Collateral (2004)

Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg

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There's something very strange about watching a film shot and discussed in said film about a town in which I am currently living.

That was an oddly constructed sentence.

Regardless, everyone should be familiar with the film's premise at this point. They set it all up in the trailer. The point of the film, however, is not the plot. The point is the examination of the dynamic relationship of the characters within the film. More specifically, the point is the changing power structure of these characters. This struggle focuses, of course, on the interaction between Foxx's and Cruise's characters. Foxx must transport Cruise to survive. On the other hand, Cruise must rely on Foxx for transportation so that he may complete his assassinations.

Sadly, Foxx/Cruise's relationship never develops as satisfactorily as one would hope. The film's main infatuation is Los Angeles itself. While in Heat Mann managed to balance his meditation on the city with his story and character development, he doesn't do so quite as effectively in his most recent film. Collateral is mostly about set-pieces. It's about this action sequence or this particular assissination. All of these are great but--as Ebert points out in his review of the film--these play out more like a series of short films rather than a cohesive narrative.

The most troubling part of the film, however, are the questions that arise from the plot. The first one isn't a surprise and I'm sure occurred to many of you while watching the trailer; if Cruise's character is such a good hitman, why does his first and simplest killing of the night go so awry? There are many others, but presenting them here would ruin key plot points.

The main thing the film has going for it is its style. And, oh, what a style. Mann's post-modern noir is such a bizarre blend of the currently hip and the sublimely classic that it's difficult to describe in words. His films are to be seen rather than described. On that note, I've got to say that Mann makes great (and generally imperceptible) use of the digital medium.

While not everything in the story makes sense, to watch the film is to witness a modern noir epic. In addition, I haven't seen a Cruise performance this good since Magnolia, and you know how much I love that film.

[NOTE: While looking up Ebert's review of Collateral, I saw that he gave Collateral Damage three stars (he gave Collateral three and a half). I find this disturbing.]

August 8
Avco Theater, early afternoon

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