Thursday, December 23, 2004

COLLATERAL




Police thriller

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jada Pinkett Smith: Annie Farrell, a Federal Prosecutor
Jamie Foxx: Max Durocher, a Los Angeles cab driver
Tom Cruise: Vincent, self-professed real estate broker
Mark Ruffalo: Fanning, an undercover LAPD detective

REVIEW
This is an entertaining fast paced “cops and robbers” type movie. With enough time spent to develop the characters of the principals, we get to better understand what drives people to do what they do. Although somewhat predictable, there are enough twists to keep you guessing.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence and language: this is hardly warranted as there are many films rated PG with much worse

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
1. Vincent and Max are seen washing the smashed windshield but that’s all they do to repair the damage to the taxi cab; somehow duct tape to hold it together got on the roof sign of the taxi by itself. After that, the tape changes position, sometimes looking like an Y and other times like a backward L.
2. The location of the windshield damage to the cab Vincent is riding in is not always in the same place.
3. Detective Fanning comments that the person they are looking for either jumped or fell from the fourth floor; there are only three floors in that building.
4. When Vincent and Max are talking to the owner of the jazz bar there are four glasses on the table. Despite the fact no one even approaches them when they leave there are five.
5. While Annie is in the 16th floor library talking on the phone with Max, Vincent is in her office and checks to see what phone line she is using. The label reads: “15th floor records”.
6. When Vincent runs down the stairs, we see he exits out through the door marked floor number 3. Once past the door it is apparent he’s in the lobby instead.
7. After Vincent gets shot, the left shoulder of his suit jacket is covered with blood; shortly thereafter the stains have mostly disappeared and only a few wisps remain.
8. A nine-bullet magazine is the biggest available for a Colt 45; Vincent at one point fires off at least a dozen before having to reload.

P.S.
I think the film title should be changed to Collateral Damage.
From the Oxford dictionary, collateral damage is “during war the unintentional deaths and injuries of people who are not soldiers, and damage that is caused to their homes, hospitals, schools.” These are the things that happen during the movie.
By contrast collateral is “valuable property owned by someone who wants to borrow money which they agree will become the property of the company or person who lends the money if the debt is not paid back”. This concept does not even come up for discussion and not germane to the movie at all.

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