Minor spoilers follow

I went into Collateral with high hopes, since the lovable duo on The Movie Show gave it a high rating. It's fair to say that my expectations were all met and rewarded, perhaps even moreso. I thought the pace really picked up quite soon into the movie, and like how Max (Jamie Foxx) is painted as a normal guy who dreams of greater things. He maintains that being a cab driver is only a temporary thing so that he can gain a footing for some "other projects", his real aspirations and dreams, but then as Vincent (Tom Cruise) finds out, he's been doing it for 12 years. Vincent is a hitman, and it's really interesting how the two form some sort of strange quasi-relationship till the inevitable climax. There are no punches pulled from either side - Vincent (quite rightly) sees that Max is deluding himself (he ironically remarks at the start "I can see you're one who does, not talks"), and that by being so reserved and idealistic he is going to wake up one day and realize that he is left with nothing. Yet Max sees that no matter how nonchalant Vincent remains about his profession, there are certain truths that he can't escape; his childhood shifting between an abusive father and a foster home has left him unable to figure out what anyone else in the world is thinking.

I think their relationship is somewhat epitomized by the way that Vincent saves Max's life in the club - of course, that Max's life is at risk in the first place is entirely Vincent's fault. Then, of course, there's Vincent's appreciation for jazz, and Miles Davis. His suggestion that they kick back and go to a place where the legends of the West Coast play, right after Vincent has killed another person on his list is priceless.

In a way, Vincent is a good influence on Max because he forces him to become assertive and stop living in his comfort zone - this is of course taken to the extreme in the movie's exciting ending. It's also interesting how these two people are almost like lost souls, wandering the heartless streets of LA at night - where "a man can be dead for 6 hours on the MTA, and no one even notices". It's Max's home that he defends when Vincent professes he feels like leaving everytime he visits the city, but it can clearly be a dark, lonely place, captured nicely by how Max, who hands have been tied to his steering wheel, cries out for help, only to be heard by muggers who proceed to take his wallet at gunpoint.

I don't see enough movies to be able to critically analyze them, or for that matter appreciate the good from the bad, so take my approval with a grain of salt.

My eye drifted towards the "Previous posts" box on the right of screen. I notice that 6 out of 10 posts start with the word I.