Michael Mann: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best
2. Collateral
Manns 2004 thriller opens inconspicuously enough: you first see a silver-haired man, clad in a grey tux with briefcase in hand, sauntering ever-so-coolly through an LAX terminal; it takes us a minute before realising that this sharply dressed character is none other than Tom Cruise. He bumps into someone - wait, is that Jason Statham? - and after sharing a mumbled apology or two, the two men quietly swap briefcases. Its a quick scene, clocking in at no more than about 40 seconds, yet it perfectly sets the cool, effortlessly effective tone for all that will follow. Collateral isnt Michael Manns most ambitious film, nor is it necessarily his most astute. It is, however, without a doubt his most thoroughly engrossing effort: set over the course of one long L.A. night, during which Cruises coldly efficient hitman Vincent commandeers poor cabbie Max (Jamie Foxx) to shuttle him around the city to five different, er, appointments, Collateral is an absolute devil of a movie, scary when it needs to be scary, darkly funny at just the right times, and even managing to be something close to moving in its final few moments. The whole film moves like a wolf, bounding from one plot point to the next with brutal ferocity and ruthless efficiency. Like Vincent, Mann seems to be on a strict time limit, and for the 120 minutes it runs, Collateral is nothing short of electrifying.
