Collateral (2004)

Director:

Michael Mann

Writer (WGA):

Stuart Beattie (written by)

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It started like any other night

Plot:

A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim.

Plot Keywords:

Cab Driver | Hitman | Los Angeles | One Night | Killer

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 36 nominations

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Vincent
Jamie Foxx	...	Max
Jada Pinkett Smith	...	Annie
Mark Ruffalo	...	Fanning
Peter Berg	...	Richard Weidner
Bruce McGill	...	Pedrosa
Irma P. Hall	...	Ida
Barry Shabaka Henley	...	Daniel
Richard T. Jones	...	Traffic Cop #1
Klea Scott	...	Fed #1
Bodhi Elfman	...	Young Professional Man
Debi Mazar	...	Young Professional Woman
Javier Bardem	...	Felix
Emilio Rivera	...	Paco
Jamie McBride	...	Traffic Cop #2

Also Known As:

Untitled Michael Mann Project (USA) (working title)
Colateral (Chile) (International: Spanish title) [es]
Colateral: Lugar y tiempo equivocado (Argentina) (Panama) [es]
Collatéral (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Colateral (Brazil) [pt]
Collateral (Germany) [de]
Collateral (Croatia) [hr]
Collateral (Spain) [es]
Collateral (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Collateral (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Collateral - ohtlik reisija (Estonia) [et]
Collateral - väärä aika väärä paikka (Finland) [fi]
I diadromi (Greece) [el]
Kolateral (Serbia) [sr]
Zakladnik (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #40965) | Iceland:16 | Ireland:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Malaysia:18SG | Brazil:14 | India:A | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | France:U (with warning) | Hungary:16 | Spain:18 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:15 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R13 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The train sequence was shot with a green screen background because director Michael Mann had very precise ideas about what should be visible through the train windows.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Annie and Max are running from Vincent, they come to the subway platform. The train they board is marked for the "M" platform, although the platform they're on is marked "L".

Quotes:

[first lines]
Vincent: You OK?
Airport Man: Yeah, I'm fine mate, don't worry about it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Güero Canelo

Taut thriller led by Cruise's excellent work.

For the better part of his career, Tom Cruise has played the All-American good guy. Gleaming eyed and bushy tailed, Cruise has played the roll of the hero in many films and is certainly the richer for it.

Something happened along the way, though. Cruise wanted to be considered a legitimate actor, rather than merely a "movie star." Therefore, we've seen him go against type, successfully (MAGNOLIA), and not so much (THE LAST SAMURAI). It's as if Cruise is the neglected kid in the back of the classroom who knows all of the answers but is never called upon, and therefore will go to desperate ends for attention. "Oh, Oh!! Pick me!!! Pick me!!!"

For me, Cruise hit it this time. His character in COLLATERAL is a menacing study in coldness. It is a thoroughly believable depiction of an utterly ruthless hit-man. It seems, finally, Cruise is actually BAD, rather than merely acting bad. He disdains his usual tricks in favor of a simple and very real performance.

Let us not forget Jamie Foxx. His character's transformation into a hero is rendered all the more effective by how wonderfully Foxx captures his character's initial impotence and bewilderment. It's a wonderfully effective, energetic, and yet very subtle performance.

Special kudos to Michael Mann. He has a very interesting eye when it comes to capturing the city of Los Angeles on film. His vision of L.A. in this film is one of unease and uncertainty, hardly the usual glitz and glamor treatment. This work is always compelling to the eye and paced to keep the action moving ever forward. Each scene has its own logic, contributing to the overall whole. This is first rate film-making.