Collateral

I think this is only the second Michael Mann movie I’ve watched, the first being Heat. I like Mann’s style. Collateral follows a lot of the same beats as Heat. Mann clearly takes advantage of shooting in LA. The editing is snappy, the action is tight and thrilling, and the stakes grow but never feel too large or too much for the story. I think Jamie Foxx leaves a little bit to be desired from this performance. The third act gets a tad too unbelievable for me, but the well choreographed action sequences and final chase bring things home to a satisfying ending. Ultimately, I don’t know that Heat will be beaten for me when it comes to Mann’s filmography, but I think this is still a fantastic action thriller. If this movie came out this year it’d be one of the best of the decade, and it being a 2004 release, I’d say it holds up. A few notes: A lot of times I thought I’d found plot holes, and almost immediately after I or my fiancé would point them out, the movie would clean them up. I love it when that happens. At points I thought Collateral tried a little too hard to follow Heat beat-by-beat. The nightclub scene is cool, and very well shot, but I feel as though the LAPD/Feds are a lot dumber in this movie. For as quickly as they are on the cab duo, they lose him pretty quick. This is even when they’re in the same cab. Small nitpicks but post nightclub is when the movie gets a small bit too far fetched for me. 8.5/10