Anyone else saw Collateral?

[EXO]

What an excellent crime caper. It's set up to be predictable but it really puts some heart into he story. 5 targets, so you know that it won't start to boil until the 5th target. But Michael Mann really packs the action inbetween. And he escelates the thrills each time a target is taken out. I really like the way he shoots the city nights too. Ever since Miami Vice, he has made a character of the settings. This time, as often with his movies, the setting is L.A. Sometimes I wonder if Mr. Mann just drives around all night making up scenarios for his movies, because he knows the streets so well.

This movie feels a lot like an old Brian De Palma film. Very visceral and urgent. In his other movies, like Heat, though I enjoyed it a lot, there were parts that dragged, I didn't really feel that here.

Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx were very good also. They put a lot of persona in their character. Tom Cruise was pretty one dimensional. But he handled the part believably. The part where he runs into the 2 thugs in the alley was pretty brutal, and enjoyably. The scene with the jazz player was very good too. At the end the show was run by the chemistry between Cruise and Foxx. I'm kinda surprised at how good Foxx is. I really haven't seen him in much.

Score 2 for Cruise, not one of my favorite actors... but Samurai and this one are two enjoyable movies...

now let's hear the naysayers...

edit: my engrish is getting better and better...

Edited August 10, 2004 by >EXO<

[JsARCLIGHT]

Did someone call for a naysayer?

I'm going to see this movie this coming weekend. I'm a huge Michael Mann fan and I hope that the story and action outweigh the Cruise factor as I am also one of the leading Tom Cruise haters of this board. For the life of me I also can't stand Jamie Foxx... but from what I have been hearing Foxx is not mugging and cavorting like he usually is. It might just be a benefit to me that Cruise's character is shallow... and a bad guy... then I might actually enjoy him in a movie for a change.

[Max Jenius]

I wanna see this, I was curious how it was. I'll take your advice when I go down to Texas and hopefully see it in the AMC 30 Gulf Point sometime.

[Macross_Fanboy]

Looks interesting. When I first saw the trailer I couldn't pin down the name of the gary haired white guy.

[bsu legato]

Without a doubt, this year's best movie to date. The Cruise haters (and to a nearly equal extent, the Foxx haters) will definitely have to reevaluate thier opinions when they see this thing.

And for god's sake, don't touch the man's briefcase.

[Ladic]

It was a great movie, the dialogue in this movie was really good and so were Cruise and Foxes Performances.

[KingNor]

i'm pretty excited abou this one, it'd be nice to see a movie where cruize isn't full close up in every shot.

anyway thanks for the mini-review

[mechatek]

If you like Heat, you'll enjoy Collateral. It's worth the price of admission and then some. I really like the way that Mr. Mann shoots L.A. at night, especially those downward shots. Might see it again this weekend. Cruise, Foxx, and Pinkett-Smith are at their best.

[Jolly Rogers]

I don't know if the theater I saw it at screwed up or if the film was shot that way but the film looked extra grainy. I thought they shot this film with High Definition gear, but it looked like it was shot way back in the 1960s during most of the exterior scenes.

Other than that I was pleasantly surprised. I knew it'd be a decent movie walking in since it's a Michael Mann film but didn't expect it to be that good. The pacing was much better than Heat and the cast pulled it off beautifully without dragging their ego into the mix. The ending was a bit weak but otherwise it is one of the best films released so far this year (as long as you can ignore some of the plot holes). Thumbs way up.

Edited August 10, 2004 by Jolly Rogers

[Angel's Fury]

I have yet to see this film. I'll give it a shot.

[nemesis120]

I saw it, thought it was decent but it seemed to be missing something that prevented it from being great. Some stuff was obvious (I won't say what) and there were some big inaccuracies there (if you realized them it made things worse).

[Vinny]

I saw it and loved it . Cruise was great in it. I love how nuts he was in the movie

[eugimon]

just saw it, thought it was great... yeah there are some plot holes but really forgivable since it's pretty obvious that michael mann is trying to do something more than just a crime story.

acting was great, look and direction were top notch, action sequences were quick and realistic... just a smart movie

[Blaine23]

It's a terrific Michael Mann movie - the reason for the resolution is that it was shot digitally, then converted to film using a particular process. The look was different, but it still felt like classic Mann camerawork to me.

Cruise and Foxx are both at their best here. Cruise really manages to convince us that he not only kills people for a living, but is very good at it. Check his shooting positions - he comes off as a more realistic gun user than anyone I've seen on film in awhile. Also he manages to inhabit the soul of a guy who's missing something inside... which is what he is really best at - Jerry Maguire, Magnolia, Last Samurai - all of these movies are his best acting and they have that character trait in common.

Foxx is a surprisingly good actor, like he was in Any Given Sunday. I'm looking forward to his Ray Charles biopic next. He doesn't seem like he'd be such a chameleon, but he really is.

The only thing bad about the movie is that the plot is obvious and trite - especially the third act. But with all of the positives, Mann's direction, Cruise and Foxx's acting - you don't really care if the end is predictable.

[EXO]

***SPOILERS*** DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.

Cruise's character is probably the most interesting. Though, as I said it's a pretty one-dimensional role, you get hints of how psychotic he really is. His justifications for his actions are weak, yet he stands by them with great conviction. He comes across as someone who is really smart, but the whole time I think Max (Jamie Foxx's character) has this "who's he kidding?" attitude. Max knows he's not gonna last the night and Cruise will kill him as soon as he's done with his business. He lied to the Jazz man, so you know he's leading Max on with all that "if we both make it out of this alive" bullcrap.

As I said before, he's pretty brutal. He starts asking Max if he's going to call the Pinkett character as soon as he learns that she's the next target. I thought that was pretty sick in a way. At the same time it was kinda funny that he gets his thrills like that.

[Otaku-Smeghead]

I saw it yesterday before Work. You right Exo it wasnt bad at all not as good as Heat but still good. But then who could compare to Deniro and Pacino. I liked how Cruise's character seemed so well read. Knowledgeable.. Like when he posed as the Lawyer talking to Max's Boss. Its a shame that the LA Cop bit it =( I give it 8 outa 10 for Plot and 75% I think or more of this film was shot digitaly

[eugimon]

***SPOILERS*** DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.

Cruise's character is probably the most interesting. Though, as I said it's a pretty one-dimensional role, you get hints of how psychotic he really is. His justifications for his actions are weak, yet he stands by them with great conviction. He comes across as someone who is really smart, but the whole time I think Max (Jamie Foxx's character) has this "who's he kidding?" attitude. Max knows he's not gonna last the night and Cruise will kill him as soon as he's done with his business. He lied to the Jazz man, so you know he's leading Max on with all that "if we both make it out of this alive" bullcrap.

As I said before, he's pretty brutal. He starts asking Max if he's going to call the Pinkett character as soon as he learns that she's the next target. I thought that was pretty sick in a way. At the same time it was kinda funny that he gets his thrills like that.

uhm, kinda spoilers. don't read further.

the mind games vincent plays with max are just great... I like how max tells vincent that he lacks empathy but that is just wrong, vincent uses his empathic awareness of people to kill them more efficiently... just brutal.

[Mr March]

Jamie Foxx is working himself up nicely for an Oscar. With Ali and Collateral under his belt, he's building a solid resume of respectable film work and industry opinion of him is high and growing higher. When Hackford's Ray finds itself on the Oscar lineup, I would be shocked if Foxx is not at least nominated for Best Actor.

As for the film Collateral, I found it very enjoyable. Micheal Mann has always been a favorite of mine and he continues to produce well paced, character rich films with plenty of well-written dialogue. Although Foxx is certainly the center attraction in this flick, Cruise definitely gives one of the better performances in years and really chooses a role far away from his standard fare. His dialogue is well delivered and true to character. I may be a bit of a sheep for trends in film, but I can't get enough of Foxx. When given a serious role and a chance to stretch his dramatic muscles, he simply enhances his skill and embelishes the film in which he participates. What a shame it would have been for him to stick to those silly, stereotypical comedies. Both Foxx and Cruise made an excellent pairing, with smooth dialogue exchanging between the two that is a script writer's dream.

The story was compelling for a crime saga and no one seems able to photograph L.A. like Mann. Though I would never want to live there myself, Mann always seems to bring out the best of his favoured city. The cinematography in Collateral was first rate and I found myself very much enjoying his use of his camera. I was especially surprised how much I enjoyed the shift from 24 fps to 30 fps. Mann's use of freehand digital in a high frame rate was very well done and merged successfully with the traditional cinema speed. As always, I absolutely adored Mann's direction of the gun fights. Just like he did in Heat, Mann creates fantastic gun fights using as much realism as possible and respecting the destructiveness of the gun. All those directors that spoil their action flicks with enormous muzzles flashes, big explosions, and gallons of red dye in corn syrup find themselves standing still next to just one good gun fight from a Micheal Mann film.

Overall, a great action film with plenty of character development and smart cinematography. For some years nows I've been avoiding action flicks and I'm glad to see some films like Collateral or The Bourne Supremacy bringing me back home

Edited August 11, 2004 by Mr March

[Jolly Rogers]

***SPOILERS*** DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.

Max knows he's not gonna last the night and Cruise will kill him as soon as he's done with his business. He lied to the Jazz man, so you know he's leading Max on with all that "if we both make it out of this alive" bullcrap.

If that's the case, I don't see why he'd even bother to save Max at the Korean club. It's not like he's the only cab driver in L.A.

[EXO]

***SPOILERS*** DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT.

Max knows he's not gonna last the night and Cruise will kill him as soon as he's done with his business.  He lied to the Jazz man, so you know he's leading Max on with all that "if we both make it out of this alive" bullcrap.

If that's the case, I don't see why he'd even bother to save Max at the Korean club. It's not like he's the only cab driver in L.A.

If you listened to Fanning towards the middle of the movie, there was another incident where a Taxi driver was thought to kill other people in one night and then points the gun towards himself, he suspected it was already happening here. He was proven right when Max told him that he wasn't Vincent. He didn't even question that fact. Cruise/Vincent was already counting on the chance there were already witnesses seeing the cab. What better way to take people off your tracks than to frame a dead killer. That whole plan would fall apart if there were 2 different cab drivers involved. He needed Max far more than just being a cab driver.

[bsu legato]

Yeah, there shouldn't be any doubt that Max was going to take a bullet once Vincent finished his business.

[Jolly Rogers]

Maybe the cab driver from SF pissed him off, forcing Vincent to kill him.

If killing eyewitnesses were a concern, he should have shot everyone in the Korean club who saw him shooting.

[eugimon]

Maybe the cab driver from SF pissed him off, forcing Vincent to kill him.

If killing eyewitnesses were a concern, he should have shot everyone in the Korean club who saw him shooting.

eh, maybe... but there was still so much evidence pointing at max.. his cab ties him to every location, he has the attorney's business card, he was seen at the night club.

vincent was pushing max all the way, feeding him hope, making him think about the future-stuff like telling him to stand up for himself, to call the attorney, visit his mom, vincent does all this to show max how much he has to lose so he won't fight back so he'll play along hoping vincent lets him live.

[EXO]

I'm pretty sure if I was Vincent I would have killed many cab drivers in my time... even if I was on my own time.

The Korean Club would have been a perfect oppurtunity to set up Max. That was one of the big flaws of the movie though, he was smashing the bodyguards to a pulp and everyone was still dancing...

[Toonz]

tom cruise should act as a villian from now on

great show!

[Jolly Rogers]

I just found out a law professor of mine was one of the agents involved in selling the script to DreamWorks, and it was originally set in NYC instead of L.A. Should have begged her for a job before I graduated.

[Akilae]

tom cruise should act as a villian from now on

great show!

lol, that's what my date said too.

Gotta agree, he works a whole lot better as a wooden killer than a wooden Navy pilot

[Blaine23]

Yeah, Vincent's pretty much an modern incarnation of the devil throughout the first act. Sitting behind Max's shoulder, questioning his beliefs, encouraging him to action, and generally acting terribly.

What makes Cruise's performance and the movie good is all through the second and third you see his mask start to slip and the fractured, stunted human that he is come through.

All that being said - how great would it be to Vincent around if you got mugged? The way he dealt those guys in the alley - the whole audience actually cheered him in the theater I was at.

[MrDisco]

saw the flick last night. fairly entertaining but i wouldn't call it best movie of the year. its a decent popcorn movie for the summer.