Monday Movie You Aught to See: Collateral

Regardless of whether the decade ended already ended in 2009 or will end at the close of the current year, the 2000s were a wonderful period of cinema with many treasures that deserve to be remembered. Check in at Movies with Abe on Mondays for Movies You Aught to See, a look back at memorable movies from the aughts. They are posted in no particular order, and if you have a great film from the 2000s that you think merits consideration, leave a note in the comments!

Collateral
Directed by Michael Mann
Released August 6, 2004



This thrill ride from director Michael Mann boasts many fantastic attributes, including thundering, stylish action music (particularly “Ready Steady Go,” also used in the above trailer), aerial cinematography, and an extremely interesting and engaging plot. Tom Cruise is at his very best as a gray-haired, deeply committed assassin who chooses Oscar-nominated Jamie Foxx as the cab driver to ferry him from kill to kill. Like “Speed,” the film never lets up. Once the action gets started, it doesn’t stop until the end of the movie. This one deserves special mention because it was one of my very first press screenings, back when I was interning with critic Bob Tremblay at the Metrowest Daily News.