Synopsis for
Collateral (2004) More at IMDbPro »

Max is a simple cab driver in Los Angeles. One night he picks up Annie, a beautiful DA. The two have very friendly chat where Annie talks about her nervousness over her upcoming trial appearance and Max discusses his dream business, a limo company. At the end of the ride Annie gives Max her card. Annie leaves the cab and goes inside her building to work on her important case.

A man approaches the cab, and Max almost doesn't notice him, but he gets the man in anyway. The man introduces himself as Vincent. He's very friendly and offers Max $600 to drive him around for the night. Max reluctantly agrees. As the two chat, Vincent says that he hates Los Angeles because it is impersonal. He recalls a news story about a man who died on the subway but remained on the train for days without anyone noticing. Max tells Vincent about his dream of opening a limo company, describing his job as a cab driver as temporary. Vincent asks how long he has been doing it, and Max confesses that his "temporary" job has lasted 12 years.

Vincent has Max drive him to an apartment. Vincent goes upstairs as Max eats a sandwich. Suddenly, a dead body falls on Max's cab. Vincent comes downstairs and reveals that he shot the man. He forces Max at gunpoint to help him hide the body in the cab's trunk. Max begs Vincent to let him go, but Vincent insists that he go with him.

As the evening continues, Vincent has Max deliver him to more places where Vincent kills people. He has to kill five people by the end of the night. Meanwhile, a Detective Fanning is chasing the two, slowly figuring out what is going on.

Despite the circumstance, Vincent seems to take a liking to Max, who doesn't return the favor. Max destroys Vincent's computer. Vincent responds by forcing Max to go to the mob boss who ordered these hits and retrieving the information. Max pretends to be Vincent to the mob boss, and successfully gets the remaining info for the hits. Not only does a police stakeout result in Vincent and Max being tailed by the police, but the mob boss orders that his own men follow "Vincent," who is really Max, and kill him.

Vincent and Max go to a busy night club to kill a heavily guarded target. The club gets filled with armed FBI, LAPD, bodyguards and mob men. A massive shoot ensues where Vincent kills his target and saves Max's life. Detective Fanning tries to help Max but is gunned down by Vincent.

Max and Vincent escape the carnage. Max has reached his breaking point and deliberately wrecks his cab. Vincent crawls out and leaves him behind. A police officer approaches Max to help him but sees the body in the trunk. While on the ground, Max sees Vincent's new computer screen and realizes that Annie is the final target, which explains why Vincent was outside of that particular building earlier.

Max overpowers the cop and takes his gun. He races to Annie's building and reaches her at the same time Vincent does. Max shoots Vincent and runs away with Annie. However, Vincent survived this injury and chases the two of them onto a subway train. Vincent and Max fire their guns at one another, with Vincent sustaining mortal wounds. Vincent asks Max if he thinks anyone will notice his body. He dies as Max and Annie leave the train.