Collateral (Movie Review)

Not even in my laziest coach-potato fantasies did I ever expect to enjoy this film. I was so determined to not watch it, in fact, that when it arrived on MCR's doorstep via Netflix, I recommended he watch it while working out, rather than reserve it for a stay-at-home Friday evening. I have a pretty rough time stomaching any films that involve not Tom Cruise himself, but rather Tom Cruise's ego. I tend to avoid his ego's films, as a result.

As luck would have it, though, I caught a few minutes of Collateral while MCR sweated away on my elliptical machine, and was sufficiently hooked. And though I want to place all of the kudos at Jamie Foxx's feet, I must admit that Cruise wasn't bad, either. For once in his film career, there was a twist to his usual, ego-maniacal character: in Collateral, he plays a bad egomaniacal character. So rather than a heart of gold at the center of his self-assured exterior, there was something far more calloused. The finished product was not so much your typical action/adventure, as a result, but rather a psychological journey into the mind of the Everyman (Jamie Foxx's character): a pushover with big dreams he'll never fulfill.

You can see Foxx's character struggling to cope with Cruise's presence... Foxx is a cab-driver who picked up a hit-man (Cruise) out on the town for a night of organized killing. When Foxx realizes that his own life is at stake, he essentially goes through all of the stages of anxiety. He finds consolation in the idea that the people being killed are themselves "bad." He relates to his captor (Stockholm Syndrome). Does what he is told. They have a sort of mutual respect, though Foxx's character is slowly evolving from a one-dimensional face in the crowd into a complex human being. You can literally see him struggling to break out of himself (and then retreating, and then moving forward again), testing waters and attempting to overcome his quiet resignation. I enjoyed watching this inner battle, which manifests itself in conversations between the cab-driver and his captor.

And I wasn't entirely appalled by Cruise, either. I had a difficult time believing the gray on his head (he seems to defy all notions of time), but otherwise find the sociopathic mean streak to suit him. Watching him reminded me of how irritated I often am by Cruise films; how I often like them, despite my gut telling me I shouldn't.

Which is a long way of saying there's something more to this film. Not the blatant philosophical statement you'd find in Waking Life (which I enjoyed) or even My Dinner with Andre (also a great film). This is still an action flick, and the script isn't really that great. But I appreciated the fact that this film uses action a vehicle to show the protagonist — the Everyman — exhibiting grace under pressure (to misuse Hemingway). It was just good enough to let Foxx strut his stuff.

I'm certainly not adding Collateral to my list of favorites. But if I were to compile a list of "movies I thought I'd hate but didn't" — it'd be near the top.