What makes Vincent scary, in my opinion, is his coldness. He can decide when someone has to die without hesitation and justify his decision to kill them.
He denies killing the first hit for example, saying, 'no, I shot him. The bullets and the fall killed him'. He's a soldier after all, probably ex Special Forces, hence his high skill level, intelligence and coldness when it comes to pulling the trigger and doing what must be done to complete the mission. @@TheAdekrijger
Mann did an excellent job of closing the movie with the dead Vincent traveling on the train, possibly to be ignored by the cold, self-obsessed Angelinos that Vincent described to Max when he first got into his cab. Vincent essentially predicted his own death.
Vincent even saves max in the club shootout. Almost as if he was starting to like him. I found that lil scene very intriguing the characters actually grow in small ways thru out the movie.
Nah, his logic is that the cabbie should die at the end. Otherwise, he won't have a fallguy for all the murders. Vincent did start liking Max sometime before the club shootout (before the coyote scene), but he would still not hesitate to kill him once his use was done.
Both Collateral and Heat mirror one another is many ways. The films are book ended by mirrored shots. Heat has the train entering the station, bringing Neil into the film, so to speak and Collateral has the reverse. A shot of a train leaving the same station, carrying the anti hero out of the film. The two films are the same story. Two men who seem polar opposites, through a quirk of fate, end up meeting and connecting.
@@teznarayanan i thought so too...but if max was any other cabbie, vinc wouldve killed him way before, many times max was screwing with his work..he might give max a chance, but when max intentionally crashed his cab, vince wouldve definitely shot him..but instead he just tried to beat him for a sec, then left him...knowing full well max could identify and testify against him...also i dont believe vincent wouldve missed his shots had it been against anyone else...he missed like 10 shots against max, THAT IS NOT VINCENT...a guy who could take down 5-6 armed bodyguards with precision in a small space...seems to me that Vince got a personal bond with max, a connection that he has not felt in a loong time, and he just couldnt bring himself to shoot at max...he shot the bullets to scare him, to make him give up..or he might shoot to kill, but there was a definitely a mental block that prevented him from hitting max..vincent was too good of a marksman to miss a full magazine and then some
Great movie but some huge plot holes. Vincent was too visible. No way he could pin anything on Max or get away with Max having an imposter as the hitman. Since he was that visible, he may have let Max go but not likely. He still was most up close and personal out of anyone and he knew his voice and philosophy.
Good analysis bro. The nihilistic morality of Vincent might “liberate” him from traditional morality and allow any behavior he wishes, but ultimately creates a bleak and meaningless life. Your discussion about Christ was also spot on.
I think Collateral rhymes with HEAT. Both movies are about two pairs of men with a clear philosophy that they allow to entirely dominate their lives, and in both cases the antagonist is forced to re-evaluate who they are, and the deviation results in their downfall. It's almost like taking the coffee scene from HEAT where they sit face to face, and putting it in a taxi for most of the movie.
And the film feels so intimate because of that. Heat feels like an epic, but Collateral feels like a much more intimate story, even though it's set in sprawling LA. Funnily enough though, despite Max and Vincent being together pretty much for the entire movie, I think they only sit face to face once, just like the two men in Heat.
@@davidlean1060 I love contrast between the taxi and train. The taxi is private transportation. The train is public transportation. Vincent dies on the train and no one is there to notice. On the opposite side of the coin. Its the same as his victims not seeing their death coming. The irony of Vincent being passionate on his hitman job to die an insignificant death.
Vincent is on autopilot mode so much that he even loses the gun fight with Max because of his precise shooting pattern: two in sternum, one in head; all the bullets hit the door thus protecting Max (you can see where they bullets impacted).
It's brilliant the way Vincent releases the spent magazine and reaches for another, despite being out of rounds. It emphasizes that muscle memory he has.
@@davidlean1060 I always assumed it was because he realises he has been mortally wounded, so now there is no point in killing them, as he has nothing to gain from it as he'll be dead soon. But i could be wrong!
@@Windraesa The reaction he has after he makes the move is, sure, but I'm on about the actual action of reaching for another mag as soon as the last one is spent. The point of the scene is Vincent looses out to Max because of his skill sets, his 'trigger time' as the FBI chief puts it. Despite all the pseudo philosophy about adapting to the environment and rolling with it, he doesn't kill Max because his training is too ingrained in him. Reaching for a fresh mag is just another added little detail to emphasize how highly skilled Vincent is, but it also emphasizes how useless that training is in that moment.
@@davidlean1060 yea areally neat detail..despite all the wise words, and robot like accuracy and zero empathy, he was still human, and that he not always adapted like he claimed to
This movie change my life forever, Words can't describe how much i love this Masterpiece , in my opinion best Tom Cruise role ever made.. also my favorite movie of all time !!
I just finished watching the movie. Reason being I saw the shot of him in the street (you know the one I mean) and felt like "wow, maybe this will be like John Wick or something!". Boy was I wrong and boy do I not regret it. A long time a film made me actually think. Really refreshing. Awesome takes on the movie man.
When this came out it was the first movie since Se7en that I went to see twice in theaters. Jamie Foxx had a spectacular year due to his performance in this and in Ray and Tom Cruise should have silenced all of his doubters. One of the best antagonists I’ve ever seen in a film.
The ending to this movie has me in tears. Vincent is ultimately right about how bleak reality is as he basically serves this to Max as living testament of it himself, Vincent is like the devil on your shoulder, bad, but still has your best interests in mind.
I’d be careful there. He certainly helps Max in someways. He tries to help Max not be a pushover with his boss and encourages him to get a grip on his life but the motivations are skewed in my opinion. Vincent seems to be saying, "We are all gonna die anyways; it doesn’t really matter if you fail, so you might as well give it a shot." Vincent takes that thinking to its extreme. It’d be better for Max to do the things Vincent recommends because taking on challenges and taking risk adds meaning to your life. It’s an interesting contrast. One very relevant today.
@@LifeIsAStory my point was more that Vincent inadvertently teaches Max to not be like him, despite how bleak reality is. But Vincent was projecting also and Max was even emulating him in scenes.
It is really interesting that Max quite visibly grows stronger (in some ways) by emulating his enemy. After all, Vincent's philosophy (if there is no immortality, then everything is lawful) must be empowering in some way, or it wouldn't be so prevalent. But it's especially interesting because--and correct me here--but Vincent definitely plans, all along, to kill Max when his job's done, doesn't he? So the advice he gives Max is either just to keep stringing him along with hope of survival, or just possibly because it's not actually possible to hold a nihilist philosophy and be consistent in your thoughts and actions. Why would a true nihilist bother teaching nihilism?
@@draananor That's a great point and something I've thought about as well. Especially when he says, "if we get through this, I think you should call her." Like they're a team or something. I think he's teaching Max as a way of solidifying the philosophy in his own mind because you're absolutely right, he would have killed Max in the end.
I just finished watching this tonight. I never thought it would be so thought provoking. Excellent script as well as performances. Interesting how Vincent refers to Max as Lady Macbeth.
After watching this vid, went and re-watched Collateral for the first time in 19 years. Some films your wowed by when they first come out, but they don't hold up over time. Glad to say Collateral really did hold up.
Tom Cruise in Collateral (Vincent) Robert De Niro in Heat (Neil Mccauley) Both similar and made by the same director - Michael Mann And Heath Ledger as the Joker in Nolan's The Dark Knight - obviously inspired from Michael Mann Another similar characters are: Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in No Country for Old Men made by the Cohen Brothers Robert Mccall (Denzel Washington) - the Equalizer made by Antoine Fuqua
Explaining the mindset of Vincent made this movie what it is. I just watched it on Netflix for the first time, and I wish they made more movies like this. If anyone has recommendations for similar movies lmk!!
Mann is a genius...Heat...Collateral..a few othe grest movies...TC steals the show to compliment the plot..the looks, the grey hair..th expensive suits..all add up..Mann makes magic in this film..love to watch it..time and time again....and TC just compliments it....great film.
Very good analysis, but while Vincent sees himself better than the coyotes as you mention, he's also haunted by his own nihilism. He tells the story of the guy dying alone in the train car which is the fate that befalls him.
I think I’ve found my new favourite film channel. Normally when I search (film) analysis on TH-cam I get poor results. This is great thank you for making this.
Vincent’s nihilistic view of the world and his habits lead to his downfall whilst max learns from these and finally acts on impulses. When Vincent shoots two to the body and one to the head he doesn’t take into account that .40 S&W loses a lot of speed when hit by steel (the train doors) something that he doesn’t adapt to (like he was saying). It’s a very very very interesting film
Also if you noticed, Max moved several steps to the right during that shootout. I believe Max may have noticed Vincent's habit and knew that if he moved laterally, Vincent's shots would likely miss.
@@theowl2044 improvise adapt davinci I Ching. Vincent stopped evolving in all shots of movie Vincent trying to shoot people with same tactics but Max outperformed him
I once knew a couple of killers-for-hire. One worked for the cops and the other worked for the mafia. Both had personalities very similar to Vincent. Friendly, polite and helpful as fuck, one even offered to whack some guy for me. One became a minor celebrity on the Smoking Gun website. Both are now long ago passed away.
Vincent does what he does because he struggles to have any empathy for other people, or the world at large. Ultimately it is his lack of humanity which gets him kill. As human beings one of the reasons we are on the top of the food chain is because of our ability to cooperate. In order for the cooperation to happen empathy, trust, and understanding must be maintained. if it is not an individual person will die either through no one watching their back or insanity. As humans this is where our definition of right and wrong comes from, survival of the group and individual. anything that supports that concept is good, but anything that acts against that is wrong.
Something about Tom Cruise's character tells me that's something he is capable of in real life. Cold, calculated. Playing that villain seemed to be very easy and natural for Tom.
Vincent was killing people who were going to snitch ~ they knew what they signed up for ~ why should he feel sorry for them ~ in reality it's easier to kill someone u don't know, instead of killing your right hand man ~ Vincent was cold blooded
The brilliance of Michael Mann's "Collateral" is how Vincent's demise was because of his Mozambique drill routine when disposing his targets, and Max survived because he picked up Vincent's adaptalibity and improvisation in every situation.
What no body seems to mention is that Vincent won't just pass through life and not be remembered. You think Max will ever forget about that crazy night as long as he lives?! ;) Seriously though, both characters are so multi layered. Max isn't a one dimentional looser, though at first glance, he appears to be. The spotless cab suggests disipline and a code of practice. His brief chat with the gas station attendent in Spanish shows he is well able to adapt to and engage with strangers. Then, of course, there's the first meeting with Annie. This 'downtown' guy is able to disarm and charm an 'uptown' woman enough, she gives him her number. The man has 'game', he just doesn't know it! He's the perfect foil for Vincent, who isn't entirely what he appears to be either. Vincent brings the 'game' out of Max and in return for baring just a tiny glimpse of his humanity, he doesn't die alone.
No, no... Watch and notice JF shot all over the place, and most likely would've hit the metal door, but TC well trained and focused aimed straight ahead as normal. Thru the window... There was no possible way he could miss! God protected Max because he had a good heart imo. Imo that moment was simply "Divine Intervention " How else can you explain that moment?? it would take a miracle for Max to survive that! & somehow he did
yea..unlike some losers, max had discipline, iq, eq, even vincent was impressed with the answers and got to really like him..the only thing max lacked was the full commitment and the willingness to go through without overthinking..vincent wouldve been proud of his 'friend' max and the beast he trasnformed into by the end..and vincent was becoming a lil more human...they were learning lessons from each other
My point is that it has to be there in Max already for it to come out. He charms Annie and he challenges Vincent, calling out his philosophy as 'twilight zone shit', so it's no surprise he has the nerve and wit to walk out of Felix's club, even after insulting him. Max is an awesome character really. A wolf in sheep's clothing. @@vza7938
I’d actually love some videos on Shakespeare from you. I was watching your video on Kurtz and his view on the perfect soldier and it reminded me of the speech that Henry V makes outside of the gates of harfleur, everyone sees him as a heroic figure but I think it’s in these moments Shakespeare highlights to what extent this character is prepared to go for victory. I think if you did some videos it would open a lot of people’s eyes to Shakespeare and his works.
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. TRULY A MASTERPIECE. IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN. MY CRITIQUE WOULD TAKE HOURS. SO MANY INTRIGUING ELEMENTS. BUT FOR ME IT IS A CLEAR MESSAGE ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL, THE CHOICES WE MAKE AS FREE AGENTS, THE CONSEQUENCES THAT RESULT. ONE PERSON CHOOSES TO JUSTIFY HIS EVIL ACTIONS BY BLAMING HIS PAST. A DIFFERENT PERSON, DESPITE HORRIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES HE ENCOUNTERS, DECIDES TO DO THE RIGHT THING. THE PLOT TWISTS, THE ACTING, THE SETS AND PROPS, THE LIGHTING, THE SCRIPT, THE AUDIOVISUAL, THE MUSIC, THE EMOTIONS, THE UNIQUENESS--- DEFINITELY A MASTERPIECE.
@@LifeIsAStory I felt a bit lost after watching it... you kinda organized my thoughts. I think I'm going to watch the rest of Mann's filmography, it was beautifully directed.
I was wondering if any noticed the blooper near the end of the movie with the metro. Max is running with the girl from Vincent. He decides to go down the stairs to the low floor train. Then Vincent shows up at the stairs and debates which train to go to then chooses the upper floor train. But somehow they end up on the same train
The film is very compelling, in a way that demands from each one of us to take a hard look at ourselves and ask the question, "are you Vincent or Max?"
5:22 The power and influence of Christianity is its simple universal morality, hence it can be practised by people of any race, gender, class, or intelligence.
It's never taken into account, that Vincent is just doing a job, and is in his job mindset. He even says he's been doing this work in the private sector for six years, implying he's been doing the same work in the public sector for longer. He's focussed on his work, and mentions his work, back in where ever he lives, he might be a different sort of guy. Despite his annoyance with Max, he sees something that appeals. Max doesn't see much that appeals, but sees things to learn, even though he doesn't realise it at the time. It doesn't appear by his behaviour he's going to kill Max, "You going to call that girl? If we get out of this alive, you should call her." Max: "why haven't you killed me yet?". Vincent: "cosmic fates entwined". At the end of the day, sometimes things happen, we just got to roll with it.
Loved the movie, one of my favorites. But damn...I just can't get over the cliché we see in movies over and over again where the highly skilled fighter or killer (protagonist or antagonist) has a drawn-out final fight scene with a good or bad guy who can't hold a candle to his killing talent. We see it in everything from John Wick to Collateral. In JW, Wick kills dozens of highly-skilled mob men...yet spends ten minutes trying to finish off an old Russian mob boss? And in Collateral, Vincent is a highly-trained, disciplined killing machine, who finally loses to a cab driver? Hey, I'm all for David-versus-Goliath stories, and like I say, I absolutely love this movie....but still find the ending hard to swallow. Yes, I understand all the metaphors and metaphorical images in the film that foreshadow the ending. I'm talking about the realism of the outcome.
I totally understand what you are trying to say but you see Vincent had to die for the movie to prove its point, he just has to... Btw did you get the point of the movie?
@@shreyasnshkumar3570 Yes, I got the point of the movie, and I understand all the metaphorical references, Vincent's nihilism, and Max's lack of certainty. My point is simply that having a cab driver take out a highly trained stone-cold killer to MAKE the point of the movie obvious and complete all the metaphorical references just seems to strain credulity. It'd be like Michael Jordan losing a game of one-on-one to a 6th grader in order to complete a theme.
@@fartsimpson8610 alright the John wick comparison is weak, jw had been fighting and accumulating injuries before facing Viggo (the Russians mafia boss) it makes sense jw couldn't just tambourine the dude Viggo was uninjured and fresh where as John was shot full of holes and bleeding out... oddly enough it's the same story with Max and Vincent, Vincent had been "working" the whole evening and had caught some steel before Max finally nutted up and confronted Vincent.
I think this is the point that "No Country for Old Men" makes. As Tommy Lee Jones's character points out, even in a contest between man and steer, the outcome isn't certain. Unpredictable stuff happens all the time. Collateral has a metaphorical point to make, which has obviously not escaped you. But I think your point about "realism" doesn't take in the full picture. Vincent believed as you do, that because of his decades of expertise, he knew what the outcome would be with a fatal certainty. But nothing is certain. Sometimes, the sheep gets lucky and kills the wolf. And sometimes, the wolf secretly doesn't want to win, because after years of living with that nihilistic point of view, the meaninglessness of it all begins to weigh him down, even if he doesn't know it.
I have! I probably will look into that film eventually. One thing I think is tough about analyzing movies (especially great ones) is that there are soooo many themes to talk about and characters to talk about that it’s hard to keep the video focused, if you know what I mean. So I might try to focus a Heat video on the relationship between Pacino’s character and De Niro’s character. I have a couple videos I want to make first but at some point I think I’ll do something with Heat. Awesome movie.
@@JohnSmith-vg4jd I have heard the theory that Vincent could be Neil‘s brother but I don’t think that is the intention. I like to think of the characters as 2 completely different unconnected individuals living out there same worlds within the universe of Los Angeles. It is all just another day. Plus Michael man wrote heat but he did not write collateral he only directed it. So Vincent cannot be Neil‘s brother because Vincent isn’t even from the same story as Neil. The similarity in clothing style is of course Michael Mann vision but also to give them a sense of professionalism so that they blend into the landscape. Just a white man in a gray suit, dime a dozen in LA.
This should be compared not to HEAT, but to Three Days of the Condor, especially the part/scene where Jobert (Max Von Sydow) has "switched sides" and saved Robert Redford (to his astonishment). IN explaining his actions as an assassin, Jobert discussed the "precision" of the work as being rewarding. I thiink this is a cleaner antecedent to Collateral. And yes, I loved Collateral too.. I use the alley scene in my shooting classes for an example of good technique Cruise was well trained and it shows.
What I really like with Vincent, is the violence when he doesn’t have a gun. Nowadays you see a sort martial arts and martial art style in the physical fighting, even with bad guys, like Jason Borne- it can kinda diminish a creativity with fights, a disciplined tacticool . Vincent doesn’t have a clear martial arts refinement, he just has an animality to his physical fighting done by Tom Cruise sublimely that was so raw. Overall when I saw it Vincent just felt like a predator , a man eating tiger let out in the city. But you also see with him interacting with Jaime Foxx , the film progression and events, all of it, you see it causing him to think underneath.
I enjoyed your analysis and agree with it. However, I have seen a very confused lioness try to adopt and protect a baby wilderbeast (if I remember the species correctly). Nature sometimes does strange things. Wild killer whales working with humans to hunt whales. Humpback whales defending prey from killer whales, etc.
I would need to investigate the possible scientific rational for these scenarios. I have seen situations of this nature, but I highly doubt that what is occurring is conscious self-sacrifice.
@@LifeIsAStory Are right these are not examples of conscious self-sacrifice (though that is a philosophical can of worms). The lioness probably bonded with the calf while she was under the influence of serotonin after giving birth to cubs and these cubs had died. She kept the calf separate from its own kind, and protected it from other lions. Of course it was never going to work, but I cannot remember the fate of the calf. The killer whale interaction with humans was very complex. It got to the level where a large male, called Tom, would grab a rope attached to a whale boat and help the whalers get to the hunting area. There are also reports of the killer whales assisting whalers who fell overboard. This happened in the 1800’s at Eden on the New South Wales south coast. As for the humpback whales, killer whales are a threat to their calves. Their protection of other species from killer whales could be due to a range of factors. Though I don’t think this is self-sacrificing behavior because a healthy adult humpback is not at threat from killer whales.
@@monash1915 Appreciate the breakdown. It definitely is a philosophical bag of worms. But at a bare minimum, animals (as far as we know) do not have a moral code. Male lions are not judged for killing cubs when they take over a pride. The jungle has a different set of rules. Vincent follows the rules of the jungle.
There’s definitely an explanation. The explanation could make sense in a logical manner, or it could make sense the same way that psychopaths are born, not created. We didn’t deserve them and they didn’t deserve the lot they received in life, but ultimately the result could be something as simply as faulty wiring of the brain
@@LifeIsAStory exactly. Animals are not related to humans in behaviour. Animals act practically without remorse. A female hamster may kill and eat one of her babies when the babies are more of her nipples.... BTW .Tom Cruise as Vincent is quite brilliant.
It's the morality of the moment. A society without morality, collapses. Vincent is dead inside because of the choices he has made in his life. He could have worked high level security and had a family, a reason to live.
Max's relaxed and almost cheerful demeanor in the conversation in with the jazz club owner is entirely unrealistic. Max has seen Vincent kill and must realize that Vincent will have no compunction about eliminating the witness when Max has served Vincent's purpose.
This movie never gets old, a masterpiece act by Tom Cruise, can’t believe it has been 18 years since it released
This movie is trash bruh
20 now
What makes Vincent scary, in my opinion, is his coldness. He can decide when someone has to die without hesitation and justify his decision to kill them.
How does he justify it? I have seen the movie I know he does. But what do you think about his justification?
Also that he just has a raw brutality to him which is so magnetic
"You're about as deep as a bowl of soup! And your tongue is about as sharp as a soup spoon."
He denies killing the first hit for example, saying, 'no, I shot him. The bullets and the fall killed him'. He's a soldier after all, probably ex Special Forces, hence his high skill level, intelligence and coldness when it comes to pulling the trigger and doing what must be done to complete the mission. @@TheAdekrijger
There is a reason this movie was chosen, among other greats, to be included in the Smithsonian. Underrated masterpiece.
Never knew that. Well deserved indeed.
No kidding
Who under rated it?
Did not know. Thx!
I gotta be honest I don't understand what you mean by a film being included in the Smithsonian. They add films to the Museum collection?
Tom Cruise needs to play a Villain again, he was damn good at it!
I saw this in theaters when it came out. The part I hated the most is that *spoiler* it had low chance of a sequel!
100% !
Up there with Interview with a Vampire for bad guy roles. In my opinion
Mann did an excellent job of closing the movie with the dead Vincent traveling on the train, possibly to be ignored by the cold, self-obsessed Angelinos that Vincent described to Max when he first got into his cab. Vincent essentially predicted his own death.
Vincent even saves max in the club shootout. Almost as if he was starting to like him. I found that lil scene very intriguing the characters actually grow in small ways thru out the movie.
Nah, his logic is that the cabbie should die at the end. Otherwise, he won't have a fallguy for all the murders. Vincent did start liking Max sometime before the club shootout (before the coyote scene), but he would still not hesitate to kill him once his use was done.
Both Collateral and Heat mirror one another is many ways. The films are book ended by mirrored shots. Heat has the train entering the station, bringing Neil into the film, so to speak and Collateral has the reverse. A shot of a train leaving the same station, carrying the anti hero out of the film. The two films are the same story. Two men who seem polar opposites, through a quirk of fate, end up meeting and connecting.
@@teznarayanan i thought so too...but if max was any other cabbie, vinc wouldve killed him way before, many times max was screwing with his work..he might give max a chance, but when max intentionally crashed his cab, vince wouldve definitely shot him..but instead he just tried to beat him for a sec, then left him...knowing full well max could identify and testify against him...also i dont believe vincent wouldve missed his shots had it been against anyone else...he missed like 10 shots against max, THAT IS NOT VINCENT...a guy who could take down 5-6 armed bodyguards with precision in a small space...seems to me that Vince got a personal bond with max, a connection that he has not felt in a loong time, and he just couldnt bring himself to shoot at max...he shot the bullets to scare him, to make him give up..or he might shoot to kill, but there was a definitely a mental block that prevented him from hitting max..vincent was too good of a marksman to miss a full magazine and then some
@@teznarayananI don't think so. The look that Vincent gives Max when he saves him is, in my opinion, very telling.
Great movie but some huge plot holes. Vincent was too visible. No way he could pin anything on Max or get away with Max having an imposter as the hitman. Since he was that visible, he may have let Max go but not likely. He still was most up close and personal out of anyone and he knew his voice and philosophy.
Good analysis bro. The nihilistic morality of Vincent might “liberate” him from traditional morality and allow any behavior he wishes, but ultimately creates a bleak and meaningless life. Your discussion about Christ was also spot on.
Religion is bullshit and you're a fraud totally devoid of self-respect.
This movie is sooooo underrated. Nice video by the way.
Thanks! And it most definitely is. Maybe Tom’s best performance. Top 3 at least.
@@LifeIsAStory Magnolia though.
But yeah, this movie is great
@@LifeIsAStory Easily my favorite Tom Cruise performance.
Great soundtrack too.
Who under rated it?
I think Collateral rhymes with HEAT. Both movies are about two pairs of men with a clear philosophy that they allow to entirely dominate their lives, and in both cases the antagonist is forced to re-evaluate who they are, and the deviation results in their downfall. It's almost like taking the coffee scene from HEAT where they sit face to face, and putting it in a taxi for most of the movie.
And the film feels so intimate because of that. Heat feels like an epic, but Collateral feels like a much more intimate story, even though it's set in sprawling LA. Funnily enough though, despite Max and Vincent being together pretty much for the entire movie, I think they only sit face to face once, just like the two men in Heat.
@@davidlean1060 I love contrast between the taxi and train. The taxi is private transportation. The train is public transportation. Vincent dies on the train and no one is there to notice. On the opposite side of the coin. Its the same as his victims not seeing their death coming. The irony of Vincent being passionate on his hitman job to die an insignificant death.
Vincent is on autopilot mode so much that he even loses the gun fight with Max because of his precise shooting pattern: two in sternum, one in head; all the bullets hit the door thus protecting Max (you can see where they bullets impacted).
It's brilliant the way Vincent releases the spent magazine and reaches for another, despite being out of rounds. It emphasizes that muscle memory he has.
@@davidlean1060 I always assumed it was because he realises he has been mortally wounded, so now there is no point in killing them, as he has nothing to gain from it as he'll be dead soon. But i could be wrong!
@@Windraesa The reaction he has after he makes the move is, sure, but I'm on about the actual action of reaching for another mag as soon as the last one is spent. The point of the scene is Vincent looses out to Max because of his skill sets, his 'trigger time' as the FBI chief puts it. Despite all the pseudo philosophy about adapting to the environment and rolling with it, he doesn't kill Max because his training is too ingrained in him. Reaching for a fresh mag is just another added little detail to emphasize how highly skilled Vincent is, but it also emphasizes how useless that training is in that moment.
Amazing observation mate!!
Thanks!
@@davidlean1060 yea areally neat detail..despite all the wise words, and robot like accuracy and zero empathy, he was still human, and that he not always adapted like he claimed to
In "Heat", DeNiro who is Neil, says he has a brother some where, even dresses the same. Thoughts?
oh my god. even their hair is similar. and the fact that he was raised in a foster home would explain Neil saying "somwhere"
De Niro is old enough to be for Tom Cruise's dad
@@thereliablesource7938 tom cruise is like 60
@@YNZazagoon
Cruise is 58 DeNiro is 77. 19 years apart siblings is not common but happens. Statistically his father is more likely.
Here' a better theory.
Collateral is a *sequel.*
To _The Color of Money_
This movie change my life forever, Words can't describe how much i love this Masterpiece , in my opinion best Tom Cruise role ever made.. also my favorite movie of all time !!
I just finished watching the movie. Reason being I saw the shot of him in the street (you know the one I mean) and felt like "wow, maybe this will be like John Wick or something!".
Boy was I wrong and boy do I not regret it. A long time a film made me actually think. Really refreshing.
Awesome takes on the movie man.
Oh yeah, it’s a far cry from John Wick haha. But thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed.
When this came out it was the first movie since Se7en that I went to see twice in theaters. Jamie Foxx had a spectacular year due to his performance in this and in Ray and Tom Cruise should have silenced all of his doubters. One of the best antagonists I’ve ever seen in a film.
The ending to this movie has me in tears. Vincent is ultimately right about how bleak reality is as he basically serves this to Max as living testament of it himself, Vincent is like the devil on your shoulder, bad, but still has your best interests in mind.
I’d be careful there. He certainly helps Max in someways. He tries to help Max not be a pushover with his boss and encourages him to get a grip on his life but the motivations are skewed in my opinion. Vincent seems to be saying, "We are all gonna die anyways; it doesn’t really matter if you fail, so you might as well give it a shot." Vincent takes that thinking to its extreme. It’d be better for Max to do the things Vincent recommends because taking on challenges and taking risk adds meaning to your life. It’s an interesting contrast. One very relevant today.
@@LifeIsAStory my point was more that Vincent inadvertently teaches Max to not be like him, despite how bleak reality is. But Vincent was projecting also and Max was even emulating him in scenes.
@@driiifter Gotcha. I think I see what you're getting at.
It is really interesting that Max quite visibly grows stronger (in some ways) by emulating his enemy. After all, Vincent's philosophy (if there is no immortality, then everything is lawful) must be empowering in some way, or it wouldn't be so prevalent. But it's especially interesting because--and correct me here--but Vincent definitely plans, all along, to kill Max when his job's done, doesn't he? So the advice he gives Max is either just to keep stringing him along with hope of survival, or just possibly because it's not actually possible to hold a nihilist philosophy and be consistent in your thoughts and actions. Why would a true nihilist bother teaching nihilism?
@@draananor That's a great point and something I've thought about as well. Especially when he says, "if we get through this, I think you should call her." Like they're a team or something. I think he's teaching Max as a way of solidifying the philosophy in his own mind because you're absolutely right, he would have killed Max in the end.
Seen this movie so many times. It's my favorite of all time.
You know, having left the church rather recently in my life. This video highlights why I found Vincent so relatable from a character perspective.
I just finished watching this tonight. I never thought it would be so thought provoking. Excellent script as well as performances.
Interesting how Vincent refers to Max as Lady Macbeth.
When does he refer to max as lady Macbeth?
@@basilcook4280 when he was complaining and trying to clean up the sandwhich he dropped when ramone landed on his car pretty sure
After watching this vid, went and re-watched Collateral for the first time in 19 years.
Some films your wowed by when they first come out, but they don't hold up over time.
Glad to say Collateral really did hold up.
Tom Cruise in Collateral (Vincent)
Robert De Niro in Heat (Neil Mccauley)
Both similar and made by the same director - Michael Mann
And Heath Ledger as the Joker in Nolan's The Dark Knight - obviously inspired from Michael Mann
Another similar characters are:
Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) in No Country for Old Men made by the Cohen Brothers
Robert Mccall (Denzel Washington) - the Equalizer made by Antoine Fuqua
Explaining the mindset of Vincent made this movie what it is. I just watched it on Netflix for the first time, and I wish they made more movies like this. If anyone has recommendations for similar movies lmk!!
Incredibly insightful review as I had missed several of your observations. Wonderful. Thank you.
Very cool analysis bro, I especially enjoyed the part where you referred to Max as a " Sheep Dog".
Few movies forced me to contemplate the things I did in life this one of them.
I'm surprised Tom and Jamie didn't get a reward for this film. A underrated movie.
Masterpiece synopsis. Did analysis of films in screenwriting classes but your’s is the best I’ve heard
Just watched it last week for the first time in years. Classic masterpiece.
Fantastic! Now, I will rewatch Collateral tonight with much deeper understanding of its content.
Compare,the case is national security v organised crime?what you think...shhh
Mann is a genius...Heat...Collateral..a few othe grest movies...TC steals the show to compliment the plot..the looks, the grey hair..th expensive suits..all add up..Mann makes magic in this film..love to watch it..time and time again....and TC just compliments it....great film.
Very good analysis, but while Vincent sees himself better than the coyotes as you mention, he's also haunted by his own nihilism. He tells the story of the guy dying alone in the train car which is the fate that befalls him.
I think I’ve found my new favourite film channel. Normally when I search (film) analysis on TH-cam I get poor results. This is great thank you for making this.
My pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed! Collateral is one of my favorites.
Great soundtrack on this one too.
Easily one of his best films, and one of the best films of this type.
Great video. Collateral is one of my all time favorite films.
Micheal Mann is my fav director,just love his style and the way he gets you so involved in the characters.
This is one of my very few favorite movies.
Masterpiece. our everyday life inner demons, such a great lesson hidden in brilliant film making
Absolutely. Not many movies can put forth such a message in a film that is an action/thriller. Mann is brilliant.
Just finished watching it and started scrolling through TH-cam and randomly found this video.🤔
Great movie.
Vincent’s nihilistic view of the world and his habits lead to his downfall whilst max learns from these and finally acts on impulses. When Vincent shoots two to the body and one to the head he doesn’t take into account that .40 S&W loses a lot of speed when hit by steel (the train doors) something that he doesn’t adapt to (like he was saying). It’s a very very very interesting film
Also if you noticed, Max moved several steps to the right during that shootout. I believe Max may have noticed Vincent's habit and knew that if he moved laterally, Vincent's shots would likely miss.
@@theowl2044 improvise adapt davinci I Ching. Vincent stopped evolving in all shots of movie Vincent trying to shoot people with same tactics but Max outperformed him
the philosophical debate in this movie are what makes it great. this is my favorite tom cruise movie.
Collateral is one of the best films I've seen. Great analysis, I also enjoyed the other ones you did.
what a great video I found!. You will have a lot more subscribers, keep the good work!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed!
Great video. I like how you have the wheel at the top that’s timing the video
Deep video. Didn't think or even know this way of thinking. Great video. I watched this 3x. Thank you
I once knew a couple of killers-for-hire. One worked for the cops and the other worked for the mafia. Both had personalities very similar to Vincent. Friendly, polite and helpful as fuck, one even offered to whack some guy for me. One became a minor celebrity on the Smoking Gun website. Both are now long ago passed away.
Bullshit. Details.
@@scowler7200 What do you want, shoe sizes?
You ever met spec forces guys ?
Pics or it didn't happen
how did they die? gunshot prolly?
Vincent does what he does because he struggles to have any empathy for other people, or the world at large. Ultimately it is his lack of humanity which gets him kill. As human beings one of the reasons we are on the top of the food chain is because of our ability to cooperate. In order for the cooperation to happen empathy, trust, and understanding must be maintained. if it is not an individual person will die either through no one watching their back or insanity. As humans this is where our definition of right and wrong comes from, survival of the group and individual. anything that supports that concept is good, but anything that acts against that is wrong.
Something about Tom Cruise's character tells me that's something he is capable of in real life. Cold, calculated. Playing that villain seemed to be very easy and natural for Tom.
Love your video you put it in in great views! I needed to understand Vincent more I came to the perfect place!!!
Vincent was killing people who were going to snitch ~ they knew what they signed up for ~ why should he feel sorry for them ~ in reality it's easier to kill someone u don't know, instead of killing your right hand man ~ Vincent was cold blooded
Annie wasn’t a snitch.
In Columbia & Mexico they kill prosecutors
the difficult thing is to realize your own dark side but not to hide it
This is the best video on TH-cam about Vincent
The brilliance of Michael Mann's "Collateral" is how Vincent's demise was because of his Mozambique drill routine when disposing his targets, and Max survived because he picked up Vincent's adaptalibity and improvisation in every situation.
What no body seems to mention is that Vincent won't just pass through life and not be remembered. You think Max will ever forget about that crazy night as long as he lives?! ;)
Seriously though, both characters are so multi layered. Max isn't a one dimentional looser, though at first glance, he appears to be. The spotless cab suggests disipline and a code of practice. His brief chat with the gas station attendent in Spanish shows he is well able to adapt to and engage with strangers. Then, of course, there's the first meeting with Annie. This 'downtown' guy is able to disarm and charm an 'uptown' woman enough, she gives him her number. The man has 'game', he just doesn't know it! He's the perfect foil for Vincent, who isn't entirely what he appears to be either. Vincent brings the 'game' out of Max and in return for baring just a tiny glimpse of his humanity, he doesn't die alone.
No, no...
Watch and notice JF shot all over the place, and most likely would've hit the metal door, but TC well trained and focused aimed straight ahead as normal. Thru the window...
There was no possible way he could miss!
God protected Max because he had a good heart imo.
Imo that moment was simply "Divine Intervention "
How else can you explain that moment??
it would take a miracle for Max to survive that!
& somehow he did
yea..unlike some losers, max had discipline, iq, eq, even vincent was impressed with the answers and got to really like him..the only thing max lacked was the full commitment and the willingness to go through without overthinking..vincent wouldve been proud of his 'friend' max and the beast he trasnformed into by the end..and vincent was becoming a lil more human...they were learning lessons from each other
My point is that it has to be there in Max already for it to come out. He charms Annie and he challenges Vincent, calling out his philosophy as 'twilight zone shit', so it's no surprise he has the nerve and wit to walk out of Felix's club, even after insulting him. Max is an awesome character really. A wolf in sheep's clothing. @@vza7938
I’d actually love some videos on Shakespeare from you. I was watching your video on Kurtz and his view on the perfect soldier and it reminded me of the speech that Henry V makes outside of the gates of harfleur, everyone sees him as a heroic figure but I think it’s in these moments Shakespeare highlights to what extent this character is prepared to go for victory. I think if you did some videos it would open a lot of people’s eyes to Shakespeare and his works.
You do see lions caring for baby impalas from time to time.... which is absolutely fascinating!
More and more, we are discovering that all sorts of creatures display altruism. It's more widespread in nature than we once guessed.
ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. TRULY A MASTERPIECE.
IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN.
MY CRITIQUE WOULD TAKE HOURS. SO MANY INTRIGUING ELEMENTS. BUT FOR ME IT IS A CLEAR MESSAGE ABOUT GOOD AND EVIL, THE CHOICES WE MAKE AS FREE AGENTS, THE CONSEQUENCES THAT RESULT. ONE PERSON CHOOSES TO JUSTIFY HIS EVIL ACTIONS BY BLAMING HIS PAST. A DIFFERENT PERSON, DESPITE HORRIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES HE ENCOUNTERS, DECIDES TO DO THE RIGHT THING. THE PLOT TWISTS, THE ACTING, THE SETS AND PROPS, THE LIGHTING, THE SCRIPT, THE AUDIOVISUAL, THE MUSIC, THE EMOTIONS, THE UNIQUENESS--- DEFINITELY A MASTERPIECE.
Great way to look at it.
Thanks!
@@LifeIsAStory I felt a bit lost after watching it... you kinda organized my thoughts. I think I'm going to watch the rest of Mann's filmography, it was beautifully directed.
You should, he’s got some great movies. I still need to watch some a few. He hasn’t made a feature in quite a while unfortunately.
I was wondering if any noticed the blooper near the end of the movie with the metro. Max is running with the girl from Vincent. He decides to go down the stairs to the low floor train. Then Vincent shows up at the stairs and debates which train to go to then chooses the upper floor train. But somehow they end up on the same train
Yeah the subway scene was filmed in a way that was slightly hard to follow haha.
Nice video...I wish there was a book that this movie was based. Mr. Mann did a really good job with this and Heat.
I really enjoyed this narrative analysis.
A masterpiece of a cinema. Great performances from Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. A great thought provoking movie.
The film is very compelling, in a way that demands from each one of us to take a hard look at ourselves and ask the question, "are you Vincent or Max?"
Great video. Now I have to go watch the flick
Awesome movie, one of the best of the 2000s imo
Great review
I love this movie, since I’ve been 13, im 31 now
Good video , thank you
5:22 The power and influence of Christianity is its simple universal morality, hence it can be practised by people of any race, gender, class, or intelligence.
Make sure to check out the video I’m putting out tomorrow (assuming it isn’t held up by TH-cam.
2:57 Just like in Training Day with Denzel
Did you do one on fight club?
This movie is an absolute gem
Excellent commentary
It's never taken into account, that Vincent is just doing a job, and is in his job mindset. He even says he's been doing this work in the private sector for six years, implying he's been doing the same work in the public sector for longer.
He's focussed on his work, and mentions his work, back in where ever he lives, he might be a different sort of guy.
Despite his annoyance with Max, he sees something that appeals. Max doesn't see much that appeals, but sees things to learn, even though he doesn't realise it at the time. It doesn't appear by his behaviour he's going to kill Max, "You going to call that girl? If we get out of this alive, you should call her." Max: "why haven't you killed me yet?". Vincent: "cosmic fates entwined".
At the end of the day, sometimes things happen, we just got to roll with it.
I firmly believe Collateral is a parable.
HUGELY slept-on movie... Up there with Gattaca and Videodrome.
Good job
Can you please review Stuntman with peter o’toole?
Great Content!
Loved the movie, one of my favorites. But damn...I just can't get over the cliché we see in movies over and over again where the highly skilled fighter or killer (protagonist or antagonist) has a drawn-out final fight scene with a good or bad guy who can't hold a candle to his killing talent.
We see it in everything from John Wick to Collateral. In JW, Wick kills dozens of highly-skilled mob men...yet spends ten minutes trying to finish off an old Russian mob boss?
And in Collateral, Vincent is a highly-trained, disciplined killing machine, who finally loses to a cab driver?
Hey, I'm all for David-versus-Goliath stories, and like I say, I absolutely love this movie....but still find the ending hard to swallow.
Yes, I understand all the metaphors and metaphorical images in the film that foreshadow the ending. I'm talking about the realism of the outcome.
I totally understand what you are trying to say but you see Vincent had to die for the movie to prove its point, he just has to...
Btw did you get the point of the movie?
@@shreyasnshkumar3570 Yes, I got the point of the movie, and I understand all the metaphorical references, Vincent's nihilism, and Max's lack of certainty.
My point is simply that having a cab driver take out a highly trained stone-cold killer to MAKE the point of the movie obvious and complete all the metaphorical references just seems to strain credulity.
It'd be like Michael Jordan losing a game of one-on-one to a 6th grader in order to complete a theme.
@@fartsimpson8610 alright the John wick comparison is weak, jw had been fighting and accumulating injuries before facing Viggo (the Russians mafia boss) it makes sense jw couldn't just tambourine the dude Viggo was uninjured and fresh where as John was shot full of holes and bleeding out... oddly enough it's the same story with Max and Vincent, Vincent had been "working" the whole evening and had caught some steel before Max finally nutted up and confronted Vincent.
@@EireHammer So a tired Mean Joe Green taking on Pee Wee Herman in a fight would have a tough time of it. OK, got it!
I think this is the point that "No Country for Old Men" makes. As Tommy Lee Jones's character points out, even in a contest between man and steer, the outcome isn't certain. Unpredictable stuff happens all the time.
Collateral has a metaphorical point to make, which has obviously not escaped you. But I think your point about "realism" doesn't take in the full picture. Vincent believed as you do, that because of his decades of expertise, he knew what the outcome would be with a fatal certainty. But nothing is certain. Sometimes, the sheep gets lucky and kills the wolf. And sometimes, the wolf secretly doesn't want to win, because after years of living with that nihilistic point of view, the meaninglessness of it all begins to weigh him down, even if he doesn't know it.
a sheepdog, yesss. You are good
Best Tom Cruise performance ever
This is a bit off topic, but there have literally been cases of lions defending baby antelope from leopards. More than once.
Have you ever considered looking at the movie HEAT and delving into the characters there?
I have! I probably will look into that film eventually. One thing I think is tough about analyzing movies (especially great ones) is that there are soooo many themes to talk about and characters to talk about that it’s hard to keep the video focused, if you know what I mean. So I might try to focus a Heat video on the relationship between Pacino’s character and De Niro’s character. I have a couple videos I want to make first but at some point I think I’ll do something with Heat. Awesome movie.
@@LifeIsAStory looking forward to that Heat is classic
@@LifeIsAStory In "Heat", DeNiro who is Neil, says he has a brother some where, even dresses the same. Thoughts?
@@JohnSmith-vg4jd I have heard the theory that Vincent could be Neil‘s brother but I don’t think that is the intention. I like to think of the characters as 2 completely different unconnected individuals living out there same worlds within the universe of Los Angeles. It is all just another day. Plus Michael man wrote heat but he did not write collateral he only directed it. So Vincent cannot be Neil‘s brother because Vincent isn’t even from the same story as Neil. The similarity in clothing style is of course Michael Mann vision but also to give them a sense of professionalism so that they blend into the landscape. Just a white man in a gray suit, dime a dozen in LA.
This should be compared not to HEAT, but to Three Days of the Condor, especially the part/scene where Jobert (Max Von Sydow) has "switched sides" and saved Robert Redford (to his astonishment). IN explaining his actions as an assassin, Jobert discussed the "precision" of the work as being rewarding. I thiink this is a cleaner antecedent to Collateral.
And yes, I loved Collateral too.. I use the alley scene in my shooting classes for an example of good technique Cruise was well trained and it shows.
New subscriber I’m hooked
What I really like with Vincent, is the violence when he doesn’t have a gun.
Nowadays you see a sort martial arts and martial art style in the physical fighting, even with bad guys, like Jason Borne- it can kinda diminish a creativity with fights, a disciplined tacticool . Vincent doesn’t have a clear martial arts refinement, he just has an animality to his physical fighting done by Tom Cruise sublimely that was so raw.
Overall when I saw it Vincent just felt like a predator , a man eating tiger let out in the city.
But you also see with him interacting with Jaime Foxx , the film progression and events, all of it, you see it causing him to think underneath.
Tom in Collateral is like Al Pacino in Godfather I and II. In most of their movies, the only played themselves.
Can someone please inform the name of the background instrumental on this commentary
I think Vincent didn't mind dying and took wild risks cause he got off on the chaos where he thrived.
If someone can tell me the soundtrack for this video i cant find it and its driving me crazy
This movie was good, ahead ofand time better than these days films. There's an atmosphere in this movie.. the night scene and all
Very good analysis. I would suggest, since you are analyzing a film - show some clips.
It is a great movie , I found Vincent very similar in mindset and philosophy to Tyler Durden from Fight Club
I enjoyed your analysis and agree with it. However, I have seen a very confused lioness try to adopt and protect a baby wilderbeast (if I remember the species correctly). Nature sometimes does strange things. Wild killer whales working with humans to hunt whales. Humpback whales defending prey from killer whales, etc.
I would need to investigate the possible scientific rational for these scenarios. I have seen situations of this nature, but I highly doubt that what is occurring is conscious self-sacrifice.
@@LifeIsAStory Are right these are not examples of conscious self-sacrifice (though that is a philosophical can of worms). The lioness probably bonded with the calf while she was under the influence of serotonin after giving birth to cubs and these cubs had died. She kept the calf separate from its own kind, and protected it from other lions. Of course it was never going to work, but I cannot remember the fate of the calf.
The killer whale interaction with humans was very complex. It got to the level where a large male, called Tom, would grab a rope attached to a whale boat and help the whalers get to the hunting area. There are also reports of the killer whales assisting whalers who fell overboard. This happened in the 1800’s at Eden on the New South Wales south coast.
As for the humpback whales, killer whales are a threat to their calves. Their protection of other species from killer whales could be due to a range of factors. Though I don’t think this is self-sacrificing behavior because a healthy adult humpback is not at threat from killer whales.
@@monash1915 Appreciate the breakdown. It definitely is a philosophical bag of worms. But at a bare minimum, animals (as far as we know) do not have a moral code. Male lions are not judged for killing cubs when they take over a pride. The jungle has a different set of rules. Vincent follows the rules of the jungle.
There’s definitely an explanation. The explanation could make sense in a logical manner, or it could make sense the same way that psychopaths are born, not created. We didn’t deserve them and they didn’t deserve the lot they received in life, but ultimately the result could be something as simply as faulty wiring of the brain
@@LifeIsAStory exactly. Animals are not related to humans in behaviour. Animals act practically without remorse. A female hamster may kill and eat one of her babies when the babies are more of her nipples.... BTW .Tom Cruise as Vincent is quite brilliant.
Well done
The most underrated film by far; Jack Reacher is close along with Heat.
It's the morality of the moment. A society without morality, collapses. Vincent is dead inside because of the choices he has made in his life. He could have worked high level security and had a family, a reason to live.
In your Vietnam films you missed out Casualties of War excellent film Penn and Fox are like Barns and Taylor!!!
Great movie and great soundtrack.
Memory is not the only way we affect the future
Max's relaxed and almost cheerful demeanor in the conversation in with the jazz club owner is entirely unrealistic. Max has seen Vincent kill and must realize that Vincent will have no compunction about eliminating the witness when Max has served Vincent's purpose.