Review of Collateral (2004) by Bernd S — 10 Feb 2011

Michael Mann's tense thriller involving a taxi-cab driver who takes the most fearful and fateful fare of his life. An on-form Jamie Foxx stars as Max, a veteran LA cabbie with ambitions that are slowly passing him by over the years. His taxi-world is turned upsidedown when Vincent (Cruise) jumps into the cab - needing to conduct a series of urgent meetings all in one night. A reluctant Max accepts the deal of a well-paid evening in exchange for an exclusive chauffer service. Unfortunately, Vincent's business is a little more than Max had bargained for.

The grainy mostly night-time vistas of LA are well captured as Foxx & Cruise play out a series of 'meetings' and insightful dialogues inbetween. The story rolls along at a good pace and it's never too predictable. There's also some dark humour and a particularly pulsating nightclub scene. The decent if slightly underutilised supporting cast is rounded out by Mark Ruffalo & Jada Pinkett-Smith, who all do a good job - there's almost nothing to fault here - so I won't even try. Collateral is worth flagging down.