Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1277. Collateral (2004)

    1277. Collateral (2004)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on March 7, 2016 120-129 mins, 2004, 6 - 7.9, Crime, Drama, Mar 16, Movies Of 2016, Review, Thriller, United States
    7.9 Slick and thrilling
    • Acting 7.9
    • Directing 7.9
    • Story 8.0
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Mark Ruffalo

    Director: Michael Mann

    Running Time: 120 mins


    Collateral is an American film about an LA taxi driver who finds himself in trouble when his customer, a hitman, uses him as transport and an accomplice from hit to hit over the course of one chaotic night.

    This is a fantastically well-written, engaging and exciting film, hitting pretty much all the marks spot on when it comes to making a really good thriller. With great performances, beautiful directing and cinematography, and a fantastic screenplay, Collateral is both a huge amount of fun to watch, as well as a deeply engrossing story that’s far more intelligent than first meets the eye.

    I’m going to start with what I thought was the best part of the film, and that’s the screenplay. Most importantly, it does a great job at providing an exciting and engaging thrill-ride. Whilst I wouldn’t say that it was hugely unpredictable, I was hooked on the chaotic night that unfolds in this film, and that was what made it so exciting.

    However, what really makes this screenplay in particular stand out is that it has so many more layers beneath the main narrative. For one, the relationship between the taxi driver, played by Jamie Foxx, and the hitman, played by Tom Cruise, is fascinating. Although it’s always very strenuous, the way that the two characters begin to dig into one another in various enthralling dialogue scenes within the cab is brilliant, and it makes for even more compelling watching, and adds to the emotional intensity of some of the action sequences.

    And that’s where I need to give even more praise to Collateral, because it’s a fantastically directed film. Much like 2014’s Nightcrawler, it depicts night time Los Angeles in both a sleek and still unnerving way. The panoramas of the city landscape at night are beautiful, but the prevalence of the sort of dark and shady vibe that you can only get in the deep night in an empty city is fantastic at making this film all the more tense.

    Michael Mann does a great job at directing the action sequences too. Whilst the main focus of this film is the thrill of the hitman and the taxi driver’s experiences, there are a few bursts of action, including an impressively-shot scene in a nightclub, and a hugely intense final sequence on a train. There’s not too much action, so don’t go into this film expecting explosions everywhere, but when it does come up, it is fantastic.

    Finally, the performances by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise are great. Jamie Foxx, although I personally didn’t quite buy into the final act of his character’s arc, was very good as our main hero, bringing the fear of the taxi driver centre stage, and still managing to make him a character that you could believe in to find a way to escape this nightmarish ordeal.

    However, the real stand-out here is Tom Cruise, who, extremely uncharacteristically, plays a villain. But he’s amazing in the role, and with his intimidating, straight-talking performance, he makes the hitman hugely unnerving, and by far the most unpredictable part of the whole film, which was not only brilliant to see in the film, but also to see that Cruise’s range does expand beyond Ethan Hunt and Maverick to darker, more interesting characters.

    Overall, Collateral was a great thriller. It’s not the best I’ve ever seen, but with brilliant directing, two fantastic central performances and a top-notch screenplay, I really enjoyed and was engrossed in the movie from start to finish, and that’s why I’ll give Collateral a 7.9.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.5
    Review
    June 3, 20160

    1371. The Nice Guys (2016)

    8.8
    Review
    January 9, 20170

    1611. Raise The Red Lantern (大红灯笼高高挂) (1991)

    8.6
    Review
    September 10, 20140

    685. In The Loop (2009)

    8.5
    Review
    November 9, 20210

    3542. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

    8.3
    Review
    September 21, 20140

    696. Scent Of A Woman (1992)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.