Everything sets up for a wild finale, one of the most exciting in years. It can seem to be a bit much, but by that part of the film, you're hooked. It's a perfect release from the built-up tension created by practically every scene in the movie. When you feel that tension, you know you've found a winner. (**** out of *****)
Shot almost entirely on digital film, "Collateral" really doesn't benefit from it. If the heavy grain was intentional, it would stay roughly the same for the entire movie. It doesn't. Scenes shot under heavy light look absolutely beautiful. Darkness brings background noise, compression issues (look at Max's cab), and a slight loss of detail. Some scenes do benefit from grain (which is why there's a chance some of it is intentional), but that doesn't make up for the rest of the film. (***)
Another DVD release in a string of recent discs, "Collateral" goes into overkill when it comes to audio. A DTS track is a wonderful thing. Unfortunately, this isn't a first choice for a movie so centered on dialogue. Sure, it spices up the action scenes a bit, providing an added burst to the gunfire and some slightly better separation, but is that really justified? The 5.1 track is about equal, just losing a little movement as cars pass and helicopter fly by. It's a nice presentation regardless, just without much chance to really show it off. (****)
This is a 2-disc set, and though the feature set looks long, it's really not. The Michael Mann commentary track, the only feature on disc 1, is a must hear. He goes deep into the film, explaining shots, hidden meanings, and telling viewers things they should look for. Great stuff.
Disc two only exists because of a 40-minute making-of documentary called "City of Night." If it weren't for this, the rest of the extras would be on disc one. It's interesting to watch as it flows along with the film sort of in the background per se, discussing how scenes came together and how characters shift. It does spend too much time on just film clips, which probably makes it seem longer than it is.
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.