Collateral

Collateral, today a very well-known thriller, the plot of which takes place largely inside of a single car, is seemingly leaning away from the patterns introduced by Mann’s previous work, but don’t be mistaken. Even seen from the windows of a taxi, the city and the crime are still thoroughly Mann-esque. Once again, a figure of an unwavering professional (Cruise) enters the scene, but this time he is confronted with a man of the people, an ordinary cabbie (Foxx). Together, the unpredictable dynamic between the two men, the enclosed space of the car and the half empty streets of nighttime Los Angeles create an intense experience, growing into an intense final sequence and a melancholy closure. The image of Los Angeles as the stage for this meeting between a regular man and an unpredictable element is underscored by the compositions by the famous James Newton Howard. (bk)