Collateral Genre: Thriller Rated: R Directed by: MICHAEL MANN Produced by: MICHAEL MANN and JULIE RICHARDSON Starring: TOM CRUISE, JAMIE FOXX, JADA PINKETT SMITH, MARK RUFFALO Released by: DreamWorks Pictures In Short: Hired killer Vincent (Cruise) hijacks the cab of LA taxi driver Max (Foxx) to complete five hits in one night. It's one killer of a ride.

One Killer Ride
A Cabbie's Worst Nightmare: Cruise Carries 'em Off
By Claudine Prescot

Anyone familiar with Tom Cruise’s film history will enjoy the irony of the final scenes of Collateral, when the actor’s latest nocturnal sunglass-wearing character, Vincent, hops on the metro. But this is hardly the train ride Cruise’s Joel Goodson took in Risky Business, just as Vincent is far from the pretty-boy roles the star has played regularly for the past 20 years. Silver-haired Vincent is a suave killing machine, one you want to keep in your sights. Jamie Foxx also mesmerizes in his portrayal of cabbie Max Durocher, a hack who falls hostage to Vincent’s coolly murderous rampage. His night ride with Vincent reverses the sociopathic cabbie role that has driven movie scripts since Travis Bickle got behind the wheel in Taxi Driver.

Max is the collateral of the title, although movie references are as well, lending a subtle sense of humor to this tale for film lovers. The brilliantly woven thriller, written by Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) and directed by Michael Mann (Ali, The Insider, Heat, The Last of the Mohicans) captures much of Los Angeles as night turns to day, from the infamous Rampart District to nearby Koreatown and out to Leimert Park. Cameos from Javier Bardem, Debi Mazar and Barry Shabaka Henley light up the drive, as do strong performances from supporting cast members Jada Pinkett (Annie) and Mark Ruffalo (Fanning). Collateral may convince more Angelenos to avoid public transportation, but this is one bumpy ride they don’t want to miss.