Collateral. 2.0 Money Trains

Collateral is better than Public Enemies because it is a colour-by-numbers thriller where character development is an optional extra. Also, it has a stronger narative. But like Public Enemies, it looks like it was shot on video in a few scenes too many.

It's still full of loopholes, though, and that makes it worth a laugh.

1. I've never seen a guy fall on a car from height in real life, but I've seen it in movies often enough, and I have a degree in engineering, so I'm pretty sure a 90kg man dropping four stories onto the 1 or 2mm steel of a car roof would cause some damage. Maybe buckle the columns, bend the roof, smash, rather than crack, the windshield. But apparently not. Apparently, you'll just dent the roof.

2. I'm also pretty sure than flipping a car over at 100kph will damage the occupants if they're not wearing seatbelts. Some cuts at least, if not broken limbs and nexts, internal injuries, etc etc. Ok, ok, suspend disbelief, or whatever you're meant to do. But when 90% of the film is set in a car, you'd think you could get these things a little more right.

3. And how come bad guys, who can group their shots within a square centimetre from across a crowded room and while moving cannot seem to hit the hero from 3 feet? That's getting a bit tired, I have to say. I'm not saying the hero should be gunned down in the second act, but how about thinking of a different situation he or she can get out of?

4. This film is LONG. (As is every Michael Mann film, actually.) It comes in at almost 2h, and could have been wrapped up nicely in more like 50 minutes. (Public Enemies could have ended about seven times before it was finally over.) How about a bit of efficiency?

All up, see Collateral if you're bored. It's not memorable though. 2.0MT