Collateralreview by Jeffrey Overstreet |
posted 8/06/2004
5 of 5

You can scan through the mainstream press reviews here.
from Film Forum, 08/19/04
Coffin has much higher praise for Michael Mann's latest thriller, Collateral: "Though full of implausible plot developments, each scene in Collateral works so well on its own, and is so full of fascinating detail, that one hardly cares. Mr. Mann can make a simple shot of Tom Cruise climbing a staircase full of depth and visual interest. The glimmering city of Los Angeles becomes as much a star of the film as Mr. Cruise or Mr. Foxx. What makes Collateral all the more interesting is the interplay between its stars. Mr. Cruise uses his considerable, but often facile, charm to suck Mr. Foxx—and the audience—into his amoral universe, as he (and, by extension, the audience) becomes increasingly complicit in his passenger's murders."
Brett McCracken (Relevant) saw it too and comes out raving: "In a summer movie season of uncharacteristic strength, it shouldn't surprise many that … Collateral is above average as well. What will come as a pleasant surprise is just how far above it really is. Perhaps seeing is believing, but take my word for it; this film is brilliant."
But Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin (Cinema in Focus) disagree, offering the film only a "one-star" rating: "Although we rightfully see Vincent as a deformed human being unable to understand moral thought, the underlying theme of the film is disturbingly real. If we become a culture that is not based on any moral foundation, then adultery, lying, stealing and finally murdering will simply be an option seen as normal behavior. Without a spiritual and moral foundation, Vincent's logic will no longer seem twisted because we will have lost any basis by which to measure it."
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