Collateral (2004)

Collateral is a thriller, bursting at the rim with action, suspense and thrills. The 2004 film, directed by Michael Mann, stars great actors such as Jamie Foxx and, the heavily regarded, Tom Cruise. Jamie Foxx puts in a good performance; one that has the audience easily emphasise with his character, due to his lack of confidence and everyday working man style. Tom Cruise also performs well, despite being taken out of his comfort zone. Audiences are used to seeing Cruise play the good looking, all action, all american hero, however in Collateral these stereotypes are flipped on their head. Mann decided to place Cruise on the opposite side of the spectrum in this film having him portray a no-nonsense antagonist, who kills whenever he wants to and doesn't think twice. The film follows Max, played by Jamie Foxx, as he goes about his daily routine, driving taxis in and around L.A., however on this particular night things don't go as planned. The first sign that this night might be a little different is the inclusion of Jada Pinkett's character, who takes a shining to Max. However, soon Max's luck turns sour when he meets Vincent, Tom Cruise. Vincent takes this timid cab driver hostage and forces him to help with his illegal deeds. Soon enough the L.A.P.D. gets involved, whilst other gangs and gang members also enter the equation, putting our innocent protagonist into hot water. Can this ineffective hero find confidence and get out of this nightmare of a situation? I didn't hate this film, however I didn't love it either. I enjoyed the portrayal of a darker L.A. and a much darker Tom Cruise, than what we're normally used to, however I never really felt much suspense or edge of your seat action. This may be down to the fact that you never really expected the hero to do anything exciting, due to his ineffectiveness, and you almost always know that when he is in danger, Max will "save the day", despite his evil intentions. You never really felt fear for the protagonists safety, which is key to any action thriller. For theses reasons I have given this film 4 stars; it was well crafted and different, however it never really gripped me.