Collateral

 

 

Collateral

Genre: Crime Thriller

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Tom Cruise as Vincent

         Jamie Foxx as Max

Writer: Stuart Beattie

Max, an innocent cab driver, finds himself held hostage by a sociopathic contract killer, during his working hours in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and the killer's last victim.

Film poster:

Tom Cruise was one of the most well-known actors during the time of Collateral's release and so using a close-up image of his face would attract a large audience. The shallow depth of field makes his character appear powerful. Also the deep shadows produced reveals that he will play the role of a villain in this film.

Success:

• US and Canada release date: August 6, 2004
• Grossed approximately $24.7 million on its opening weekend
• Ranked #1 at the box office
• Total worldwide gross of $217,764,291

Trailer:

The beginning of the trailer misleads the audience to think that the film will be a romance. A romantic mood is created through the following features:

- The soft, dream-like feel created through the black and white studio ident

- The slow editing typical of a romance 

- The warm orange glow through digital filming

- The soulful non-diegetic music used as the soundtrack acting parallel to the carefree and content mood 

However, soon after the atmosphere changes into an ominous one when Vincent, the killer, appears with a briefcase and a large sum of money. The skyline shot of the city is suggestive of crime and corruption which prepares the viewer for the film's action scenes. The amount of cuts between shots increases to heighten the audience's anticipation as the best action scenes flood the screen.

Digital camera

Mann used the Viper Film Stream High-Definition Camera to film some scenes of Collateral, a first for a major motion picture.

Briefcase scene:

As the men approach, we see that one wears lighter colour so that we are mistaken to think they will help Max. However, the remaining three men wear black which foreshadows the inevitable danger. Their true intention was to steal Vincent's briefcase with the vital details about his victims. Additionally, Max's vulnerability is truly revealed in this scene which implements a Hitchcockian theme - an ordinary man who finds himself tied up in unfortunate circumstances. It also reveals that we shouldn't underestimate Vincent, who fights back against two of the men single-handedly.