A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

The Evaluation System Reviews by Title Reviews by Date

Reviews from Video Reviews of the Classics Personal Background

Title: Collateral

Date Viewed: 8/22/04

Details:

Tom Cruise

Jamie Foxx

Jada Pinkett Smith

Mark Ruffalo

Director: Michael Mann

Score: +

The Review: Once you get over the fact that Tom Cruise plays a bad guy, an amoral but oddly ethical hit-man, you can relax and be entertained. You might not enjoy this fare ("modified rapture"), but it's a fast-paced ride with some interesting twists and a fingernail-biting denouement.

Jamie Foxx is an L.A. cab-driver who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time to pick up Cruise for a night on the town, and this is not your typical partying. Although there are a lot of peripheral characters, some quite well done, this is basically a two-man show with Cruise's jaunty attitude playing off Foxx's everyman. (As with many Jack Nicolson movies, you get the feeling that Cruise is not really acting, but merely playing himself.)

(29-Aug-04)

Back to the chronological list of reviews