EllaMentree

The film has a message and it will pull the rug out from under you in order to achieve it.

From a story and plot standpoint, this is absolutely awful. There are contrivances and contradictions at every possible turn and it just gets worse on subsequent viewings.

What matters in this film is its message, clearly. The only problem I see with that is I'm not sure what the message is. It's something about free will, certainly, but I really can't ascertain anything beyond that single vague notion.

If you feel like a story that doesn't make sense isn't a problem for you, then you will certainly enjoy the film more than I did. Personally, it feels like a nothing of a film.

The joke is that there is no joke, and I just don't find that terribly funny.

At first I thought it was just a quirk of the main character, with Eisenberg channeling his character from The Social Network. As the movie went on and more characters were introduced, I realized this was a deeper trend.

Nobody in the movie speaks in a believable human way. It's all rapid-fire robotic sentences that feel emotionless and it really messes with the tone of the film. It makes it incredibly difficult to discern whether a moment is meant to be humorous because a character is being needlessly verbose or if that's some sort of stylistic choice to reflect on the rigidity of karate.

As for the film itself, it's moderately okay. It has a tolerable plot that doesn't ever drag for too long, but that's really all it has going for it.

It's not a bad film, but it really isn't terribly great either. It's not mind-numbingly boring, but it's not terribly thrilling or cerebral either. It has very little going for it.

It's a better use of time than waiting in line at the DMV, but that's really all I can say for it.

A fantastic entry into the crime/thriller sub-genre and a damn good film starring Jamie Foxx as a taxi driver for a murder-by-numbers sociopath played by Tom Cruise.

Despite Tom Cruise's role as an assassin, he still comes off as a charming (sociopath) and a kind-hearted (if existential or even nihilistic) individual who's just trying to get his job done.

He plays the "bad guy" though describes himself as "indifferent," and yet his relationship with the main character (Jamie Foxx) shows compassion and even respect, which is far from indifference.

Collateral is a great film, it asks a lot of questions and so it leaves the viewer asking those same questions as well.

Are you going to see over-the-top choreographed action like in Mission: Impossible? No. But what you will see is a genuinely enjoyable thriller that will constantly have you guessing, wondering, asking questions, and REALLY wishing Tom Cruise didn't have to be the bad guy all the way through to the end.

I highly recommend this film to both people who are and are not fans of Tom Cruise, and it's a great film both for "veterans" of the Thriller genre and for newcomers alike