Collateral (2004)
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A Los Angeles cab driver finds himself in a perilous situation when he picks up a passenger who turns out to be a hitman on a killing spree.
The story
Max Durocher is a Los Angeles cab driver trying to save his earnings and start his own limousine business. One evening, he picks up a passenger named Vincent, who offers a high fare for driving to several locations. Max agrees to the ride, but the situation quickly turns dangerous when Vincent reveals himself to be a hitman on a contract killing spree. Max finds himself taken hostage by the sociopathic man, forced to participate in a series of deadly encounters across the city as they move from one location to the next, while the LAPD begins to investigate a string of related crimes.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Max Durocher, a cab driver in Los Angeles, picks up a passenger named Vincent who offers a high fare for a series of stops. During the ride, Vincent reveals himself as a hitman and forces Max to hide a body in the trunk. As they move through the city, they encounter various targets and obstacles. Max meets a federal prosecutor, Annie Farrell, who is part of the investigation into the hitman's activities. After several violent encounters at a jazz club and a hospital, Max manages to steal Vincent's information. The tension escalates as the LAPD and FBI close in on the hitman's trail. After a series of confrontations, including a chase through a nightclub and a final showdown on a metro rail train, Max and Annie manage to escape while Vincent is left behind, fatally wounded. The film concludes with the two of them fleeing the scene as the hitman's spree ends.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Mann
- Writers
- Stuart Beattie · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Cruise · Vincent; Jamie Foxx · Max Durocher; Jada Pinkett Smith · Annie Farrell; Mark Ruffalo · Detective Ray Fanning; Peter Berg · Detective Richard Weidner; Bruce McGill · Frank Pedrosa; Irma P. Hall · Ida Durocher; Barry Shabaka Henley · Daniel Baker; Javier Bardem · Felix Reyes-Torrena
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- nihilism; human life
- Tone and mood
- noir; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- hitman; taxi driver; crime
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, particularly for the performances of Cruise and Foxx, Mann's direction, and the editing.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 86% · scale: percentage · review count: 238; Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Supporting Actor · nomination; Academy Award · Best Film Editing · nomination; National Board of Review · top ten films of 2004 · 2004 · win
- Production trivia
- It was the first feature film to be shot with a Viper FilmStream High-Definition Camera.; The script was originally set in New York City before being moved to Los Angeles.; Tom Cruise worked covertly as a FedEx deliveryman to avoid being recognized during filming.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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