paced thriller, drawing the audience out of their slumber and making them pay notice. Tom Cruise is slick throughout but is really put to good use as the cat and mouse chase ensues.

Overall I was dissapointed with Collateral,Its not as clever as it tries to be but people will pretend it is.

"Get with it. Millions of galaxies of hundreds of millions of stars, in a speck on one in a blink. That's us, lost in space. The cop, you, me... Who notices?"

Tom Cruise's best performance since Risky Business (or maybe War of the Worlds). Jamie Foxx doesn't do a performance, as much as an impression of a person who has to workxx and savexx for a livingxx.

High-concept with some good dialogue, but veers into phony existentialism and Die-Hard territory, where everyone else is stupid and clueless except for the everyman-hero, one supporting cop and a psychopath. Ending shots and dialogue are very anticlimactic. High-definition video payday for Michael Mann.

Collateral is one of the best Thriller films from director Michael Mann. Just when you thought Michael Mann's masterwork Heat was the ultimate in thrills, Mann cooks up a new breed of thriller. Tom Cruise delivers one of his most blood chilling performances of his career, and he truly gives his all in this film. The cinematography is excellent and is a high point of this film. A well directed and and acted film, Collateral Follows cab driver Max as he's the unwilling accomplice of Vincent a hitman that has been paid to wipe out key witnesses of a drug cartel. Max becomes collateral as Vincent takes max along for the ride. A high tension thriller; this is quite possibly the greatest Tom Cruise film. I'm a big Michael Mann fan, and when he makes a crime film or Thriller, he really delivers some great on screen. Long after he's gone he'll most likely be remembered for Heat, but Collateral remains a solid piece of work, and is one of his greatest films. To summarize, Collateral is a solid film that will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. This is a film that will please anyone looking for a phenomenal Crime Thriller. A good cast along with a great script combined with Michael Mann's solid directing make Collateral a film that definitely shouldn't be missed.

"Collateral" is my favorite film from Michael Mann (a director whose work is not highly regarded in my book). I do however find this to be a muscular, intense, thrilling, smart and character driven film. Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx have sizzling chemistry and the cinematography is dazzling- I am obsessed with how they shoot and use LA in this film. "Collateral" also has a nice storytelling prowess with how it connects its plot, its characters and its action.

Amazing story! Tom Cruise has never been better!

I have to admit Tom Cruise was a slick, smooth cold blooded killer in this film and I think its his most natural performance to date. An enjoyable performance too by Jamie Foxx and an almost unrecognisable (small) role for Javier Bardem.

Quite an original idea for a hitman film and one that is a exciting watch.

It's not particularly that great of a film, Tom Cruise was just so unbelievably good that it makes it a worthwhile film. He was just a complete 360 from anything I could ever see him in. He changed everything about him from a physical and emotional standpoint. I have no idea why he did not win an academy award for this, maybe he was just too good.

I love the way in which Collateral is filmed but I can't say I thought much of the story or the acting.

Michael Mann and his crime thrillers seem to find a way to stand out among many other films.The story behind Collateral is straight forward and what makes it interesting is the fact that it spans only 1 night. At just under 2 hours, the pacing is moderate and there are only a few times where the movie drags. The characters do keep it entertaining. The beginning does a nice job at building up Jamie Foxx's character and also secretly setting up the story. The rest of the film is all suspense and violence.There are moments where this picture looks as if it is a B-movie. The resolution is a bit grainy at times and some of the camera angles do seem amateurish, however we all know that Michael Mann is behind the scenes making everything work.A contract killer is a bit of a different role for Tom Cruise and, as usual, he pulls it off. Jamie Foxx also delivers a good performance. Mark Ruffalo and Peter Berg's characters go nowhere as they just add a little more diversity to the story. Jada Pinkett Smith and Javier Bardem also have integral roles in the picture.Collateral is not as explosive as action thrillers go, but the story and lead characters keep this one entertaining to the end.

Michael Mann established long before this film that he knew what he was doing as a director. This film is certainly a great reminder though. Loaded with symbolism and subtle, brilliant little touches throughout, Collateral is a gripping and intense modern noir thriller. Both the leads give excellent performances, and it's impossible to decide who shines the most, whether it's Cruise going against type (and succeeding) by playing a col, ruthless villain (and succeeding by not going over the top) or Foxx who proved (before the Oscar win) that he has chops for serious acting, which is why he got a nod for his portrayal of a mild decent man who rises to the occassion (even if it goes against his normal behavior) to stand up and truly do the right thing.

Once again, Mann knows what he's doing. His ability for camera placement (in all of his films) is unreal due to how great it is. The guy just knows where to put the thing. Unlike one blog post I read, I don't care one way or the other about the fact that this was shot on video. It looks great, but then agin, it would have lloked great anyway. However, I think it does add just a little bit more (a tad) in the atmosphere and mood departments. Bottom line: highly recommended...for everything about it.