Vincent (Tom Cruise) is a cool, calculating, contract killer at the top of his game. Max (Jamie Foxx) is a hapless cabbie with big dreams and little to show for it. Now, Max has to transport Vincent on his next job – one night, five stops, five hits and a getaway. And after this fateful night, neither man will ever be the same again. Tonight everything is changing… Acclaimed filmmaker Michael Mann directs a powerhouse cast that also includes Jada Pinkett Smith in this stylish thriller that critics call “A Pure Adrenaline Rush” (Access Hollywood). – synopsis via Paramount Pictures
COLLATERAL is directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. Mann is best known for HEAT and THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS.
Let me just start by saying that this movie is excellent. Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are a pair with a tense chemistry that keeps your interest from start to finish. Foxx builds steadily into an anxiety-filled person as time goes on. It makes the audience feel the tension and can be immersive.
As for Cruise’s Vincent, he is a villain that I find likable because he is a smooth talker and doesn’t let emotions mess with his work. Being so far from anyone that Cruise has played in the past, this is a nice change for someone who has been the protagonist in the majority of his work. The character can turn on this cold and calculated problem-solver persona that feels natural.
Some things feel like something Alfred Hitchcock would have put into film. You have a regular guy put into extraordinary circumstances and the curve in the plot works. Maybe it’s obvious but I hope first-time viewers are surprised.
Cast
Tom Cruise as Vincent
Jamie Foxx as Max Durocher
Jada Pinkett Smith as Annie Farrell
Mark Ruffalo as Ray Fanning
Peter Berg as Richard Weidner
Bruce McGill as Frank Pedrosa
Irma P. Hall as Ida Durocher
Barry Shabaka Henley as Daniel Baker
Klea Scott as Zee
Javier Bardem as Felix Reyes-Torrena
Emilio Rivera as Paco
VIDEO QUALITY 4/5
The video is a 2160p HEVC presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR 10. The video for the new release honestly surprised me. Michael Mann has a look in his films that have a heavy grain and the Blu-ray of this movie was, to me, a little heavy-handed. Somehow, this 4k release has tamed down the grain/noise and left more of a detailed image than a noisy one. The blacks are inky and deep and there weren’t any major issues that I could spot. At the start of the movie, the colors are brighter and stronger due to the time of day. You also get a bit of this in the indoor scenes where Max’s mom stays in the hospital. Once it is nighttime, the colors take on a greenish hue from the various lights in the city.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
The audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that has a variety of scenarios thrown at it. The opening with Max in the cabstand to the various customers and even some atmospheric music all within the first five minutes. Most of the dialogue is confined within the cab so there is a deadened sound from Cruise and Foxx’s voices. The rear channels get some of the echoing and liveness of LA. The music is impressive with the solid bass lines and clear highs. Voices and dialogue are clear and prioritized even in the busy club setting.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING 4/5
4k Disc
-Audio Commentary: with Director Michael Mann
-Theatrical Trailer
Blu-ray:
-Audio Commentary: with Director Michael Mann
-City of Night: The Making of COLLATERAL: This 40-minute long making-of has a lot of good information and is worth checking out.
-Special Delivery: This looks at Cruise taking on the character.
-Shooting on Location: Annie’s Office: This looks at the scene in Annie’s office and how it was done.
-Tom Cruise & Jamie Foxx Rehearse: This looks at the two and how they work with each other.
-Visual FX: MTA Train: This looks at the set and effects used to make it work.
-Deleted Scene with Commentary track
-Teaser Trailer
-Theatrical Trailer
Disc Details
4k Ultra HD
2-Disc Set w/ 1 UHD and 1 Blu-ray
Digital Copy
Steelbook Case as shown below. It is a 2-disc housing with Cruise and Foxx opposite each other on the inside.
Running Time
120 mins
Edition Rated
Rated R
Region Coding
Region Free
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC / H.265
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
HDR
Dolby Vision
HDR10
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
German Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
German
Blu-ray
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
Portuguese
Spanish
THE FINAL WORD 4.5/5
As I said earlier, this is an incredibly entertaining film. It checks off the boxes for a crime-thriller and I feel like the base of the story is timeless noir. For being such a dark film both tonally and visually, the Dolby Vision and uptick in the format makes the movie look its best. The audio could benefit from an updated, Atmos of dts:X mix. I think that it would be interesting after the way that the first name on the list is killed. The extras have been good from the previous releases and the commentary is worth the info from Mann. Ultimately, this is Michael Mann doing what he does when he makes a movie and he explains some of it in the commentary. This is one of his best and if you don’t have the 4k release already or are a Steelbook Collector then this is worth picking up.
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