REVIEW: Collateral

Tonight Kimmi and I went to see Collateral starting Tom Cruise, Jaime Foxx, and Jada Pinkett Smith. I must say, I really liked the movie. You might be predicting another Phone Booth where the entire movie is spent inside the cab, but it wasn’t like that at all.

First off, Tom Cruise plays a very convincing bad guy. You wouldn’t think the smug Mr. Smile would have it in him, but he does! Just goes to show that he really can act. In fact he played the character so well that you ended up both hating him and feeling sorry for him…a sign of a good bad guy I think. Jamie Foxx also gave an excellent performance, showing a lot of depth in his role as the cab driver. I understand now why Jada Pinkett Smith didn’t get major billing for the movie – her role is minor, and really not that special at all. Basically, insert pretty girl here.

The film is directed by Michael Mann and it shows. His choice of camera angles and lighting is pretty consistent – dark, closeup, blurred shots. The overall effect is somewhat similar to Tony Scott’s Man on Fire, but without the slow motion. I also think he did a good job of making the scenes in the cab seem somehow larger and less confined.

Bottom line, I give the movie 4/5. I quite liked the fact that Cruise played a bad guy, and there is a lot more in the movie than just the guns. Think irony, humor, and all that other good stuff. It’ll be interesting now to see what he chooses for his next movie (besides MI:3). If you’re looking for a good show now, go see Collateral.