It can be fun to see who might have been cast in a specific role. Instead of Tom Cruise for "Collateral," the producers looked at Adam Sandler (!), Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Ed Norton. They ended up deciding it had to be someone older and went with Cruise, dying his hair a bright gray and pairing him with Jamie Foxx. The choices couldn't have been more perfect.
Cab driver Max (Foxx) picks up a man (Cruise) who makes an incredible offer, $600 if he'll drive him around to five specific locations over the course of the night. When he learns his new passenger is a hit man and those locations are to be his victims, Max tries to find a way out. When he can't escape, he makes a desperate bid for survival, and to save someone he knows.
One thing that director Michael Mann pulls off so well is setting the mood. He reminds us quite a bit in "Collateral" about it, showing a plentiful number of shots of just an illuminated city. Set in the late night/early morning, the streets are almost deserted, placing the two lead characters in an eerie, deserted metropolis all alone. It works to great effect.
The other thing quite prevalent is foreshadowing, sometimes to a point where you have to question if there are any surprises left. It's not very difficult to plan out the final sequence in your head as things move along. Still, some of the conversations will play through in your mind when it's all over and you wouldn't have caught everything. There's also another layer of the film for those who enjoy analyzing and over-analyzing their movies.
Enough has been written about Tom Cruise's acting ability over the years, it's rather pointless to discuss him here. He owns the role of a heartless, cold killer. His co-star is Jamie Foxx, who really steals the show, going through a fascinating change in just one night. Early moments set up whom his character is, and by the end of the film, he's someone else entirely. There's incredible depth to these people, bringing out their emotions and mindsets through simply flawless and natural conversation.
Article comments
1 - ChristianV
I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing this movie is. I was transfixed from the very first panoramic high res shot of the city onward. Tom Cruise? His character is a lethal killer and a true bad ass. Cruise nails it too. I was almost tempted to go out and purchase a silk suit 3 sizes too small.