Collateral (2004)

Collateral (2004)
by Corey Poff

“Since when was any of this negotiable?”

When it comes to crime thrillers, Michael Mann's Collateral (rated R for violence and language) is indisputably a must-see. Why? Because by the time the end credits hit, you will have experienced a white-knuckle ride that actually has something thoughtful to say.

Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) is a seasoned L.A. cab driver who reluctantly agrees to chauffeur a man by the name of Vincent (Tom Cruise) around for the entire evening. Max soon figures out this unusual customer is on an even more unusual errand: he's a contract killer planning to eliminate five people in a 10 hour spree. Held hostage and forced to shuttle Vincent in-between hits, Max quickly becomes a prime suspect in the killings. With the clock ticking, he must find a way to save himself as well as Vincent's final victim. 

It's hard for me to look at this film as anything less than a work of art. For while the premise itself is not anything especially new or original, Mann's execution of it is flawless. He takes it, makes it his own, and delivers a masterfully-crafted piece of cinema. To quote Peter Travers, “No crime film in years boasts a cooler vibe than Michael Mann's dazzling Collateral.”

Plotting is especially crucial to a movie like this. Rush things, and the audience will wind up confused and dissatisfied. Drag things out too much, and the audience will lose interest. Fortunately, like the seasoned director he is, Mann steers well clear of these two extremes.

Far from being bored or confused, we're drawn in from the beginning and gripped till the final frame. Tension is built methodically until our heart rate matches that of Max, beat for beat. And while I realize the phrase “edge of your seat” is painfully overused these days, the relentless suspense really did put me on the edge of mine.  I began watching in a reclined position. About 20 minutes in, I was leaning forward on the edge of the couch, enthralled. 

The screenplay - written by Australian Stuart Beattie – is a unique and downright stellar piece of work, alternately delivering thoughtful character studies and raw, refreshingly crisp bursts of action. Equally good are the visuals: cinematographer Dion Beebe (also Australian) brings night-time L.A. to vivid life, making it almost as much a character as Max or Vincent.

Added to these superb elements are the performances of the two leads. Foxx – who garnered an Oscar-nomination for his trouble – brings both subtlety and power to his role as Max. Cruise, despite his “good guy” persona, is amazingly compelling as the film's sociopathic antagonist. He doesn't just play the part of Vincent; he owns it. Completely.

Great aesthetics aside, Collateral also leaves the viewer with a good deal to think about, primarily through the characters of Max and Vincent.

Vincent is a chilling example of a perfectly consistent atheist. After ruthlessly gunning down multiple people during a bloody nightclub shootout, he tells Max, “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... Who notices?”

God notices, of course. But Vincent's worldview rejects God, and consequently, an objective moral standard. And without an objective moral standard, anything goes – even murder.

Then we have Max, a man with big dreams but very little to show for it. He tells customers that  driving a cab is  “only temporary” even though he's been doing it year after year after year. Instead of  working to achieve his larger goals, he's content to let things stay as they are. He doesn't want the risk.

During a heated argument, Vincent draws attention to the pointlessness of this “someday” mentality. “Someday?” he scoffs. “Someday my dream will come? One night you will wake up and discover it never happened... Didn't happen, and it never will, because you were never going to do it anyway. You'll push it into memory and then zone out in your barco lounger, being hypnotized by daytime TV for the rest of your life... What the **** are you still doing driving a cab?”

It's a sharp question, and it jars Max in the midst of his apathy. Ultimately, he realizes his folly, steps up to the plate, and takes action, risking everything he has to save another person's life. Talk about a change of heart.

It would be well nigh impossible to cover all this film has to offer in a single review, so I won't even try. The best thing you can do is to go and see Collateral for yourself - preferably more than once. It's a rough and often violent ride, but it's also a rewarding one; one that will spark plenty of intelligent discussion long after it's over.