- Also Known As:
- Unknown
- Year:
- 2004
- Country/ies:
- US
- Predominant Genre:
- Crime
- Author(s)/Director(s):
- Michael Mann
- Best Performance(s):
- Tom CRUISE
- Jamie FOXX
- Mark RUFFALO
- Premiss:
- Cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during a single night.
- Theme(s):
- Personal change
- Similar (in Plot, Theme or Style) to:
- Unknown
- Review Format:
- Cinema
The best-laid plan of this killer goes awry – as all good soldiers know plans do – so that such strategies are merely a structured basis for the resourceful to improvise while on the run.
The Charlie Minguses, the Dexter Gordons, the Chet Bakers, et al, of this world here represent the moviemaking process itself and are the film’s essence. So, it never becomes much more than a trite tale of a murderous night, performed as a jazz improvisation; while explicitly criticising those who fear stepping off the social tightrope without a safety net because they fear to accept that life is what happens to us while we are busy making other plans.
Jamie FOXX is excellent as the big dreamer implicated in mass murder; while Tom CRUISE does what he does best – carefully craft a character role. But, the silly plot is not masked by a story about their mutual neurosis. Mark RUFFALO gives more than able support as the cop chasing them across Los Angeles.
Copyright © 2014 Frank TALKER. Permission granted to reproduce and distribute this posting in any format; provided mention of the author’s Weblog (http://franktalker5.blogspot.com) is included: E-mail notification requested. All other rights reserved.
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