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Collateral - Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Paul Adelstein, Michael Mann

Threat advisory: Elevated - Significant risk of entertaining activities

Movie propaganda

It started like any other night.

Max (Jamie Foxx) is a failed comedy writer living in Los Angeles who makes a living as a cab driver. One very tumultuous day, he figures out that the fare (Tom Cruise) he's been driving around all day is a contract killer, committing a series of hits. Now, it's up to him to somehow stop the killer from executing the last witness... as well as himself.

Theatrical propaganda posters

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film thriller crime assassin taxi murder

Persons of interest

Tom Cruise .... Vincent
Jamie Foxx .... Max
Barry Shabaka Henley .... Daniel
Daniel Luan .... Rubio
Bruce McGill .... Pedrosa
Jada Pinkett Smith .... Annie
Emilio Rivera .... Paco
Mark Ruffalo .... Fanning
Peter Berg .... Richard Weidner
Irma P Hall .... Ida
Javier Bardem .... Felix
Emilio Rivera .... Paco
Angelo Tiffe .... Sylvester Clarke
Inmo Yuon .... Peter Lim
Stuart Beattie .... Screenwriter
Frank Darabont .... Screenwriter
Michael Mann .... Screenwriter
Michael Mann .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Collateral official movie site
Collateral QuickTime movie trailers:

Small * Medium * Large

Awards and film festivals:

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS - Oscars) 2005: Nominated: Best Achievement in Editing (Jim Miller, Paul Rubell), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Jamie Foxx)
American Cinema Editors, USA 2005: Nominated: Eddie: Best Edited Feature Film - Dramatic (Jim Miller, Paul Rubell)
American Society of Cinematographers, USA 2005: Nominated: Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases (Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron)
Art Directors Guild 2005: Nominated: Excellence in Production Design Award: Feature Film - Contemporary Film (David Wasco)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2004: Won: Best Cinematography (Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron); Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Jamie Foxx), David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction (Michael Mann), Best Screenplay - Original (Stuart Beattie), Best Editing (Jim Miller, Paul Rubell), Best Sound
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2005: Nominated: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Jamie Foxx)
Cinematic Intelligence Agency Trenchcoat Awards 2004: Nominated: Best actor/s with a penis (Jamie Foxx)
Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) 2004: Nominated: Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role (Jamie Foxx)
Image Awards 2005: Nominated: Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (Jamie Foxx), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Jada Pinkett Smith)
International Press Academy Golden Satellite Awards 2004: Won: Film Editing (Jim Miller ACE, Paul Rubell ACE), Sound - Editing and Mixing (Lee Orloff, Elliott L Koretz, Michael Minkler, Myron Nettinga); Nominated: Actor In A Supporting Role - Drama (Jamie Foxx), Screenplay - Adapted (Stuart Beattie), Visual Effects (John Sullivan)
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 2004: Won: Best Cinematography (Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron)
Motion Picture Sound Editors, USA 2005: Nominated: Golden Reel Award: Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features: Dialogue/ADR, Best Sound Editing in Domestic Features: Sound Effects/Foley
MTV Movie Awards 2005: Nominated: Best villain (Tom Cruise)
National Board of Review, USA 2004: Won: Best Director (Michael Mann)
Online Film Critics Society Awards 2005: Nominated: Best Cinematography (Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron), Best Supporting Actor (Jamie Foxx)
Screen Actors Guild Awards 2005: Nominated: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Jamie Foxx)
Venice Film Festival 2004: Out of competition

Studios and distributors:

DreamWorks * Paramount Pictures

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Collateral has a lot going for it: guns, shooting, hitting, running around, killing, lying, sneaking. Any film with that combination is going to come up pretty good. Unfortunately, Collateral also has Tom Cruise in bad hair (probably the worst of his career, and I've seen Legend) and despite the intensity of his performance it's just not in him to play a bad guy. Big surprise that Vincent ends up redeeming himself and becoming a good guy. Not.

Fortunately, Jamie Foxx is really good as the taxi driver with the fare from Hell. He's boring, he's confused, he's freaked out, he's passionate, he bumbles along as best he can. Unfortunately, the script calls for the surprising coincidence that one of his earlier fares turns out to be Vincent's final victim. Like, in a city of 15 million people you're ever going to run into the same person twice.

Why does Vincent have grey hair? Is it a disguise? Is it character acting? Who knows, but it annoys the hell out of me. Watch Collateral if you want but prepare to be annoyed.