Review: Collateral (4K)

After a long day, LA taxi driver Max (Jamie Foxx) is about to knock off when sharp-suited Vincent (Tom Cruise) offers him $600 to make five stops. Sounds good until Vincent turns out to be a merciless hitman and each one of those stops involves a hit.

As the night goes on, Max starts to wonder if he’ll live to see the sunrise, as the pair are hunted by the police and the FBI.

Plot: A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.

Director: Michael Mann

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Runtime: 120 min

Rotten Tomatoes Consensus: Driven by director Michael Mann’s trademark visuals and a lean, villainous performance from Tom Cruise, Collateral is a stylish and compelling noir thriller.

Online Ratings:

  1. Rotten Tomatoes 86% (Audience 84%)
  2. IMDB 7.5
  3. Metacritic 71
  4. Roger Ebert 3.5/4

“A top notch thriller for all fans in UHD.”

Review:

Collateral was originally shot in both digital + 35 mm, and with this new remaster, it was finished at a 2k digital intermediate — this means you’ll get an upscaled presentation on this disc. On top of that, as per the norm with UHD releases, it was also given a HDR color grade for your viewing pleasure in both Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Before we dive in, I just wanted to note that this was remastered under the supervision of the director.

This is an interesting UHD, let me tell you that. The source material makes it so that the picture varies from a decent amount of grain to a very heavy amount of grain. I’m never the individual that complains about grain specifically, but I try to note it for those that do. On top of that, there is a little bit of a soap opera effect as the camera pans from time to time — I’m not expert, but I’m guessing that’s due to using both formats inside of the same film. Once again, it’s not a horrible look, but it is noticeable and creates a soft image quite a bit.

When it comes to detail and HDR we have what you’ve come to expect from UHD. The detail has increased over the Blu-ray, but not drastically — for the most part you can’t really tell it’s UHD, but when close-ups occur it brings you right back into the fact that it is. The HDR (as usual) is my favorite part of this film because of the way the director and cinematographer intended the image to look. The blacks appear more grey on purpose to add to the overall vibe with intention to build a sense of tension inside of the movie. Since this takes place over one night, the high dynamic range adds to the city with more hues, glows and the grit you’d expect if you were in this situation yourself. (I really like the HDR addition on this film.)

Unfortunately, the new transfer is the only thing ‘new’ about this release, this UHD doesn’t come with any new special features. I’ve never been a stickler on adding material to new releases, but I know a lot of you out there expect it. (Just know, this release includes what was included before.)

In conclusion —

I can’t believe that this movie already came out 16 years ago — I remember watching this for the first time and loving it because I’m a sucker for thrillers. Both actors do an amazing job with their rolls and hopefully this remaster and re-release will add new fans to the cause because the cat and mouse game that’s being played works great on screen. I don’t completely love the ending, but the first two parts of this movie are rock solid. Basically, if you’ve never seen this before, you need to take the time to enjoy it.

Taking everything I’ve said into account, you can be sure that Collateral gets my recommendation to own — but I’m not sure at what level. Love the movie? Yes, pick it up. Just a fan and looking to add something to your (hopefully) growing physical media collection? Maybe wait for it to go on sale. Simply put, this transfer is the best it’s ever looked with the HDR stealing the show, so if you like the film you’ll love the UHD.

No matter what you decide to do, you can grab a copy at your local retailer on 4K & Blu-ray this December 8th. It will make a great stocking stuffer addition for Christmas.

Are you a fan of Collateral? Will you be picking it up to own? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Cheers,

Matt.

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