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The story begins with an out of town businessman named Vincent (Tom Cruise) hopping into Max’s taxi (Jamie Foxx) and asking him if he can hire the cab for the night. Max is hesitant but is won over with a large sum of money and so the adventure begins. At the first stop of the night a dead body falls on top of Max’s taxi and he realizes that the man he is driving around is a hired assassin. Max wants no part in the killings that are taking place, but it is too late. He has made a deal and now has to drive Vincent to all the required locations unless he himself wants to die.

Director Michael Mann has chosen two unusual actors for his leading roles. Not that we don’t know who Tom Cruise or Jamie Foxx is, rather it’s the roles that he has them play. In the movie, Cruise plays a calm and collected assassin who is always in control of the situation, while Foxx is a shy and timid cab driver. Cruise is not the type actor who is usually cast as a villainous character while Foxx is a comedian by trade; nevertheless both actors are able to pull off their respective roles. While Cruise is no closer to winning an Oscar by his performance in this movie, Foxx provides a pleasant surprise by expanding his acting range to include serious drama.

The entire movie takes place at night in the streets of LA. The taxi cab ride is used as a transition effect between different sets and events; as we are given time to reflect on what has happen as well as new information about what’s ahead while Vincent and Max talk to each other. Once out of the cab, the action starts and progresses at a quick pace. Vincent is a true professional and provides entertaining sequences as he expertly hits his marks. The movie itself has an artsy feel to it as we see a montage of LA highways, streets, and alleys illuminated by fluorescent street lights, which provide a perfect setting for the surreal nature of this movie.

Collateral is about many things. It’s about life in LA after dark, about being a taxi driver and meeting strangers, and about making choices and living out your dreams. Mann throws around a lot of different concepts as the movie progresses; nevertheless the movie can be summed up like this: that when we get pushed, we will eventually push back. Yes, you can analyze the presence of fate and choice however the deeper you get the more ridiculous the whole scenario gets, because there were multiple opportunities for Max to simply walk away, but for some odd reason he chose not to. Only towards the very end of the movie he actually gets fed up and decides to do something for a change. This movie could have easily have been a thriller or a drama; however Mann’s dependence on too many action elements like massive shootouts and senseless chases has prevented it from being a more serious piece.