Collateral

  • Review Date: December 13, 2004
  • R
  • Genre: Drama
  • 2004
 Review

Common Sense Media says

Powerful but violent thriller -- not for kids.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie is extremely violent, with constant tension and peril and many graphic shoot-outs. Many people are killed. Characters use very strong language, drink and smoke, and there are references to drugs and drug dealing.

  • Extreme and graphic peril and violence, many characters killed.
  • Not applicable.
  • Very strong language.

What's the story?

In COLLATERAL, Max (Jamie Foxx) is a cab driver who begins his shift by wiping off the dashboard and putting his favorite picture on the visor. He takes his job seriously. Vince (Tom Cruise) offers Max $600 to stay with him all night, through five stops. Max turns him down at first; it's against the rules. But then he says yes. He takes the fare to his first stop. Vince goes inside while Max waits for him. And then a dead body hits the roof of his cab. Vince is a hit man, and the five stops are people he has been hired to kill. Can Max save any of them? Can he save himself?


Is it any good?

 

As cool as a jazz riff from a tenor sax, this stylish and powerful thriller has it all -- consistently absorbing characters, twisty dialogue and an even twistier story, and action that engages the heart as it thumps a little faster. Director Mann uses a silvery blue palette and spare, reflective, glass-filled settings to keep the mood as cool as moonlight. Both Jada Pinkett Smith and Mark Ruffalo are endlessly watchable, giving their characters subtlety and context to make us care far out of proportion to their time onscreen.

Foxx is turning into a performer of great presence and depth and he makes a convincing leading man. Cruise is a little out of his range but that works oddly well for Vince, giving him a little frisson of uncertainty underneath the Terminator-like singlemindedness of the character. And Cruise has moments of brilliance. He even runs in character, completely focused but so in each moment that he does not try to pace himself. He puts everything he has into each step forward.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about Vince's ability to compartmentalize. He says he did not kill one of the victims, "the bullet and the fall killed him." Notice the way that Vince is always to the left of Max except in one scene. Which scene is that and why? What were Max's options? What is the meaning of the title? Who or what serves as collateral?


This review was written by Nell Minow
Teen, 16 years old
August 9, 2010
 
Brilliant thriller
Tom Cruise should've won an Oscar for his villainous role as Vincent, but the fact Foxx got one for his great role as Max, the quiet driver who's let his drive by as well. Vincent says some truly powerful lines, such as the film's closing line, and it literally had me at the edge of my seat, heart racing as cliche as it sounds.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
A must-thriller if you like Tom Cruise or Jamie Foxx.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this movie. I did not expect much out of it at first, but it turned out amazing. It is rather simple in a way and might be too slow for some people to watch. This is NOT appropriate for any child younger than 14. There is constant use of foul language. There is also alot of shooting, which can get mildly graphic, such as a shot in the head. But overall it was worth the watch.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Why make this movie?
Ok, a view into the life of a hit man can seem like an interesting concept - but why? Why devote hours of your life to learn about the scum of society. The movie is pretty boring and Jamie Fox's character never hits the right moment and stands out as a real hero. He just seems like a incapable sort of loser. I guess I wonder why people whould pay money to people who produce "downer" movies or movies that glorify the lowest forms of life like the also terrible movie "monster" or "pulp fiction". Why make pseudo-stars or heros of characters who are killers & murderers. Eventhough these characters eventually get theirs, they are still given much more mindshare than people who are actually doing good things in the world. What does it say about us when good dosen't sell? Especially for teenagers, these movies carry no redemming qualities. As a pure escape only, it was just ok.

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 

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Teen, 17 years old
April 1, 2012
 
A ultra-gritty thriller for older teens+ only
One of Michael Mann's better films, Collateral works fairly well as a urban action film, filled with some absolutely sensational nighttime Las Angeles cinematography, which Michael Mann is known for. The camera work is easily the best thing, with Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise's performances right behind that. Jamie Foxx works well as a ordinary veteran L.A. taxi cab driver who is forced to the limit, and Tom Cruise burns up the screen with his searing performance as a cold, calculated hit man who could care less about which person he kills. Together, they form perfect chemistry, and keep the film going. But, on the other hand, the script is rather dull, and filled with countless moments of filler, just to make the film longer to a 2 hour running time, which already feels rather long, and as they keep adding more and more side characters, including a cop played by mark Ruffalo, the film begins to steer down a path of dim precision, getting rather tiresome when it should be revving you up and thrilling you out of your seat. Still, the movie is Rated R, and here are the parental concerns: There is plenty of strong violence, including several public gunfights where several people are killed, and many others are shot during the course of the film, often with lots of spurting and spraying blood. Also, there is frequent strong profanity, including many uses of f--k, sh-t, hell, g-dd-mn and a--h-le. So, it may not be Michael Mann's best movie, but it is certainly better than a lot of other movies that he has directed as of late. Reccomended.

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This review was written by Nell Minow
Studio:DreamWorks
Director:Michael Mann
Cast:Jada Pinkett Smith, Jamie Foxx, Tom Cruise
Genre:Drama
Run time:100 minutes
Theatrical release date:August 5, 2004
DVD release date:December 13, 2004
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:violence and language

This review was written by Nell Minow
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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