Collateral
Cab driver Max picks up a man who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.
What critics thought
Michael Mann's nocturnal Los Angeles thriller earned broad approval, with most critics singling out Tom Cruise's cold-blooded turn and Jamie Foxx's grounded performance as the film's engine. The first two acts drew consistent praise for their tense, dialogue-driven atmosphere, but the third act divided critics sharply — some found the escalating action sequences a betrayal of the film's existentialist mood, while others accepted them as genre convention skillfully handled.
“the best kind of genre filmmaking: It plays by the rules, obeys the traditions and is both familiar and fresh at once”
Stephen Hunter·The Washington Post
“Foxx can act. He's up to the role's demands, conveying fear, confusion and frustration, but more important the exhaustion and recklessness that can easily follow when someone's been scared for so long”
Mick LaSalle·San Francisco Chronicle
“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”
David Edelstein·Slate
“There's not much substance lurking beneath all the style, though the plot digresses into several awkward scenes intended to flesh out the characters”
Marrit Ingman·Austin Chronicle
“Foxx inhabits his character so comfortably that he renders meaningless Vincent's babble about the tough, real world. Max is the one who lives in the real world, which is ultimately the point of the movie -- but it takes the picture a very long time to reach a conclusion that's evident from the start to any attuned viewer”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon
Accolades
Genres
Action, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
Michael MannDirector
Tom CruiseVincent
Jamie FoxxMax Durocher
Jada Pinkett SmithAnnie Farrell
Mark RuffaloDet. Ray Fanning
Peter BergRichard Weidner
Javier BardemFelix Reyes-Torrena
Bruce McGillFrank Pedrosa
Klea ScottZee
Barry Shabaka HenleyDaniel Baker
Irma P. HallIda Durocher
Richard T. JonesTraffic Cop #1
Jamie McBrideTraffic Cop #2
James Newton HowardComposer
Stuart BeattieWriter
Paul CameronCinematography
Dion BeebeCinematographyCollateral
Cab driver Max picks up a man who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.
What critics thought
Michael Mann's nocturnal Los Angeles thriller earned broad approval, with most critics singling out Tom Cruise's cold-blooded turn and Jamie Foxx's grounded performance as the film's engine. The first two acts drew consistent praise for their tense, dialogue-driven atmosphere, but the third act divided critics sharply — some found the escalating action sequences a betrayal of the film's existentialist mood, while others accepted them as genre convention skillfully handled.
“the best kind of genre filmmaking: It plays by the rules, obeys the traditions and is both familiar and fresh at once”
Stephen Hunter·The Washington Post
“Foxx can act. He's up to the role's demands, conveying fear, confusion and frustration, but more important the exhaustion and recklessness that can easily follow when someone's been scared for so long”
Mick LaSalle·San Francisco Chronicle
“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”
David Edelstein·Slate
“There's not much substance lurking beneath all the style, though the plot digresses into several awkward scenes intended to flesh out the characters”
Marrit Ingman·Austin Chronicle
“Foxx inhabits his character so comfortably that he renders meaningless Vincent's babble about the tough, real world. Max is the one who lives in the real world, which is ultimately the point of the movie -- but it takes the picture a very long time to reach a conclusion that's evident from the start to any attuned viewer”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon
Accolades
Genres
Action, Crime, Drama
Cast & Crew
Michael MannDirectorTom CruiseVincentJamie FoxxMax DurocherJada Pinkett SmithAnnie FarrellMark RuffaloDet. Ray FanningPeter BergRichard WeidnerJavier BardemFelix Reyes-TorrenaBruce McGillFrank PedrosaKlea ScottZeeBarry Shabaka HenleyDaniel BakerIrma P. HallIda DurocherRichard T. JonesTraffic Cop #1Jamie McBrideTraffic Cop #2James Newton HowardComposerStuart BeattieWriterPaul CameronCinematographyDion BeebeCinematography