Movie Reviews

Here's one of those movies that kind of slips under your radar, and then completely surprises you when you finally go to see it. You don't hear very much about these films; they don't stick around at the theatres for too long, and in this case, the few TV spots I did see weren't all that captivating.

It's too bad though, because Collateral is one of the best movies I've seen this year. Director Michael Mann has created a tight, intelligent, funny, and exciting crime drama that also happens to have some real emotional weight behind it. In fact, that's also almost exactly how I'd describe another of Mann's films, Heat, also an excellent crime drama.

In Collateral, Tom Cruise takes on an unusual role (and handles it excellently): a bad-ass hit man named Vincent who commandeers a Los Angeles taxi-cab and its driver Max (Jamie Foxx). Vincent's 'assignment' on this particular night involves five hits, and he forces Max to chauffer him around L.A. to each of his targets. It's a great concept, which Mann uses in a wide variety of exciting ways without falling into silliness or unrealistic action.

A standout element of the film is its cinematography, which was done almost entirely with digital cameras. There's a lot of movement in the film (cars, subways, foot-chases, etc.) and Mann's exhilarating camerawork somehow both captures and reflects that energy. There's some excellent music here, as well.

If you liked Heat, you're most likely going to enjoy Collateral too. Regardless, this is a really great film.