Yes, Collateral! Cruise is great in this as a hired assassin who snags the meek but philosophical Max, the cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to drive him around all night while he knocks seven different people off. Foxx got all the accolades and nominations but Cruise was only honored by Saturn Awards. I'm not saying he was better than Foxx but they were both incredible together as a team and this is an underrated Cruise performance. He's perfect as the calm but unhinged assassin and he looks great.
The lengendary Micheel Mann (Heat, Miami Vice) is responsible for this thrilling odessey through LA at night and he set the bar with this film using the Viper Filmstream, a forerunner to what we now call FHD, it's one of the only films ever to use it as a primary camera. The only thing shot in 35 were portions of the Viper niteclub scene.
I still marvel at the pacing of this film, it's really a work of art as it speeds up and slows down. Just when we're rolling along at 3 in the morning, Mann decides to have a coyote stop the cab in it's tracks. As both Cruise and Foxx stare baffled at the creature, Vangelis' "Moxica & The Horse" starts to play with it's powerful lead vocal. It's the only time in the film a whole song (or most of it) is used.
The scene where they visit Max's mom in the hospital is mellow on the surface but full of underlying meanings and clues about the character of Max. One of my very favorite thrillers, check it out in the event you haven't seen it or revisit it, streaming right now for free on Pluto. The channel, not the planet. 4.0 stars/5
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