Kevin's Watch

Very intense, killer music, guns and drugs. Maybe that's why it reminded me of Miami Vice?-oh well Michael Mann directed it, nuff said! Jamie Foxx gives a excellent performance-never a dull moment. Say what you will but I enjoyed it...

Watched Collateral last weekend. Very intense with an occasional touch of humor. I agree with you, danlo. I enjoyed it.

Yeah...I loved Collateral. I think it was my Movie of the Year. It was a lot more interesting than a mindless action movie. Lots of fun. Foxx and Cruise were great.-jay

Very good flick. Nice to see Tom Cruise playing a bad guy.

One thing I didn't get though:

SPOILER

Spoiler

How did Vincent die in the end? Did he get hit by Max when they were shooting at each other in the subway? I can't recall seeing him get hit, and I doubt the blood loss from his ear getting shot off would have killed him.

END SPOILER

Just saw this last night....Amazing. I enjoyed Heat more, but Collateral was really gripping. Great, great soundtrack too.

I figured it was the loss of blood mixed with the loss on adreneline, that killed him.
I was glad that it wasn't just another movie glamorizing the lives of hitmen.

Watched this today - overall, I enjoyed it but I think Foxx's performance is overrated. I really don't like Cruise in anything really but he was good in this. It was very predictable, especially Jada Pinkett Smith's character.

Ironic that this next movie I'm reviewing is written by the same guy, Stuart Beattie, that wrote the Derailed movie that I disliked--because I like this movie Collateral that I am about to review so much better.

I have read that Collateral director/producer Michael Mann did a lot of impromptu rewrites, so maybe that helped Collateral come across better. Honestly, Collateral is a typical violent R-rated Hollywood movie in essence, but it has great acting and cinematography.

Cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx, an actor of whom I am definitely a fan) has a fare that is a pleasant lawyer named Annie (Jada Pinkett-Smith) that needs to be taken to her legal building to pull an all-nighter on a criminal case against a drug lord. Annie and Max hit it off and she gives him her cell phone # on her business card after she gets out of the cab. Max's next fare is Vincent (Tom Cruise, an actor of whom I am really not a fan, but does okay here in a relatively-rare villainous turn), who offers Max hundreds in cash if he can retain Max's cab for five stops throughout the LA night. But Vincent is a hit man for a drug lord, and Max finds out Annie is the last stop on Vincent's hit list.

Besides being a thriller, this Collateral flick ponders on the consequences of both momentary and long-term decisions we all make. I must admit I liked it.

enjoyed this movie very much. In part because for me it was a departure for Tom Cruise and the type of role he usually takes on. I wish he would play against character like he did in this role more often.

I would recommend this movie for anyone wanting a smart crime / action drama with Cruise taking a risk in his choice of roles.