Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Collateral (2004)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Michael Mann
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith
Running time: 120 minutes



As he starts another night shift as a taxi driver in Los Angeles, Max Durocher picks up a beautiful prosecutor and drives her to her office. After she leaves, a man named Vincent gets in and asks Max to drive him around the city for a large sum of money. The driver soon realizes that this will not be an easy task, as Vincent is a hired assassin on the job.

Sometimes, action movies and thrillers put too little effort on the setup and go straight to the bang. That is not the case with Collateral. With just a little effort, they manage to set things up nicely and that makes us care so much more for the characters. As the film starts, we see Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) preparing his zone, his taxi cab for the night. It will be his office for a few hours and that workplace is about to get invaded. Then, the action kicks into high gear and it is thrill galore.

Over the years, my appreciation for Tom Cruise as an actor has varied greatly from one role to another. I can find him as good as I can find him real bad. As Vincent, the assassin, he is cast against type and it works really well. He changed his look a bit and he seemed to put a great deal of effort into this character. It worked for him as I managed to forget the actor behind the role. Jamie Foxx has shown his range in recent years and he is really good as a dreamer who will have to adapt and act fast if he wants to make it out of this situation alive.

Collateral is a thrilling ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Drags a bit a times, but, overall, a fun thriller.

Rating: ««««
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