Collateral is a 2004 Hollywood neo-noir action thriller film directed and produced by Michael Mann and starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, based on a script by Stuart Beattie. Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Javier Bardem, and Bruce McGill are among the supporting cast members.
The story follows Max, a cab driver in Los Angeles, and his passenger Vincent. Max agrees to a high fare for driving to numerous sites when he is given one, but he is soon kidnapped by Vincent, who turns out to be a hitman on a contract-killing rampage.
During a taxi ride home from Sydney airport, screenwriter Beattie had the idea for the film. Beattie pitched the idea to Julie Richardson, who introduced it to Frank Darabont, the director. The film was presented to HBO, but they turned it down.
DreamWorks bought it, but it wouldn’t be developed for another three years. Mimi Leder, Janusz Kaminski, and Fernando Meirelles were all considered as directors, while Russell Crowe and Adam Sandler were in talks to play Vincent and Max, respectively, before the three of Mann, Cruise, and Foxx joined the project. The film was shot mostly in Los Angeles and was the first feature film to use a Viper FilmStream High-Definition Camera.
On August 6, 2004, Collateral was released in the United States, grossing over $220 million worldwide. The performances of Cruise and Foxx, as well as Mann’s direction and editing, gained critical accolades, however, the overall pacing and second half of the picture received mixed reviews.
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