Michael Mann's Collateral is one of my favourite films of 2004; it's a finely-tuned thriller that sees Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise both on outstanding form, the former as the placid cabbie under duress, and the latter as a grey-haired assassin carrying out a routine spate of hits. However, the role that earned Foxx a Best Supporting Actor nomination wasn't always meant for him; it was initially floated around that the role might go to Adam Sandler, believe it or not. While Sandler is great at playing everyman schlubs like this, his presence in a serious thriller would likely prove too distracting and end up tipping the tonal balance. If all we can focus on is his funnyman face, we won't be able to get invested in the tension of the scenario. Moreover, plenty of audiences would have felt short-changed even if Sandler gave a good performance, because they'd have expected the film to be a dark comedy rather than a brooding thriller. It'd be interesting to watch for sure, but the man was so wrong for the part it's not even funny...