Collateral (2004)

Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith

Synopsis:
A cab driver finds himself held hostage by a hitman and forced to ferry him to his assigned kills.

Impressions:
If you want a tense thriller that can deliver both great introspective character work and some nice action set pieces, this is the film for you. The assassin Vincent is perhaps my favorite role of Tom Cruise's, showing that he's got solid villainous chops, going from affable one minute to cold-blooded the next. (And props to him for being able to pull off that lightning-fast Mozambique Drill.) He plays off Jamie Foxx's mild-mannered Max well. The dance club scene set to the Korean remix of "Ready Steady Go" is a particular standout. This is an extremely well-made, well-written film and certainly deserves a spot in your collection.

Rating:
Own It