Thoughtful violence.
I use that seeming oxymoron to describe the movie Collateral. This was a compelling film. Yes, it’s violent, and the violence isn’t necessarily thoughtful, but the film doesn’t get caught up the action. Instead, the explosions of bullets that occasionally erupt punctuate the film, and change the pace.
The beginning of this movie grabbed me, without being loud or fast or aggressive. Jamie Foxx starts his shift as a taxi driver, demonstrating his competence while at the same time showing how much he’s a victim of his routines. Then the movie really kicks off with some quiet moments while Jada Pinkett Smith rides in Foxx’s taxi from the airport to her office. She’s a prosecuting attorney, and we get the first reminder of how revealing anonymous conversations can be. Taxi drivers must hear and see all kinds of things, and the movie builds off a few examples. Once you add stress — which this movie does — the wall between driver and passenger breaks down. Those breakdowns are part of the success of this movie.
The best parts of the movie are where two people are talking, or not talking. After the opening, this is mostly Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Foxx is not funny in this movie, and that’s a complement. His presence as the focused, competent, self-deluding taxi driver makes the movie. He’s the hero, without being heroic. Tom Cruise as the contract killer, by contrast, is evil, but in a deliberately neutral way. There is nothing redeeming about him, but his clearheadedness is striking. Like Foxx, he is a perfectionist about his job. Together, they draw each other out, mostly via Cruise’s persistence in keeping Foxx focused so he doesn’t lose his equilibrium in the chaos that Cruise’s tasks bring about. Cruise is an unchanging catalyst for Foxx’s changes… and it’s all coherent.
Go see Collateral.