Beattie first conceived the idea for the film when taking a taxicab home from Sydney airport. He shared the idea with producer Julie Richardson, who showed it to director Frank Darabont. The film was pitched to HBO but was declined. It was purchased by DreamWorks but would not see development for three years. Before the trio of Mann, Cruise and Foxx joined the film, Mimi Leder, Janusz Kamiński and Fernando Meirelles were each considered as director, and Russell Crowe and Adam Sandler were in talks to star as Vincent and Max, respectively. Filming primarily took place throughout Los Angeles, and was the first feature film to be shot with a Viper FilmStream High-Definition Camera. The musical score was composed by James Newton Howard, with additional songs from Audioslave and Paul Oakenfold.


Collateral was released in the United States on August 6, 2004, and grossed over $220 million worldwide. The film received critical acclaim in particular for the performances of Cruise and Foxx, Mann's direction and the editing. Collateral was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2004. At the 77th Academy Awards, Foxx received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, while film editors Jim Miller and Paul Rubell were nominated for Best Film Editing.

Plot[edit]

Max Durocher is a Los Angeles cab driver trying to earn enough to start his own limousine business. One of the evening's fares is federal prosecutor Annie Farrell, who works for the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. They strike up a conversation and Annie gives Max her business card.


Max's next fare is Vincent, who tells Max that he is in Los Angeles for one night to complete a real estate deal, and Max agrees to drive him to several locations. As Max waits at the first stop, a corpse falls onto his car. Vincent reveals himself to be a hitman. He forces Max to hide the body in the trunk and continue driving. LAPD detective Ray Fanning arrives where Vincent made the kill and reveals the victim was a police informant.


At the second stop, Vincent restrains Max's hands to the steering wheel, and two young men rob him and seize Vincent's briefcase. Vincent shoots them dead and retrieves the briefcase. Fanning arrives at the hospital morgue to see the bodies of criminal lawyer Sylvester Clark, Vincent's second target, and two dead robbers, and realizes that this is the work of a hitman.


Vincent orders Max to a jazz club to find his third target, Daniel, who is set to testify against Vincent's client. Max pleads with Vincent to let Daniel go, and Vincent bets that Daniel cannot answer a question about Miles Davis. Daniel seemingly gives a correct answer, but Vincent unexpectedly shoots Daniel in the head, dissatisfied with his answer.


Learning of Max's nightly visits to the hospital to see his mother, Vincent insists that Max proceed with the visit. At the hospital, Ida proudly tells Vincent that Max has his own limousine company, revealing Max has been lying to her for her approval.


Overwhelmed, Max leaves, steals Vincent's briefcase, and hurls it onto a freeway where it is destroyed. Vincent coerces Max to meet drug lord Felix Reyes-Torrena to re-obtain the information on his last two targets. Max, posing as Vincent, acquires the information but Reyes-Torrena orders his men to kill "Vincent" if he does not complete the job.


Max goes with Vincent to a nightclub, seeking the next target, Peter Lim. Fanning, while seeking a connection between the three victims, visits FBI agent Frank Pedrosa, who identifies the victims as witnesses in a federal grand jury which will indict Reyes-Torrena the following day. Pedrosa thinks that Max is the hitman, based on FBI surveillance of Max entering and leaving Reyes-Torrena's bar, and orders the FBI agents to protect Lim. At the nightclub, Vincent kills Reyes-Torrena's hitmen, Lim, and his bodyguards. Fanning rescues Max and smuggles him outside, but Vincent fatally shoots Fanning and coerces Max back into the cab.


Following their getaway, Max and Vincent get into an argument before Max deliberately crashes the cab. Vincent escapes, but a police officer tries to arrest Max after seeing the corpse in the trunk. Max notices Vincent's open laptop, revealing that his final target is Annie. Max overpowers the police officer with Vincent's gun and rushes toward Annie's office building.


Stealing a bystander's phone, Max calls Annie to warn her, urging her to call 911. Vincent, who has armed himself with a gun from a security guard, corners Annie but is shot and wounded by Max, who escapes with Annie on foot. Vincent pursues the pair onto a metro rail train. Cornered on the train, Max engages Vincent in a shootout. Vincent, fatally wounded, slumps into a seat. Max and Annie get off at the next station, as a deceased Vincent continues riding alone on the train.