Collateral

“Think anybody'll notice?” I think one aspect where Collateral definitively excels in is the subtlety of it’s messaging. The idea that two vastly different people living different lives can change and shift so drastically out of nowhere… the movie builds up a lot to quietly slip those themes to the viewer. Otherwise, you gotta appreciate the unique way this movie handles the ‘thriller’ genre. Collateral doesn’t keep you on the edge of your seat, but rather keeps you on your toes - every scene’s tension and spontaneity can almost be dissected shot by shot, minute by minute. Unfortunately, some performances fell short… Cruise was great in certain moments but was fairly idle for most of the film, and Smith deserved much more time invested into her character rather than being absent for the entire thing, save for the opening and finale.