Collateral
for violence and language.
Reviewed by: Evan D. Baltz
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Adults |
| Genre: | Crime Action Drama |
| Length: | 2 hr. |
| Year of Release: | 2004 |
| USA Release: |
August 6, 2004 (wide) |
| Featuring |
Tom Cruise Jamie Foxx Jada Pinkett-Smith Mark Ruffalo Peter Berg Bruce McGill |
| Director |
Michael Mann |
| Producer |
Michael Mann Julie Richardson See all » |
| Distributor |
 DreamWorks Pictures, aka DreamWorks Studios, a production label of Amblin Partners |
“It started like any other night.”
Do you believe in “cosmic coincidences”? Hold that thought for a minute. We’ll get back to that question.
Tom Cruise (“Minority Report”) stars in yet another blockbuster movie, but this time as the bad guy. Usually the mega-superstar appears as the hero or good guy in his movies. Only occasionally has he summoned the dark side persona. Audiences probably prefer their stars to be heroes, but in this film, Cruise proves he is quite adept at pulling off cold and calculating.
Cruise stars as Vincent, the assassin for hire. His unwilling accomplice is a meticulous but under achieving taxi driver (Max), played by Jamie Foxx (former comedic star of television shows “In Living Color” and “The Jamie Foxx Show”). Foxx begins his evening cab shift like any other night. He happens to pick up prosecuting attorney Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith — “Matrix Revolutions”). The two hit it off during a discussion over fastest cab routes in LA. Annie leaves her business card with Max as she exits the cab, just in case he ever needs “legal advice.”
It turns out he needs a lot more than that. Max’s next fair turns out to be Vincent, who offers Max $600 to drive him around for the night while Vincent “makes a few stops.” Max soon learns that Vincent is doing more than glad-handing some old friends.
Cruise plays Vincent with cold-hearted glee. He is smooth and controlled, and very believable as the character. Foxx is also strong in this serious role. Cruise’s presence rarely over-shadows Foxx’s character, which gives the movie balance.
We feel as if events are happening almost in real-time as the two travel from stop to stop. Each one brings a new set of twists and turns. Vincent engages Max in discussions as they drive as each character attempts to figure out the other. Vincent’s take on life is that it doesn’t really matter. If one person dies, who cares? Thousands of people die in far off places every day and no one bats an eyelash, so why should his job bother people any more than that. Especially in LA. He recounts a story about a guy dying on a train, and no one noticing for days. Vincent is indifferent about life. This is just a job. What does any of it matter? We are just a speck, lost in space.
So is it a cosmic coincidence that brought Vincent to Max’s cab? Is there such a thing? In movies there sure is. In real life? No such thing. In fact, no such concept is alluded to in all of Scripture. Everything is under the control of a totally Sovereign God. Even the comings and goings of sparrows are under the control and supervision of God. There are no coincidences in God’s plan. It may seem that way from man’s perspective. But not from God’s.
In movies, however, especially in this one, it appears there are cosmic coincidences.
There isn’t unfortunately a coincidental use of harsh language. There are 50 plus instances of 4-letter type words, and the Lord’s name is taken in vain about a half-dozen times. Generally, however, these utterances were not out of context for the characters and situations. These are bad guys after all. There is a good deal of violence, including graphic up-close assassinations. There is no nudity or sexual content in the movie.
Cruise is Cruise. It was nothing less than what you would expect from him. Solid, intense, sharp-witted. We are even treated to the requisite scene of Tom Cruise running at full speed, which seems to be as ubiquitous in Cruise movies as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “I’ll be back” line.
The movie is more about the Foxx character, however. He is the “everyman” reluctant hero, and his character feels well developed. But who will win in the end? Max, Vincent, LAPD, the FBI, or the drug lords? This is a good, exciting mystery that will hold your attention. It does reflect our society’s apparent steady decline towards apathy and indifference for our fellow man and life itself. Be thankful your life is in the hands of a caring and Sovereign Lord, and not left to the fates of cosmic coincidences.
Violence: Moderate / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: None
[Average/4½]
If Foxx’s character was only made a Christian, you’d have the makings of a perfect morality tale. Yes, there is violence, and there is profanity, but that is exactly the point. “Collateral” is about showing how bankrupt and empty depravity is, instead of glorifying it like most action movies do.
I disagree with the reviewer about this movie being about coincidences, because it is not. It’s an examination of the nature of human life and value, and it does so very well. Intelligent, extraordinarily well-acted, and superbly directed, “Collateral” is one of the best movies I have seen all year.
[Better than Average/5]
It proves Vincent’s point, as long as we are disassociated from each other the less care we have for each other, that’s why the man could go around and around on the subway before anyone found him, because the point of the movie is that we don’t care, and it makes it undeniably clear. So it leaves us with the question of how and why should we care?
[Average/5]
The overall idea of the plot is simple enough, but with more than enough twists to make it a story you rarely get to see. Director Michael Mann does an incredible job of using LA’s night scenes to enhance the mood and attitude of each scene. On the down side, Cruise and Foxx use a lot of profanity, which in my view was totally unnecessary. The F-word is used heavily in certain moments, but it seemed as if once they got through using it, they forgot about using it and went on with the plot. Stupid huh?
The violence is mild, but the gunshots are as real as you can get without actually pulling out a 9mm and firing it. I would caution parents against letting even young teens watch this due to the intense nature of the gunshots and the profanity. Luckily, there is no nudity that I remember, or even sexual references. Overall, I give this performance an A… and a very decent plot.
[Average]
The movie contains much violence, and is not a movie for young kids. Cruise spends the entire movie going from assignment to assignment, and uses manipulative tactics to keep Foxx’s character from turning him in or escaping. A good, fast paced action movie; but not one to select for family night. As a Christian, you can possibly use the movie as a springboard to discuss murder, deception and lying. Truthfully, save your money, and wait for it to come out on DVD. Preview it as a rental and decide for yourself.
[Average/4]
[Better than Average/5]
[Average/5]
[Average/4½]
[Good/5]
I found myself questioning his motives several times throughout the film. Particularly notable is his complaint about a man who died on a subway without being noticed for days, a comment that has a very ironic twist towards the end.
Profundity aside, this is an action movie that manages to keep the plot thick—thriller buffs won’t be disappointed. An edge-of-your-seat intense movie. Violence is unsurprisingly gratuitous, with morgue visits and bullet wounds and bloody shirts and bodies thrown off of buildings and the whole nine yards.
Questionable language is definitely there, but is used almost exclusively by the bad guys and (unlike most movies of this genre) thankfully not in every other sentence. A good movie with a satisfying ending, if you can stomach the objectionable content this one probably won’t disappoint.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive/4]