Juri wrote:
"I saw last night Michael Mann's "Collateral". . . .Tom
Cruise is brilliant as the assassin. How could I hate this
guy in the eighties and early nineties?"
I think its just that hatred that makes Cruise so good in
this. All of those traits that make him so obnoxious when
playing a hero, especially the arrogance, work for him when
he plays a bad guy -- you're supposed to dislike the
character for exactly the same reasons you normally hate the
actor's public persona. I got much the same vibe off Richard
Gere, think he's a brilliant bad guy (especially in Internal
Affairs), but can't watch him when he's supposed to be
sympathetic.
Glenn wrote:
"I watched Collateral over the weekend as well. . . . I can
say that I agree, for the most part, with your take. It is
bleak, relentless and pessimistic. But only to a point. I
never really felt like Jamie Foxx was in any danger. And when
I watched the movie I thought of it as more of a thriller
than a noir film."
I'd agree with you there, both that Foxx was never in real
danger and that it's more thriller than noir, not that the
two are entirely mutually exclusive.
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
"Over all I really liked the movie. Both Jamie Foxx and Tom
Cruise were excellent. I was, however, somewhat bothered by
the ending. I just don't think that it would have happened
that way."
Wait a minute, are you saying you don't believe that a
professional hit man who earlier hit every target he aimed at
in a panicked mob in a dance club would miss numerous shots
at near point blank range between subway cars? How could you
have a problem with that? Cruise is a consummate professional
most of the time, but conveniently loses his skills when
needed for the plot.
Collateral struck me as one of those movies that is very easy
to pick apart afterwards (for instance, why would this guy
who is careful never to be seen by anyone he doesn't intend
to kill, possibly visit with Foxx's mother?), but has so much
style, speed and momentum that you don't even think of those
many problems during the film.
By the way, my Christmas noir viewing was Bad(der) Santa --
that dude is truly screwed and circling the drain.
Mark
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 28 Dec 2004 EST