DOWN IN FRONT: Collateral

by Dan Dunkle

     The thing that sets “Collateral” apart from your average crime thriller is not the plot, the characters or even the outstanding direction. It’s Tom Cruise.

     Although this may not be the first time Tom Cruise has played a villain -- certainly Lestat from “Interview with the Vampire” was a villain -- it is the first time he’s been this plain vile.

     In “Collateral” he plays Vincent, a contract hit man who is coldly carrying out a series of executions over the course of one night in Los Angeles. For transportation on his killing spree, he has enlisted the help of a highly competent but unwilling cabbie named Max (Jamie Foxx).

     Cruise looks different in this role. He arrives on screen with gray hair, pale skin, and a plain gray suit. His face is slightly more lined than usual, either showing his age or adding to it. The great thing about his performance is even when he’s not saying anything, he’s still in character. Every movement and expression seems to bring something new to the story.

     Here and there we see hints of the Vampire Lestat -- in his ability to smile and make small talk with Max despite the gravity of the situation.

     Foxx is the opposite of Cruise’s Vincent. He is expressive, gentle, and generally concerned about the health and well-being of his fellow humans, even those who aren’t all that nice. What he witnesses while hanging with Vincent horrifies him, but it doesn’t paralyze him. In a weird way, we can see the character growing the guts he desperately needs over the course of the night.

     The movie is directed by Michael Mann who I, as a child of the 80s, associate with the television show “Miami Vice.” Mann was a writer for the hit crime series which had me glued to the set every week in junior high. He also wrote episodes for “Starsky & Hutch” in the 70s and has specialized in making gritty, urban crime movies. He brought us “Heat” in the 1990s with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. He also brought us “Manhunter” which was the 1980s version of “Red Dragon” starring William L. Petersen who in turn has gone on to become famous for his work as Gil Grissom in the hit series “CSI.”

     Yeah, you could say I’m a fan of Mann’s work.

     “Collateral” also reminded me of the countless hours I spent mastering “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” The feeling was summoned by all of those images of criminals riding through streets lined with palm trees at night, looking for their next target. Of course the video game was also inspired by Mann’s work.

     Were it not for all of these good factors, this would have just ended up being another lame crime drama/thriller. Without a killer performance by Cruise it would just have been another “Phone Booth” and no one wants to see that.