Collateral (2004)

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 Los Angeles.

Director:

Michael Mann

Writer:

Stuart Beattie

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 23 wins & 70 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

This action thriller follows LA cabbie Max Durocher, the type of person who can wax poetic about other people's lives, which impresses U.S. Justice Department prosecutor Annie Farrell, one of his fares, so much that she gives him her telephone number at the end of her ride. Although a dedicated man as seen through the efficiency in which he does his work, he can't or won't translate that eloquence into a better life for himself. He deludes himself into believing that his now twelve year cabbie job is temporary and that someday he will own his own limousine service. He even lies to his hospitalized mother that he already owns one, with a further lie that he tells her as such primarily to make her happy, rather than the truth which is that he won't do anything to achieve that dream. One night, Max picks up a well dressed man named Vincent, who asks Max to be his only fare for the evening. For a flat fee of $600, plus an extra $100 if he gets to the airport on time - Vincent wants Max to...

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Plot Keywords:

los angeles california | taxi | contract killer | taxi driver | hostage | 

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Taglines:

It started like any other night

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many of the addresses that Vincent gives Max are the actual filming locations. If you search them in Google Maps Street View, you'll see they are the locations where the scenes were shot.

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Goofs

How does Vincent get his USP .45 into the nightclub? If he has a badge and is pretending to be law enforcement then why does he need Max, the cab driver? If he simply has a fake carry permit, then he would have to leave his firearm in his vehicle or he would not be allowed inside of the club.

ALL nightclubs of any consequence either hand search patrons or use magnetometers (metal detectors) to search for hidden weapons.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

There is no sound during the opening DreamWorks logo sequence but the sound of a jet landing are heard during the Paramount logo sequence. In the non-US versions, the studio logos order is reversed, so there is no sound on Paramount's and a jet landing is heard over Dreamworks'.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.106 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Moxica & His Horse
from 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Written & Performed by Vangelis
Courtesy of Warner Music U.K. Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing

User Reviews

Tom Cruise - Better than I thought!

This film could be a major turning point in Tom's career. He plays Vincent with cold-blooded charm. It is wonderful to watch a character stay flawless throughout an entire film and not be OTT with Hollywood FX etc. The dialogue between Vincent and Max is brilliant and the tug of hate they exchange brings out some chilling truths.

I love the way this movie has been filmed. It almost shows you the dark side of LA as well as the dark side of life.

The soundtrack cruises through the film beautifully. It is well timed at crucial scenes and when the film is done, you just want to buy the soundtrack to listen to.

Everyone that I have recommended this film to have been well pleased. However, Tom Cruise was sensational in this film and I was never keen on him. This film sits high in the rankings table for me and I am telling those who haven't seen it - YOU MUST!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish French Korean

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Michael Mann Project

Filming Locations:

1912 N Cahuenga Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,701,458, 8 August 2004

Gross USA:

$101,005,703

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$220,926,695

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks Pictures, Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1