Collateral - Michael Mann's Masterpiece

Check out my Collateral video essay. Find out why I think this is Michael Mann's masterpiece.
Collateral (2004) is an action-thriller, directed by Michael Mann and stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. The plot follows L.A cabbie Max, who one night picks up passenger Vincent, as what starts out a regular taxi fare for Max quickly turns into a nightmare for him.
Max then finds outs that Vincent is a hitman, who forces Max to drive around the city for a sum of money to facilitate Vincent's targeted kills.
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Intro - 0:00
My love for Collateral - 0:47
How the Characters become the Story - 1:19
Acting - 4:22
Tension - 6:10
Levity - 7:43
Action - 8:23
Outro - 9:19
#Collateral #TomCruise #JamieFoxx

[@HollywoodTown]

Let me know your thoughts below on Collateral and do you think this is Michael Mann's masterpiece?

[@rxtsec1]

For me that would be Heat my 2nd favorite movie of all time. That said Collateral is a very good movie. I'd give it a B+ or A-

[@drlee2]

Collateral is definitely Michael Mann's best film. An existential film that manages to still feel grounded, gritty, and relatable. The script, performances, cinematography, music, editing, and most importantly direction are all top notch. I always say that this film is not genre-specific. You can't shoehorn it into any genre. It has action but is not an action movie. It has a lot of humor but it's not a comedy. It has cops, assassins, and gangsters, but it's not really a crime drama. It's just a unique mixture of all these elements that is a masterpiece.

[@bardanmalla193]

He gives all he can in most of his movies, his every movie is good . Wouldn't just say this is his best movie

[@oscarorozco8989]

You might want to take another look at Heat.

[@jjr1728]

@@oscarorozco8989 heat is far the superior film.

[@SnookerFan-kl1jj]

Not even close, The Insider is his best work. An absolute masterpiece.

[@aryankaushik93]

The nightclub shootout is one of the greatest action scenes.

[@KeepingItReel]

100% Michael's Mann best film. The nighttime cityscape ambience was so engrossing and easily Tom Cruise's most daring role. Glad to see it get some recognition!

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video Keeping it Reel. Agree the nightvibe of this movie is so cool, it feels as if I'm right there with the characters. Without a doubt, Tom Cruise's best role on his career and that's saying alot considering the impressive performances he's put over the years.

[@mattgilbert7347]

Vincent is the best portrayal of active nihilism I've seen. The dialectical tension between the two, how they break each other down and change each other - it's brilliant. The way Mann shoots LA is remarkable. It's cold, clinical, empty - and beautiful. This review is bang on.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video man. I agree, the dialogue between Vincent and Max is so engaging. They expose troubling aspects in each other, just through their conversations alone.

[@P90XGetRipped]

My personal favorite scene from this movie was the famous coyote scene. It didn’t really add anything to the plot, but it really set the tone for the whole movie. Michael Mann made an excellent choice by using the song ‘Shadow On The Sun’ by Audioslave in that scene. This film is so underrated!

[@atiashaunbaker3792]

small yet obvious observation. Max's cab was like a mobile jail cell that he drove daily. Being confined to a job he tolerates until a " warden" like character shows up(Vincent) and we begin to see the progression of Max unlocking his cell and getting exposed to a whole other world he had no clue existed. Sometimes life has a way of getting you out your comfort zone, even if the process may be uncomfortable and gritty

[@dough6759]

Liked your comment. I've watched this movie many times. Love it. Many great scenes in it. I really liked that cop that Vincent killed. Sad end. Vincent was killed. End of him. What happened to Max? I'd really like to know.

[@midnightdriver6609]

I personally think heat is his best, but collateral is genius filmmaking. Very amazing director Michael mann is !

[@KrogunDK]

I can't choose between Collateral and Heat. They both have a special place in my heart Both are masterpieces as far as I'm concerned. Both of those movies do a good job of showcasing Los Angeles by the way.

[@joseafalvel]

Just today I watched the movie again and I found out what you mentionned, that beautiful dicotomy between hesitation vs confidence, passiveness vs action, being mechanical vs being spontaneous, Max represents the first ones and Vincent the second ones and it's just until Max's starts to acting more like Vincent is when he is able to succeed. Additionaly at the end, I didn't realize until now but Vicent when he tries to shoot Max in the subway final act he repeats the same pattern he always uses to kill his victims, two shots to the chest and one to the head however he fails and Max took his chance to eliminate him once for all, I'm wonder if routine is what at the end ended up with Vincent, Max was stronger because throughout this wild ride he learned Vincent's rule: adaptability, there were some occassions that almost saved Max from the awful situation he was involved in but luck was not on his side, Vincent regained control, it was until Max himself made the bold decissions to survive when he breaks his eggshell, his comfort zone and finally he wins.

[@RCas-wt7cj]

Agreed, and don't forget the badass theme song; Shadow of the Sun by Chris Cornell's later project Audioslave. Perfect fit for this LA Noir masterpiece.

[@davefs25]

Very underrated movie. Miami Vice is very good too. I really like Michael Mann’s style.

[@stampscapes]

Great vid! One of my favorite re-watchable movies.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my analysis. I agree, it's a very re-watchable movie and that's a testament to Michael Mann's direction along with awesome performances from Cruise and Foxx.

[@atom608]

Its strangley really rewatchable isnt it? you know whats going to happen but every time you watch it you learn new things almost

[@malcolmsmith8694]

There should be a Vincent the early years. I'm sure it would be a hit. Much love from Wheeling West Virginia.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video essay man. In one way, it would be awesome to see Vincent's backstory, but apart of me loves the mystery of Vincent's character, which is why he's so compelling as a villain.

[@Nightbringer2000]

In the movie the detectives discuss the “incident in Oakland”, a prequel of what happens there would be great!

[@kevinbezal5739]

Grew up idiolizing and continue to follow the ideals laid out by Tom cruise's Vincent, the ultimate predator

[@stevenphelps7929]

I want to see a part 2 collateral movie while these two man are still alive. I also want to see Tom Cruise received an academy award ,an "Oscar"

[@HollywoodTown]

Haha, unlikely that a sequel will happen or prequel for that matter. I do agree that Tom Cruise deserves an Oscar, such an acting legend.

[@MoreMovies4u]

Top tier. Michael Mann is a really great filmmaking talent. Great video guys.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my analysis. I couldn't have said it better myself to summarise Michael Mann.

[@MattDonaldson]

A great movie that reminds me of Heat! The look of Cruise and actions are very similar.

[@gregorymaloukos5470]

Had the "Heat" not come out some eight years earlier and had "the Last of the Mohegans not been so spectacular, this might have been his best movie as it has all the elements that keep a well structured drama pieced together. Unfortunately, Heat was his masterpiece. It had all elements that made Collateral a great movie, plus a wider canvas to develop the story and action, and a better overall cast to unfold their characters and their interconnections in the movie's script. it had equal or better theatrical performances from thew actors and a cast that cannot be matched or replicated including Pacino and De Niro in some of the best performances in their careers with a constellation of other stars like Val Kilmer, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman and a few more (How about Danny Trejo? ) I would say that Heat, Cllateral and Miami Vice form a trilogy ranking 1 to 3 in this order. Collateral in probably his second best or third best movie and in my view, being Michael Mann's second best movie is an accolade in its own right. Brilliant cinematography, acting, setting, photography, one cannot oversee all that.

[@AdamOMcMurphy]

Well said! Plus I love that Miami Vice was mentioned! That film may have performed poor commercially, but it's one of Mann's best, imo.

[@slaywee]

8:54 i thought you might talk about this particular scene the eyes-lockdown between Vincet and Max how intense it was and the acting done by both actors is marvelous.

[@toomuchtowatch-reviewsrank9062]

Great review and wonderful movie. Always partial to Heat (of course) but need to give this a watch again. its been a while for me. Great work here

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video Too Much To Watch. Definitely worth a worth a watch and thanks for your kind words.

[@relicman]

Always one of my favorites. Got to see it in the theater.

[@1-SmallStep]

Not a huge fan of Cruise but he was spellbinding in this. Jaimie Fox was outstanding.

[@TorreyBrown]

Absolutely! This movie is one of the greats. Great analysis

[@mrhollywood9318]

For me heat and collateral are both top 10 movies of all time but I prefer collateral slightly

[@SirReelist]

Very good analysis! This is certainly one of my favorite movies and this may be the only Michael Mann movie I’ve seen. Time to watch the rest of his films. Daniel’s death scene and the night club shooting scenes are two of my favorites.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my analysis Sir Reelist. Definitely worth watching Heat and the Insider both great movies from Michael Mann. And yes, the bar and nightclub scenes are some of the sequences Mann's put to film.

[@moviesgalore9947]

At 5:53 you see that gas is $1.83 a gallon now it's at least $7.50 a gallon in Los Angeles

[@HollywoodTown]

Haha, no surprise there.

[@watanglipuhadjar2654]

i agree with the narrative. i wish michael mann could make a suspense comedy, a unique story. so we can laughing and thrilling in every minutes. 😁🙏🏼

[@michaelkoch6863]

Das Beste an dem Film ist der Sound in der Disco als es "zur Sache " geht ^^

[@ThePopcornPodcast]

Great to see you getting more into the video-essay style! I couldn't agree more with your views on this film. Admittedly, I'm torn between Collateral and Heat but I will have to rewatch both soon and finally make my mind up on which I prefer more. Have an amazing weekend!

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking my video Dylan and yeah it felt good to get back into the video essay format, although a long process in terms of editing and putting together this video as I'm sure you can appreciate. Nevertheless, it was great to talk about this masterpiece from Michael Mann and I look forward to doing more of these videos in the near future.

[@moviesgalore9947]

Mann should have made a prequel to this where we see Vincent in the Army in Special Forces how he became such a deadly killer it was Cruise in a very different role he was great a prequel would have made him the perfect anti-hero a killer for hire without morals.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video essay. I am all for the idea of a prequel for Collateral, if Michael Mann and Tom Cruise were both on-board. There's so much to mine from Vincent's character, in terms of his backstory, which Collateral explores a fair bit during the conversations between Max and Vincent.

[@moviesgalore9947]

@@HollywoodTown Michael Mann interview - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaOWl2t6rJ6LatU

[@user-uo1qr6vn1q]

I thought Heat was a much better movie, and I loved Collateral. But for me, Heat was just one of the best films ever. But whichever one you enjoyed, at this point in his career and life, I don’t think Mann will ever top either film. Certainly wish he’d get the chance though.

[@edyson22]

Absolutely my favorite movie. I am Max but I want to be Vicent. Until I realized Vincent was undone by his structured habitual nature at the end when he attempts to shoot Max with 2 shots to the chest and 1 to the head (like he shoots all his targets) and Max shoots freely and randomly and ends up hitting Vincent.

[@RS-jb1lf]

Stolen comment

[@visitsoutherncalifornia930]

The reason why Heat is number 1 and collateral number 2 (Miami Vice movie number 3) is cause Heat is timeless. You can watch it any year and see how the movie still works in the real world. Collateral is dated just a few years after its release. Today nobody uses cabs in LA. They use Uber and everything is connected to cell phones and the internet. Vincent wouldn’t get far in LA killing people (unless he is a protester/rioter). Collateral is a movie that relies on technology and research the cartels provide Vincent in order to carry out his mission. When his briefcase is destroyed Max has to go to the nightclub to deal with the cartels to get a new thumb drive. That doesn’t hold up as Vincent would just download the information to his phone not a tablet or cab computer he gerryrigs. Big things like that which advance the story and characters just don’t hold up today so watching it now with its grounded cinematography just doesn’t hold up. Still a great movie and great acting just isn’t timeless. Heat on the other hand is timeless in its cops and robbers hunt. The way Neal gets information for the banks via the dark web alluded to holds up to this day. Timeless classic

[@nonformalguitar]

Yes

[@benpowell3782]

Masterpiece

[@HollywoodTown]

I couldn't have put it any better my friend.

[@hhawg1]

Excellent movie.

[@michaelglucksman147]

It's a great movie. I didn't realize until recently that others agreed with me as it didn't appear to me that anyone talked about it.

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video man. Trust me, I thought that for a long time that people didn't like this movie until I joined the KZbin community and found that loads of people found enjoyment out of this movie.

[@johnm1720]

So good even Jamie Fox couldn't ruin it.

[@finelerv]

Out of the Mann films I've seen, my Top 5 is: 1 Last of the Mohicans 2 Heat 3 Collateral 4 Miami Vice 5 Thief

[@HollywoodTown]

Thanks for checking out my video essay. Awesome list btw for Michael Mann's top 5 movies, I still need to see LOTM and Thief.

[@finelerv]

@@HollywoodTown It was my pleasure to watch. Fantastic job.

[@jlugo10101]

Move The Insider to #1 :)

[@HollywoodTown]

Interesting choice, not my number 1 but a great movie nonetheless.

[@finelerv]

I have committed a cardinal sin and forgotten Miami Vice. I'm actually bumping The Insider off my list. But, number 6 on a list of Michael Mann movies is still an amazing movie.

[@jamesheath7601]

I love this movie

[@visitsoutherncalifornia930]

Heat is his best. Collateral is number 2

[@exposingthedarknesswiththe9190]

*iT WAS ALRIGHT, BUT SEEN OTHERS I LIKED BETTER WITH TOM CRUISE.* *BUT TO BE SURE, TOM CRUISE IS A GREAT ACTOR!*

[@philippetersen64]

Yes Mann’s best

[@Extrasy]

"Yo, homie..."

[@HollywoodTown]

"Is that my briefcase" 🤣

[@Extrasy]

@@HollywoodTown lol

[@Sebastian-kb1vm]

I am working on embodying vince I feel this is the real me that I have trying to wake up for a long time

[@chengboonpoon879]

i watch this movie more then 5 time .

[@pberPSR]

didnt mann direct heat?

[@Justdisco2]

Manhunter is a bit special too.

[@jessebrucepinkman9834]

Absolutely loved this film. Easily Micheal Mann's best movie. Blows Manhunter into the dust

[@JestersDeadUK]

Love it but prefer Heat ;)

[@AGC828]

Collateral was entertaining. Does have it's fan base. But, I think is overrated. Too many glaring holes in the premise for me. Such as: Why would a professional assassin reveal his identity or background to a cabby or ANYONE??? Why did Vincent not own a sniper rifle? Why did Vincent not wear a disguise? Vincent's kills were sloppy. They attract attention. Something any killer you'd think WOULD NOT want. Very amateur. Any Pro assassin I'd think would "Kill like a ninja". Menaing Vincent should neither have been seen nor heard. Use the shadows of the night. If anything...have Vincent pop in and out of Max's cab for each kill...but have Vincent in a different disguise each time...Max never once realizing it was always Vincent. We'd only KNOW from looking at Vincents eyes...NOT Max. And in the end there's no way Vincent would walk into the line of fire. Vincent a "pro" Max a "cabbie"...didnt look like he ever handled a gun. His character...it's not as easy to keep rounds on target as it looks on film. :)

[@2prize]

tom cruise needs to ditch the hair dye it looks good grey

[@HollywoodTown]

Lol, I didn't mind the sliver fox look for Cruise in this movie, but I have heard complaints from some people, who didn't dig this look.

[@konanxhidan3202]

@@HollywoodTown Everyone love this look. He looked much better with grey/silver hair. His appearance anid personality in the movie remembered me of a grey lonely wolf.

[@michaeldesilvio221]

Jamie Foxx ruined the movie. 🥴

[@raidenskami1]

I’d say The insider is Michael Mann’s best. A tie between Collateral and Miami Vice for second.