When I watched Interview with the Vampire I noted that it was the only Tom Cruise movie in which he played a villain. I hereby retract that statement after watching Collateral. Cruise plays a highly-trained assassin named Vincent who uses his pistol and his sophisticated grey-tinged beard to take down informants in a drug-related prosecution.

Jaimie Foxx plays opposite Cruise and severely out-acts him as cab driver Max Durocher. I wonder if you could call Foxx the black Tom Cruise – he too is an extremely charismatic, small-framed actor who leveraged his natural charm to become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. I guess the difference is that Foxx is a little more talented than Cruise but maybe a little less willing to look like a nincompoop. Perhaps it’s because he’s more self-aware.

I like that Tom decided to play an antagonist because one of the criticisms you could have against him is that he is always trying to be likable. On the other hand his character in Collateral is clearly written to be likable – Sure, he’s a sociopath, charming, manipulative, and uncaring, but his wisdom and practicality also motivates the major character change that drives the movie – inspired and disgusted by Vincent’s expertise and motives, Max slowly transforms from a passive to an active participant in his own life and becomes the hero in his own story.

Structurally, Collateral is kind of odd because it is really two movies – the first half is a Midnight-Run-esque travel movie where two characters ride around in a car and talk to each other. The second half is an action movie where various participants try to stop Vincent from committing more murders. I really enjoyed the first half; it plays on the conversations that everyone has with their cab driver – some people find them interesting, some people find them annoying – to what extent they mean anything varies based on situation and context. The movie opens with Jamie Foxx arguing with Jada Pinkett Smith about optimal car routes through L.A. I liked that movie, I wanted to spend more time watching that movie.

The action thriller that covers shootouts traversing various dance clubs and parking garages for the second hour of the movie is pretty dumb. The good news is that Director Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider, etc.) and Writer Stuart Beattie (nothing, literally nothing interesting) spend so much time establishing the characters at the beginning of the movie that I cared what happens to them. But it doesn’t really make sense. Vincent is basically a superhero – he shoots with pinpoint accuracy, dodges bullets, and always appears in the perfect location to cause a ruckus – but by the end of the movie he’s beaten by a cab driver who about an hour ago couldn’t even talk on the phone to his mother.

Also notable, the cameos: Mark Ruffalo, Jason Statham, the aforementioned Ms. Pinkett-Smith, and Peter Berg (the creator of Friday Night Lights!) also pop up as do numerous other actors who will make you say “Hey it’s that guy!”

I think it’s appropriate at this time for us to revisit the stages of Tom Cruise’s career:

-1. The Pre-Maverick Years (1981-1985) – mostly co-starring roles in teen-oriented comedies and dramas
-2. The Apprenticeship Years (1986-1990) – a combination of blockbuster hits and co-star performances with big name actors and directors
-3. The Kidman Years (1991-1999 eyes wide shut) – a lot of romances, a lot of experimentation
-4. The Movie Star Annuity Years (1999 Magnolia – ??) – WHERE THE FUCK IS MY OSCAR

Another career transition comes soon. Stay tuned.

Next: Tom Cruise Jumps on Oprah’s Couch