Collateral - Opening

Director Michael Mann himself has stated that he sees the film Collateral as, effectively, a ‘third act’ and climax to a grand crime story of a contract killer at the top of his game and the taxi driver he will meet while sent out to perform his assassinations in Los Angeles – however, the first and second acts he only came up with in his head. Important, then, is the opening to the film – as a character study of two seemingly alike but wholly different people, it is important to provide exposition to these characters while putting the audience in the middle of the situation. If there is one director who can achieve this by setting the tone of the film before it effectively begins, it is Michael Mann. Like Mann’s masterpiece Heat, an audio track is heard over the opening studio logo – here, there are sounds of a plane’s landing and a busy commotion in an unknown location – however, the only sounds with any clarity are the sounds of controlled, deliberate footsteps. Furthermore, the Dreamworks Studios logo itself is characterised in black and white – through this, we are already introduced to the dark atmosphere and mood of the film, giving the film it’s intended feeling of starting in the middle of the story. After the title cards have finished, the film’s lead character is introduced – Vincent (masterfully played in an against-type performance by Tom Cruise) – the shot, of his character, with grey hair and a plain grey suit, mirrors the curious opening sounds – there is an immense depth of field to the shot, meaning Vincent, like the opening audio, is the only character in focus, creating a feeling of distance between him and the others around him. The next shot sees an unnamed character played in a cameo role by Jason Statham also walking through a busy, indoor location. We see the two walking through this area, casually surveying the passing people Deliberately looking in other directions to each other, the two characters collide and drop their briefcases. The two exchange some dialogue – though seemingly unsuspicious, the audience knows that there is more to this than meets the eye, as Vincent picks up the briefcase carried by the other man, and vice versa. Vincent finally walks away, not looking back.

We then move to a taxi depot, where drivers are seen doing crosswords, watching football, and on the phone to their families. Again, there is only one character focused on in the midst of this crowded location – Max, the film’s second lead who will become the Vincent’s cab driver for the night. While other cab drivers are busy putting their cars together, fixing their engines and chatting to each other, Max’s taxi seems perfectly neat. There is an underlying sense of fate explored within these two characters. Somehow, they will collide during the events of the film, though the circumstances are almost unimaginable – Vincent is in fact a hit man, sent to Los Angeles to perform five assassinations in one night, and Max will end up driving him to the locations in his cab.

Through the look and feel of the characters and their locations, the similarities of Max and Vincent are explored in the opening scene. Vincent’s look – a plain grey suit and tie with a white shirt – and Tom Cruise’s acting – precise, deliberate, sparing covert looks at the surrounding crowds though never straying from his goal – show his deliberate, controlled nature. Meanwhile, Max seems totally in control of his world – the only adjustment he needs to make to his taxi is cleaning the windscreen. However, their weaknesses are represented so subtly, only auteur Michael Mann, who went as far to invent character’s parents and backgrounds in preparation, could demonstrate them. Vincent, though dressed to look anonymous, feels ironically out of place when we compare him to the areas of Los Angeles seen in the various exploits of Max in the film’s opening as he drives an arguing couple and a lawyer (Jada Pinkett Smith) round the city – L.A. is one of the most multicultural and diverse cities in the world, and the plain, cold look and feel of Vincent seems most natural when compared to the design of the city itself as opposed to the people within it. It is here that Michael Mann’s use of digital cameras pays off. Though the natural colour scheme of the film has a grey, cold tone, the Sony High Definition cameras capture the depth of field and colour seen within Los Angeles during Max’s cab rides in the opening, allowing the city’s unique blend of architecture, lights and people to shine through.