Collateral

Getting stuck in a cab with Tom Cruise for two hours shouldn’t be this enjoyable, but Collateral makes a strong case for never taking the bus again. It’s basically Heat shrunk to one taxi and one night: a hitman on a schedule, a cabbie with a 12-year plan, and a city that runs like a cold machine. Digital LA looks great – neon, slightly unreal – with coyotes on the motorway and clubs wired into the same web of favours and fares.

Cruise clearly relishes being the villain, all shark-smile professionalism, while Jamie Foxx quietly walks off with the film. Max only really becomes the protagonist when he finally decides to wreck the plan and stop being a passenger in his own life. The action has that Mann clarity – you always know who’s shooting whom and where – with a hint of De Palma in the stalking and the train finale.

The pop psychology is pretty pub-level and the ending runs on rails, but as a sleek, one-night thriller about small stakes that feel huge, it’s fun as hell.