Overview
A cab driver’s night takes a dark turn when he becomes a hostage to a hitman with a deadly agenda.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- tense
- neon-lit
- paranoid
- late night viewing
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Michael Mann's stylish nocturnal direction, lean noir thriller construction, and especially the performances by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise, while noting some third-act implausibility.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Max must continue driving Vincent between contract killings while trying to regain control of the cab and his own choices.
Michael Mann uses digital cinematography to render Los Angeles as a glowing, shadowy nocturnal maze.
Max's long-standing fantasy of future independence is confronted by Vincent's coercion and violence.
The cab moves through airports, apartments, clubs, streets, and police operations across one compressed night.
Films like Collateral, and why
Heat
shares a nocturnal neo-noir atmosphere, morally pressured protagonist, urban criminal underworld, and escalating thriller tension
The Killer
shares a crime thriller structure centered on a professional killer, compressed time pressure, and stylish urban violence
After Hours
shares a night-bound thriller mood, isolated protagonist, criminal pursuit, and psychologically destabilizing city journey
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Mann
- Release Date
- 2004-08-04
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (6519)
Cast
- Tom Cruise
- Jamie Foxx
- Jada Pinkett Smith
- Mark Ruffalo
- Peter Berg
- Javier Bardem
- Bruce McGill
- Klea Scott
- Barry Shabaka Henley
- Irma P. Hall
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Collateral about?
- Over one dangerous Los Angeles night, a passive cab driver is forced to confront a relentless hit man and the life he has postponed.
- What is Collateral like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Collateral as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Collateral violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Collateral as brutal.
- What did critics think of Collateral?
- Critics broadly praised Michael Mann's stylish nocturnal direction, lean noir thriller construction, and especially the performances by Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise, while noting some third-act implausibility.
- Which films are like Collateral?
- Films with a similar feel include Heat, The Killer, and After Hours.
- How long is Collateral?
- Collateral runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch Collateral?
- In United States, Collateral streams on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel.
