December 10, 2004 - "Stylish" is a word most commonly associated with Michael Mann's films. He has the eye of a cinematographer and an ear for music to rival Quentin Tarantino, although he prefers an odd mix of ambient music and in this case, a few Audioslave tracks.

While other directors show near-contempt for Los Angeles, Mann loves this town. Like in Heat, he paints the film with long, sweeping shots, punctuated only by a gentle instrumental song. Also as in Heat we get some shots right near the landing strip of LAX as jets shriek overhead for a landing.

Collateral has all of the elements found in better Mann movies, with two twists of character: Tom Cruise playing a villain (although still his usual charming, smirking self) and Jamie Foxx, better known for comic roles in movies like Booty Call, takes on the mantle of heavy drama.

Cruise may have been the star but Foxx upstaged him, earning enormous respect from fans and critics alike. His performance probably did wonders for changing people's minds about him and taking his performance in Ray seriously.

Foxx is Max, a cabbie who has high aspirations to start his own luxury limousine but has realized none of them. Instead, he's been working "part-time" driving a taxi for 12 years (but if he makes $400 a night like he claims, I can't say I blame him for sticking with the tried and true.).

Cruise plays Vincent, Max's opposite, who is not a waffler. He is very decisive and acts immediately but not recklessly. Sporting steel gray hair and a suit to match, he's the sharpest-dressed killer this side of Bond. A casual bump with someone at LAX sets his work in motion, as he picks up the briefcase that the "stranger" dropped.

Inside it is some paperwork and a Windows XP Tablet with Vincent's assignments. He has to kill six people in the course of the evening and catch a 6 am flight out of LAX. He hires the first cabbie he sees, which happens to be Max. Vincent offers Max $600, a premium over his $350-$400 per nightly rate, to drive him around and get him to LAX for his flight.

	-DreamWorks Pictures The Collateral DVD Menu.

Unfortunately, things go badly from the start. The first victim falls out of the window of his apartment and splatters on roof of the taxi, shattering the Crown Victoria's windshield. Max is utterly freaked out, and then realizes who did it. Now the truth is out, and the two are stuck together for the night.

Hot on their heels is an undercover cop named Fanning (Mark Ruffalo), who was coming to see Vincent's first victim. As bodies pile up at the morgue, he puts two and two together and realizes there's a connection between these victims.

Cruise and Foxx are a perfect foil. They are a contrast in opposites, and even though logic, and Cruise's character dictates otherwise, they remain together through several difficult moments. More than once, Vincent should just plain kill Max. You'd think he would, given how easily he killed the two men who robbed Max's cab.

	-DreamWorks Pictures Trust me, I know how to drive. Go this way.

While Cruise turns in a surprising turn as a villain, something he's never done, he's still playing Tom Cruise, Mr. Smirk. Despite the gray hair and the frighteningly effective use of a handgun, we've seen this before.

Foxx, though, is truly impressive. Denzel, watch your back. Will, time to learn a new trick or two. It's fantastic to watch this timid cabbie slowly become brave with desperation before eventually boiling over. I realize fear and being driven into a corner can drive you to some great bravery. I know too well (and that story is no one's business).

	-DreamWorks Pictures For keeping such a clean cab, here's a nice tip.

But after an interesting ride for three-quarters of the film, the movie goes into run-of-the-mill, generic thriller ending. I don't want to give it away the, but it should look very familiar to anyone who has watched an action movie. You expect a chase, since the police are on Vincent's tail. As it turns out, there is a chase, but minus the cops. This is a very good movie, up until the end.

Score: 7 out of 10

	-DreamWorks Pictures Still working them shades, Tom?

The Video

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, Collateral utilizes similar elements found in The Bourne Supremacy, but to a much more tolerable degree. There are some moments of jerky camera to give you a feeling of being there, and there is some obvious grain even though the film was shot on digital cameras. But it's far more tolerable and does not distract or diminish the film at all.

Color levels vary. Max's cab is a beautiful red and it shows off a variety of shades in different light. But black levels can get a tad murky here and there, depending on the lighting used. Facial and fine detail is excellent, and Mann likes his close-ups. Edge enhancement is not a problem, nor was there any chroma noise off the cab.

When the scene is well-lit, the video looks stellar. So it's tricky to evaluate video performance when so much of what we see is director style. But by and large, it's a fine transfer.

Score: 8 out of 10

	-DreamWorks Pictures Someone's tired of being teased about his height.