Collateral poster & wallpaper

Barry Shabaka Henley, Bodhi Elfman, Bruce McGill

Max has lived a mundane life as a cab driver for twelve years. The faces have come and gone from his rear-view mirror: people and places he's long since forgotten--until tonight. Vincent is a contract...( read more  read more... ) killer. When an offshore narco-trafficking cartel learns that they're about to be indicted by a federal grand jury, they mount an operation to identify and kill the key witness, and the last stage is tonight. It is on this very night that Vincent has arrived--and five bodies are supposed to fall. Circumstances cause Vincent to hijack Max' taxicab, and Max becomes collateral--an expendable person who's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Through the night, Vincent forces Max to drive him to each assigned destination. And as the L.A.P.D. and F.B.I. race to intercept them, Max and Vincent's survival become dependent on each other, in ways neither would have imagined.

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79% liked it

198,310 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

221 critics

R, 1 hr. 56 min.

Directed by: Michael Mann

Release Date: August 6, 2004

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DVD Release Date: December 14, 2004

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Stats: 15,168 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (15,168)

  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    I love the way in which Collateral is filmed but I can't say I thought much of the story or the acting.
  • DrZeek
    April 20, 2009
    DrZeek
    Vincent: Okay, look, here's the deal. Man, you were gonna drive me around tonight, never be the wiser, but El Gordo got in front of a window, did his high dive, we're into Plan B. Still breathing? Now we gotta make the best of it, improvise, adapt to the environment, Darwin, shit...( read more) happens, I Ching, whatever man, we gotta roll with it.

    A unique story, with a solid cast, made even better by Mann's direction and use of digital cameras to capture Los Angeles at night.

    Jamie Foxx stars as Max, a simple cab driver. He starts off his shift pretty well, meeting an attractive D.A., played by Jada Pinkett Smith, and striking up some chemistry, but his next fare proves to be a little more to handle.

    Max: Hey.
    [stuttering]
    Max: He, he, he fell on the cab. He fell, he fell from up there on the motherfucking cab. Shit. I think he's dead.
    Vincent: Good guess.
    Max: You killed him?
    Vincent: No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him.

    Enter Tom Cruise as Vincent. He plays a hitman who essentially abducts Max and forces him to escort him around LA, helping him get to each target he has for the night.

    As the bodies start to pile up, more characters including a cop played by Mark Ruffalo and Vincent's employer played by Javier Bardem come into play and get involved in this taxi cabs affairs.

    While this movie is definitely in the thriller genre, it is certainly a good character film with some interesting drama as well as a good sense of humor. The more I watch this, the more I see the various elements that make up the main characters and how these aspects are slowly revealed over the course of the film, reflecting themes of the film through the two leads.

    Max: First time in L.A.?
    Vincent: No. Tell you the truth, whenever I'm here I can't wait to leave. It's too sprawled out, disconnected. You know? That's me. You like it?
    Max: It's my home.
    Vincent: 17 million people. This is got to be the fifth biggest economy in the world and nobody knows each other. I read about this guy who gets on the MTA here, dies.
    Max: Oh.
    Vincent: Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices his corpse doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him. Nobody notices.

    Foxx and Cruise are very good together here. Foxx downplays his character to make you care for him as well as go along with his point of view of a man trapped in an impossible situation. At the same time you have Cruise being cooler than ever as a man locked into his work and maintaining a certain attitude that fits his surroundings.

    Vincent: There's no good reason, there's no bad reason to live or to die.
    Max: Then what are you?
    Vincent: I'm indifferent.

    The majority of the film is shot with a digital camera giving this thriller a very unique look, especially in portraying LA at night, something Mann is very good at doing. It is a Michael Mann film, which means that not only does the movie look good, but it has a pretty cool vibe throughout, complete with well handled action, good performances, and a good soundtrack/score that blends the different flavors of LA culture.

    While the end of this film falters a bit by way of giving in to a cat and mouse game, Cruise, Foxx and Mann all make this a film that functions very well and delivers on its neat premise.

    Max: Why didn't you just kill me and get another cab driver?
    Vincent: Cause you're good. We're in this together. Fates intertwined. Cosmic Coincidence. Whatever.
  • MovieGeek13
    March 19, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    Suffers from a lacklustre ending.
  • thmtsang
    February 16, 2009
    thmtsang
    An unusual choice of role for Tom Cruise - a ruthless hitman who hijacks a cab and forces the driver (Fox) to take him on a killing spree through the night. The last scenes in the nightclub are a bit over the top but overall a gripping thriller that pushes everyone to the edge. G...( read more)reat cast and storyline.
  • SarahG1988
    February 15, 2009
    SarahG1988
    RE-REVIEW

    Recently re-watched Michael Mann's film on television the other night and certainly changed my view about it.

    Collateral has all the makings of being a truely great film. With an incredibly well lit backdrop of the city and some great performances from Tom...( read more) Cruise and an Oscar nominated performance from Jamie Foxx, the film starts off superbly. Some great direction and a great screenplay all make for a great first part of the film. For instance the club scene in which the police catch up with him, is just excelent to watch an very suspensful. However what stops the film from being a 5 star film, which it is almost there at that stage, is the last 50 mins or so which don't seem that well constructed. It doesn't seem as well paced as the first half of the film and feels a little disappointing and is a little predictable.

    Tom Cruise is probably is one of his greatest roles for me who seems to play a villian far better than a hero. Worth looking out for his ever-changing facial expressions in the film that create a menancing character. Jamie Foxx is pretty good also, but perhaps for me not Oscar worthy.

    Overall, Collateral is an excellent film but one which is setback from being a masterpiece from the ending. One that gets better after repeat viewings. Worth watching to see Tom Cruise as a villian.

    Highly recomended

    8/10
  • sweetheartbeat
    November 7, 2009
    sweetheartbeat
    i don't like tom cruise, but this movie was great
  • kwalesby
    November 6, 2009
    kwalesby
    As with 'Heat', Mann creates a world in which two opposite worlds collide in a spectacular eruption of violence.

    On one side, the methodical plan-man quietly working towards achieving his goals; on the other, an impatient, instinct-driven, planless-man who also has a number o...( read more)f goals to achieve, albeit in a more limited time.

    The action is fantastic (as expected in a Michael Mann film), and the dialogue is sharp and quite philiosophical.

    We see the characters evolve and come to understand, if not accept, and learn from each other, something which is neatly confirmed in the climatic shootout.
  • ichisp
    November 5, 2009
    ichisp
    Hate to say it but Tom once again kills it.
  • formerwowaddic
    November 3, 2009
    formerwowaddic
    not a bad movie, but i hate the way it was filmed, damn camera movements
  • lopcar1993
    October 24, 2009
    lopcar1993
    Action films I'm always hesitant to see due to the fact that they can't balance out the story and the big sweeping action sequences in it.(Transformers and it's sequel comes to mind.) But now I've finally found another film, besides Die Hard, that perfectly balances story, act...( read more)ion, and character development to the point of absolute perfection.



    I first heard of Collateral when it was recommended to me by a friend, seeing as none of my friends have good taste in films I wanted to pass it up. Well I'm now happy to say I'm glad I didn't. It was everything that action films today should be: taunt, suspenseful, extraordinarily smart, well thought out. Need I continue? Michael Mann(Who is the man! no pun intended. ) Crafts an ingenious little machine that creeps along at first very slow and then kicks it into full gear to blow your minds out in the end. It's bold and refreshing and is something amazing to watch unfold on screen as the cat and dog fight between Cruise and Foxx heats up. But none the less this is a brilliant film that is an amazing visual treat for the eyes and the senses.




    Tom Cruise(who gives another staggering and mind blowing performance.) plays a hit man like you've never seen before, he plays one with a conscience it is something truly amazing and breath taking to watch the way his character works on screen the ruthless way he kills without a seconds hesitation and then out of nowhere show's emotion for one of his kills, it's amazing and something to admire. Jamie Foxx(Who also delivers a fantastic performance here.) plays the cabby who has to drive around Cruise's character while he systematically whacks people. Foxx's performance is crucial and is in many ways, a contrast to Cruise's character and the way they almost become friends in a weird way is another fascinating thing to watch play out on screen. But all in all the two main leads and the rest of the cast hold up sturdy and strong in this brilliant film.



    Collateral is very complex in the way it portrays the relationship of the two main character's is played out so beautifully. The whole film is beautiful it's an amazing and monumental achievement in film making and is one of Cruise's and Foxx's best films to date. It's great fun to watch and see unfold in front of you and is shocking and heart breaking at the same time. All in all this is one hit you want to be in on.

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Critic Reviews

May 3, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

Enjoyably unbelievable. full review

August 7, 2004
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

After that promising start, Collateral ratchets down, gradually, to being only average. full review

August 6, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

A crime drama made with immense skill. full review

August 6, 2004
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It's straight-up entertainment, not something to see and then talk about a month later, but definitely something to enjoy. full review

August 6, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is a rare thriller that's as much character study as sound and fury. full review

August 6, 2004
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Reminiscent of the orchestrated mayhem of vintage John Woo, this is showpiece kinetic filmmaking. full review

August 5, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

It's too bad that halfway through, Collateral turns into a series of loud, chaotic, over-the-top action set pieces in which the existentialist Mann proves he's lousy at action. full review

August 5, 2004
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

Well-cast and well-acted, top to bottom. full review

August 5, 2004
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Mann hits a new peak, orchestrating action, atmosphere and bruising humor with a poet's eye for urban darkness. full review

August 4, 2004
Edward Havens, FilmJerk.com

Michael Mann is to cinema today what Miles Davis was to music forty years ago: a consummate artist pushing both himself and his chosen art form to new levels full review

View more Collateral reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • ajischillin
    July 15, 2008
    ajischillin
    http://www.tomcruise.com/tom-cruise-collateral-movie.html
  • GeorgeBailey88
    December 23, 2007
    GeorgeBailey88
    I'd say this is Tom Cruises' greatest performance in a major motion picture film. Jamie Foxx was good and all but it was Cruise who deserved the Oscar nod because his 'Vincent' simply came unglued.
  • hitmancontracts
    December 13, 2006
    hitmancontracts
    I love this movie and am big fan of it and micheal mann he really pulls it off. and Tom cruise rocks man hehehe
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