Fearless Writer ... Reviews

THE FILM
The next time you get out of taxi muttering about what a surly bastard he was, ask yourself if you could do the job. Inconsiderate motorists, traffic jams passengers who can’t pay their fare, passengers who are drunk and/or abusive, 12 hour days … it’s a wonder there are any polite cab drivers at all. Max (Foxx) is a rarity among cabbies – not only is he polite, he keeps his vehicle immaculate. He one day dreams of opening his own special limousine service, one that’s so good you don’t want to get out at your destination.

One night Max picks up the attractive Annie (Pinkett-Smith) and he’s charming enough that she offers him her business card. A few moments later he gets another fare – the business-like Vincent (Cruise). Cool and well-dressed, Vincent wants Max to drive him to a few destinations, then drop him off at LA airport. In fact, there’s $600 in it for him if he makes good time. Seems like a nice deal until a body comes flying out of the building Vincent has just entered and lands on Max’s taxi.

Yep, our Vincent is a professional hitman hired to knock off a bunch of witnesses and now Max is forced to chauffer him around at gunpoint until he can find some way to get out of his murderous predicament.

The pandering reviews this movie received suggest many critics have a very short memory. The narrative thrust is as old as filmmaking itself and Collateral doesn’t bring anything new to the table, save for a smooth, dark tone. It tries, through its dialogue, to be philosophical, but for all the characters’ introspection the parting message is that power stems from the barrel of a gun – nothing very insightful there.

As usual Cruise is good without breaking through that metaphysical performance barrier that leads to a Jack Nicholson or Robert DeNiro level of brilliance and Foxx is more than competent. Collateral does manufacture genuine tension and you want to keep watching, but there are also slack periods that some judicious editing would have fixed – the nightclub scene being an obvious example. It’s recommended viewing, but far from the groundbreaking cinema some people seem to think it is.

VERDICT: 3.5/5

ON THE DVD
COMMENTARY Director Michael Mann hasn’t been a big fan of the audio commentary so this is a welcome bolt from the blue. Mann delivers the goods too – providing just as much insight as techno babble. Nice.

MAKING OF Fairly comprehensive piece (though nothing on some of the great making-ofs we’ve seen lately) that covers everything from the actors researching their roles to the film’s well-choreographed stunts.

OTHER EXTRAS A few things worth a gander: "Special Delivery" is a short featurette that has Cruise "going undercover" and not being recognised at a local market, “Shooting on Location” is about filming the scenes in the high-rise at the end of the picture, there’s also a deleted scene, and a piece on the visual effects – which isn’t terribly gripping.