Collateral is a near flawless film, superbly directed, written, and acted by all involved. The 4k transfer brings out the best qualities of the film, only enhancing the viewing experience of such an excellent story.
“Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a cool, calculating contract killer at the top of his game. Max (Jamie Foxx) is a hapless cabbie with big dreams and little to show for it. Now, Max has to transport Vincent on his next job – one night, five stops, five hits and a getaway. And after this fateful night, neither man will ever be the same again. Tonight, everything is changing… “No crime film in years boasts a cooler vibe than Michael Mann’s dazzling Collateral. Mann hits a new peak… Cruise takes his game to a whole new level. Fox fires up the screen with the power and subtlety of a born star.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone”.
Michael Mann has had an eclectic career, with his filmography ranging from his earlier exquisite works, Thief and Manhunter in the ‘80s, and The Last of the Mohicans and Heat in the ‘90s, only to name a few. Collateral, for me, is a near flawless film, perfectly paced to tell an engaging story filled with action, drama, and heightened tension that just keeps building.
The film isn’t simply about one character’s journey, but the culmination of events that happen in a single night. For Max, the solitary man, chasing a dream that will never come to fruition, he has finally met the women that could change all that during a short cab ride in which the both of them feel a spark between each other. Just as quickly as she came into his life, she’s out, but not before leaving her number, symbolizing hope, and an escape of the mundane. Vincent enters just as quickly, but as a force that seeks to ruin all of that, beginning a night that will test every bit of strength and courage Max has, fighting to stay alive by eventually changing into the man he has to become. Not only the man that has the strength to survive the night, but one who has the strength to change who he is realize his dream.
The streets of Los Angeles is a mesmerizing backdrop for the story, especially in the middle of the night where everything is empty and silent. It makes the film seem as if it takes place in an entirely isolated world most times. The scenes that are filled with people, like the nightclub scenes, are filled with energy, almost claustrophobic, the exact opposite of the rest of the film. Michael Mann uses the cityscape perfectly as a major part of the film, and is one of the many reasons that gives the film so much character.
Collateral may have one of my favorite Tom Cruise performances. Although he is usually the action star these days, when he does branch off and do something totally unexpected, he undoubtedly puts everything he has into the role. This is one of the rare occasions he plays the antagonist, and his performance as Vincent is one of the key factors to the film’s success. Vincent is cold and calculating, with everything perfectly thought out and every scenario accounted for. When things go wrong, he adapts, and his mysterious background only makes things more interesting. As Max points out at one point, Vincent can’t read people. Something is wrong in him that can’t form connections with people, one of the reasons he can seem to form a bond with Max yet have no qualms about murdering him at the end of the night. It’s this dissonance within the character that Cruise plays so well. He genuinely thinks he is helping Max at times, but a certain switch will eventually flip whenever the time comes to kill him.
I’m usually not a fan of Jaime Foxx. Some of his performances in other roles just aren’t that interesting, to me. However, in Collateral, Foxx is able to pull off one of the better ones I’ve seen. His character is subdued, has big dreams but will never follow through on them. His gradual change throughout the night is a testament to the writing, direction, and acting of Foxx, that is able to show it so well.
Video
Collateral is presented in 2160p 4k Ultra High Definition Widescreen 2.40:1, featuring Dolby Vision and HDR10. Michael Mann was an early adopter of digital film back in 2004, and his experiments with digital in extreme low level lighting are interesting to see on this 4k release. The film is grain heavy, one of the most interesting things about it in my opinion, that gives it a very gritty look to it, the perfect tone for the film. The best thing about this release has to be the incredible deep darks the 4k is able to achieve. Being a very dark film anyway, this transfer gives it an even more stylized look. Colors can really pop in some of the brighter sequences, especially in the nightclub sequence, which was shot on film due to the low lighting.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. This mix seems to be the same used for the previous Blu-ray release, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Levels are good, with a nice balance between the surrounds and center channel. There are some great sequences highlighting just how incredible this track sounds, again, the nightclub sequence. Some very powerful sound coming from the surrounds, all the while providing clear and concise dialogue from the center channel. I would have enjoyed a new Atmos or DTS:X mix, but this one still sounds very impressive. The soundtrack is also one of my favorite parts of this film. It’s smooth, cool, a great embodiment of the tone of the film.
Special Features
Extras are recycled from the original Blu-ray release, which include:
- Commentary by Director Michael Mann
- City of the Night: The Making of Collateral
- Special Delivery
- Deleted Scene with Commentary
- Shooting on Location: Annie’s Office
- Tom Cruise & Jaime Foxx Rehearse
- Visual FX: MTA Train
Collateral is one of Michael Mann’s finest, containing some of the best performances of all actors involved. Although the picture looks stunning, the difference between the previous release isn’t all that striking because of the constant low-level lighting throughout the film. Still, at the right price point, this is a solid upgrade, or purchase for anyone not already owning this fantastic film.
