Director Michael Mann’s “Collateral” has an intoxicating vibe, which is reinforced by ambiance, a somber score by James Newton Howard and the use of high definition cameras by Dion Beebe and Paul Cameron. And not unlike “Lost in Translation,” “Collateral” succeeds because of its keen attention to the intricate nuances of its characters and the incoherent world they inhabit.

Jamie Foxx, in his best acting role to date, plays Max, a quite cab driver who prefers the night shift to the day shift because it’s less stressful and the tips are better. He’s meticulous in his attention to detail, making sure his cab is extremely clean and functionality is in perfect working order before starting the night.

Max’s first fare is Annie, played perfectly by Jada Pinkett Smith. She’s a prosecutor who’s got a big case the next day and is going to have to pull an all-nighter to make sure her exhibits are in order. Smith’s screen time is relatively short compared to the films leads—Foxx and Tom Cruise—but she’s not wasted at all. As her character Annie and Max travel across the freeway toward her destination, there’s an immediate chemistry conveyed by both the characters and the actors playing them. It’s not only gripping but one of the best acted scenes I’ve ever witnessed. It’s so grounded in reality and played so realistically that it’s very believable and intensely personal. This scene and the films effectiveness in grounding itself in reality also comes from the solid script by Stuart Beattie.

Once Max drops off Annie he picks up his second, and unknowingly his last, fare of the night—Vincent (Cruise). He’s a gray haired man, not in the old sense but in the assassin sense, who ends up bribing Max with more money than his shift pays. The contract is for Max to take Vincent to multiple stops throughout the night to see friends and close a big deal. But when Vincent’s first stop lands a fat Angelino on Max’s cab, Max soon realizes the man he made a deal with is not as clear cut as he thought, and he made a big mistake in accepting Vincent’s money. “You killed him? asks Max. “No, I shot him. Bullets and the fall killed him.”

It turns out that the fat Angelino was being worked on by an undercover Detective Fanning (Mark Ruffalo). When Fanning goes to visit the guy he finds a window shattered and blood on the pavement below. However, there remains no body.

Throughout the night Vincent racks up more and more kills, while Max finds out what he’s really made of and Detective Fanning gets closer and closer to putting all the pieces together. While on the surface the plot of “Collateral” may seem like just a run-of-the-mill thriller, it’s not. The power of Mann’s cinematic vision and his care for the depth and breadth of quite dialogue driven scenes really elevates the film beyond its genre norms.

Cruise gives a ferociously intense performance that stands out but is equally supported. His take on a charismatic contract killer shows that his first turn as a villain was well worth the wait. The dualities of Vincent’s charismatic and psychotic qualities shine through in Cruise’s chameleon like acting. And Vincent is more than your stereo typical bad guy. Actually, there is enough sympathy and rationalization thrown Vincent’s way that it’s hard not to root for him on some level. The conversations Max and Vincent have, in between stops and at them, only add more interest towards Vincent’s disturbed psyche.

Part of the ambiance that Mann conveys in “Collateral” comes from the locations, as well as the way certain scenes are shot and either accompanied with score or a song. One shot in particular occurs when the taxi pulls up to a red light in the latter half of the film. Both Vincent and Max feel lost at this point, having been through so much throughout the long and grueling night. As Vincent looks out his right window into the distant night, we can see a long street of palm trees going down the road out the window to his left. This long and desolate road amps up our emotional connection to Vincent’s ambiguous place in the world. Right after that shot there’s a cut to a shot of a wild coyote crossing in front of the cab before the light turns green. There’s amazing beauty and symbolism to its presence.

Another significant scene and vibe comes when Max has had enough of not only Vincent but himself. He realizes ending Vincent’s tirade is in his own hands, so he disregards Vincent’s gun totting order to slow down and speeds up the taxi. The song "Shadow on the Sun" by Audioslave is played over this scene, really putting us inside this intense culmination scene of all of the night’s transgressions.

The high definition cameras also add to a surrealistic and heightened sense of reality that only a cinematic film could convey. The use of high definition in particular is pertinent to some helicopter camera shots of the streets below. We can make out the distance and scope of the streets of L.A. but also at times the taxi we’re following below.

“Collateral” is every bit as good as Mann’s 1995 magnum opus “Heat,” in fact, in this reviewers humble opinion, it’s better. To those who enjoy either Cruise’s acting or Mann’s direction, it’s a safe bet the film won’t disappoint. And to every one else, don’t miss one of the most gripping, well made films of the year.
 

Joseph Schmickrath