10 Movies That BRILLIANTLY Avoided Huge Cliches

Michael Mann's brilliant thriller Collateral seems to make it pretty clear early on that embattled cabbie Max (Jamie Foxx) is going to get a big assist from LAPD detective Ray Fanning (Mark Ruffalo) when it comes to escaping from and taking down ruthless assassin Vincent (Tom Cruise).

Fanning is shown to be a smart and resourceful cop who figures out that Vincent's victims are all witnesses in a federal grand jury case, so going by filmmaking convention, why wouldn't he save the day?

But mid-way through the film, when Fanning seemingly saves Max from a chaotic nightclub shootout, Fanning is suddenly gunned down in cold blood by Vincent, who swiftly forces Max back into his cab.

With Max's only viable ally now dead, it falls to him to save the day himself, which he eventually does. Even so, given how the film built Fanning up, this was a glorious obliteration of expectations that only further cemented Vincent's utter lack of regard for, well, anything but the job.