It's 'Mann' man. Review on Collateral Movie

…And the Hunter became the hunted

I saw Collateral on the first day itself. A lazy bug bit me and disabled me from writing a review. Now recovered, here it goes…

Tom Cruise is perhaps the most underrated actor of our times. This, even after movies like Few good men, Jerry McGuire ,Last Samurai..etc…,we undeservedly categorize his success as “It’s his looks baby”.

This movie is a typical Michael Mann. The sprawling streets of LA when the sun goes down and the underlying feelings of respect and hatred between the “TWO” main characters. There are certain mannerisms of the characters that become a part of the story, which are Mann’s trademark, like in “Heat”, the cop having the arrogance and recklessness of a criminal, and the thief having the discipline and resolve of a cop.

Mann’s movies revolve around only 2 main characters and the rest are all Extras.

Here too, this movie is about a hit man and a cabbie and their joyous ride together.

The movie starts off with the I-want-to-start-a-limo-company Cabbie (Jamie Foxx in a brilliant performance) dropping off a tensed up pretty Asst DA (Jeda Pinkett Smith looking beautiful in straight hair) after relaxing her nerves about a big case she was going to argue the next day. The Cabbie in exchange for his hard work is rewarded with the lady’s visiting card.

He then picks up the grey streaked Hittie(hit man) …errr Hottie , Tom Cruise for a moonlight ride around the streets of LA to make 5 stops at his prospective real estate buyers before saying goodbye at the LA airport. How does hittie achieve this? By lying and bribing, silly.

It takes a body thrown out of a window landing on his dashboard for cabbie to realize that his realtor is a hit man. Serves him right for not asking who the dumb buyers are that want to close properties at midnight?

After staring down the barrel of a gun, cabbie becomes the reluctant partner in crime and goes on a cruise with cruise. They make an interesting pair. The dialect between them is very thought provoking and interesting, especially about morality and Rwanda genocide.

Mark Ruffalo in a “you blink and I am gone” role as the narcotics cop and gives a performance that makes you not to blink. He comes upon the broken window of a protected witness ina drug trial and a dead body of another witnesses in the same drug trial that was to take place the next day.Apparently, this guy in the movie is smarter than the whole narcotics squad.

By now you must've guessed who the hitman wants to bump off..

In between the shooting spree, jazz and a cab ride,hospital visits, cabbie picks up a few life tips from hittie and somehow hittie develops an unrevealing soft spot for cabbie.

Even though hittie saved his life twice, cabbie tries to make a run for it but hittie always catches up with him like an obsessed lover.

After few ‘Bang Bang’ scenes, cabbie’s lost it and gets into the “I don’t care anymore” mode and promptly crashes the cab.

The showdown begins. Cabbie like a good student learns well from hittie and uses it against hittie and hittie is left with trying to convince Cabbie like “Dammit, I do this for a living” and also pretty intent on finishing his job.

This is a good movie and worth a worth.