Este magnífico thriller es la mejor película de Tom Cruise: una noche en L.A. con un villano implacable
Series 20 aniversario

It's the best Tom Cruise movie: a night in L.A. with a relentless villain in this impressive thriller

20 years after its premiere, this intimidating role under the direction of Michael Mann remains unbeatable.

Valentina Morillo
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When Tom Cruise appeared at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, there was no line separating his persona from the character he portrays in Mission Impossible. His brand image is built around the identity of the action hero, but his best on-screen performances are the ones where he abandons that role in favor of darker characters.

Although his face is associated with Ethan Hunt or Maverick from Top Gun, his most memorable works have been those he has signed with prestigious filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson in Magnolia or Michael Mann in Collateral, a noir thriller that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and which we recommend as one of the movies of the week on streaming. 

In Collateral, Cruise plays Vincent, a villain, a hitman who hires Max, a taxi driver (Jamie Foxx), for one night to drive him around Los Angeles while he carries out a series of meetings to close a real estate deal.

'Collateral'

'Collateral'

While Max waits at the first stop, a corpse falls onto his car, revealing Vincent's true nature of work, who forces his taxi driver to hide the body in the trunk and keep driving. One night, five stops, five hits, and one getaway. Together, with their lives in constant collision, neither of them will ever be the same. 

The project came to Mann's hands during the initial development phase, when Russell Crowe had signed on to be the protagonist. The actor left the project for personal reasons, and the director offered the role to Tom Cruise, with Adam Sandler playing the taxi driver.
Javier Bardem in 'Collateral'

Javier Bardem in 'Collateral'

Finally, Max ended up being played by Jamie Foxx, who had previously worked with the director on Ali.  The movie marked the Hollywood debut of Javier Bardem, who made a brief appearance as a crime lord hiring the hitman played by Tom Cruise.
The film was released in 2004 and brought Mann back to the police thriller genre where he had established his career after The Insider and the Muhammad Ali biopic. This was his first film shot almost entirely in digital format, with only one major sequence shot with a film camera. 
On its 20th anniversary, Collateral remains one of the great thrillers of the 21st century, one of Michael Mann's best films and Tom Cruise's most memorable role, building an unforgettable villain. A role where he goes from charismatic to intimidating and terrifying in a matter of seconds. 

Details

  • Where to Watch: SkyShowtime
  • Duration: 120 minutes
  • Year of Release: 2004
  • Directed by: Michael Mann 
  • Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Javier Bardem, Mark Ruffalo, Jada Pinkett Smith, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence