Why doesn’t Kollywood make thrillers like these
‘Collateral’ is a dream thriller which gets you wooed right from scene one. Michael Mann is the man when it comes to movies like this. He’s one of the directors who exactly knows what he’s doing. And when you have Tom Cruise in salt and pepper get up which would make even men go weak on their knees, you’ve an outright winner.
Everything about the movie is fascinating, right from the poster design, Tom Cruise’s looks, a believable human sidekick, a super intriguing screenplay and an unsentimental climax. The film grows exactly in the order. First the poster will evoke interest, next it’ll be Tom Cruise who’ll make us want to watch him in the movie, once the movie starts and we get to know the other actors and their storyline, it intrigues us and finally the tight screenplay which at no point falters. Together it’s a brilliant thriller material.
The film opens with Vincent (Tom Cruise) meeting the Airport Man (Jason Statham), a nice little ‘Transporter’ reference, and exchanging the briefcase. Parallelly we see a cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) taking a customer, federal prosecutor Annie Farrell (Jada Pinkett Smith). It’s an extended setup in the cab with they both talking. It was both, shot well and acted really well by both the actors. The whole sequence is interesting. Even though it’s a thriller, the setup between the two is so soothing to watch. And within minutes, quite coincidentally, Vincent gets into the same cab and smooth talks the driver to take him around the entire night. When he leaves his briefcase in the car, I thought it’s a ploy to get to the driver, where he’ll escape and Max will follow him. But the story took a different turn after the first killing.
Now that Max discovers what has happened, he tries to escape but Vincent holds him back. It’s not that he keeps a gun pointed to the head always to make it work. They somehow become allies without even realizing. Tom Cruise is terrific as Vincent and completely owns the movie. Jamie Foxx plays a practical person, it’s his character which is tougher to write. He could have easily been made as a scared to death person or a comic character but the practicality of the movie is kept in tact with both the writing and acting. Even for Vincent’s character, Tom Cruise doesn’t appear unnecessarily broody, overtly cool or a morbid character. He’s not marred with guilty too. He too is a practical person. He doesn’t come out as a Buddha. That’s exactly why the movie works wonders.
This is exactly how ‘Kadaram Kondan’ should have been made but directors like Rajesh. M. Selva have no clue as to how to make Neo Noirs. They only claim they make Hollywood like films but miserably fail at it with the movie being neither here not there. I don’t think an unsympathetically straight noir movie would ever come in Kollywood. At max Sriram Raghavan could make a film like this but he too gets philosophical beyond a point and doesn’t make an out and out thriller.
As much as it’s a movie where certain events unfold within a night, look how well it happens, with the first character being final victim and everything else happening in the middle. There exists a certain chemistry between Vincent and Max. When the first killing happens, Max wants to know why, Vincent doesn’t answer it but says he’s a bad man, which is quite convincing, in a way making him a hero, hitman with a heart. But as the movie progresses, we get to know he indeed isn’t killing bad guys, he’s the bad guy. But again, he doesn’t become a supervillain, he’s just a normal assassin, it’s his job. As simple as that. That’s another trajectory which is superbly made, which doesn’t get overboard. It’s all these minute details and prolific writing which makes the film a treat to watch.
The climax too doesn’t get blown out of proportion and I’ve a doubt there too. Vincent being someone who could make two shots in sternum and one shot in scalp even in the busiest of junctions (take that club scene for example where he kills a Korean, he takes an extra two second to aim. When have we last seen such detailing in an action film), he fails to kill Max. Maybe he intentionally doesn’t shoot at the glass and shoots at the iron door in the middle? We never know but the film doesn’t end up being a dramatic one with a close up shot of Vincent but just moves across without giving much time to whine. Michael Mann, you beauty.
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