Collateral

The video clip that I am linking is a collage of the various clips in Collateral. The reason I chose this movie is because it contains many elements of formalism that add to its genre. The genre can be thought of action, violence, good vs. evil, and so on. I believe that there are many clips of formalism in this movie that accurately portrays the genre. One bit of evidence would be the appearance of the contract killer, Tom Cruise. He is portrayed to be savvy, cool, calculating, and well-dressed; all of which depict a typical assassin. The fact that the entire film is shot during the night adds to the fact that there is little to no hope for anyone who comes across Cruise. One more bit of formalism would be the music in the movie. The music makes the movie fast-paced, just the way an assassin acts. This is one of the few good movies Tom Cruise has made. Clicking on the link above should take you to the video.

Collateral Trailer

Collateral, starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, is a film depicting murder and blood money. Vincent, played by Cruise, is a slick contract killer who has 5 hits in one night. His transportation is Max, played by Foxx, who is an aspiring entrepreneur and has nothing to show for it but his cab. Cruise is determined to make all his hits on time and leave the city without a trace. However, neither man will ever be the same after this night. This movie would be a good candidate to work with this semester because it fits under the Auteur category. Director Michael Mann is known for making movies that deal with murder and violence (Miami Vice, Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel). The film also falls under the category of National because Max is an aspirer who wants to make it big though he has little to show for it. He wants to live the "American Dream". This film would be great to work with not just because of Auteur and National but also because it has many camera shots that would be interesting to discuss. Just click the title and you should be able to watch the film on youtube.com.