The Poster

Mann's films are also quintessentially Los Angeles films. Not that they tell the story of LA (no Los Angeles I know is this insanely violent) but rather they are very confident in the way that in the way that they use LA as a both a background and a character. This is not the LA of Access Hollywood and all that other fake bullshit; it's the LA of warehouses and ethnic clubs and empty MTA stations. Los Angeles is not as bustling as some would lead you to believe; it's sprawling and lonely, a city that isn't afraid to disappear.

On its face, Collateral is a rather simple story: Jaime Foxx plays Max, a thoughtful and somewhat intense taxi driver who's just making his rounds as that rare breed that usually doesn't have mush use in the City of Angels. But on this night, not only has he made a connection with a beautiful prosecutor (Jada Pinkett-Smith), he also has a man named Vincent that is willing to rent out the cab at a premium, so that he can run some errands. Needless to say these errands are very naughty, and they're bound to have violent consequences.

Ass Kicking

Cruise is at his best as Vincent, a gray and angry wolf that stalks through the forests of the city searching out his prey and eliminating them by whatever dark means he has at his disposal. I've never particularly liked Cruise outside the confines of cinema - I find him a bit hollow. But it's this hollowness that allows him to be the perfect vessel into which to pour a good amount of angst and complexity. Vincent is on a hair trigger, and his silver mane is the perfect indication that he just doesn't give a shit.

Collateral is a tense drama thriller that really doesn't let up even when there are the inevitable moments of reflection and contemplation that we always get in Mann's movies. As Vincent goes down his list of five people that he must kill, there's an inevitable tension that builds because he's willing to do anything he can in order to complete his tasks. He's definitely a man willing to kill even innocent bystanders if it gets him what he wants.

Collateral is that perfect blend of action and drama along with some great performances by all involved. Even Mark Ruffalo manages to show up and do some great work as a slick detective. Every moment of the movie is exciting and even among moments of contemplation and conversation, there's not a moment that drags.

Movie Grade: A

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