Spiritual Movie Review - Collateral

How Did This HitMan Movie Make the List of Best Spiritual Movies??

How does a movie about a hitman make a spiritual movie list? Like a good hit man it sort of creeps up on you and takes you by surprise. There have been other hitman movies that could contend for a place on a spritual movie list - Road to Perdition and Leon the Professional come to mind. In this case, Collateral is not only a slick typical Michael Mann production with a fast pace, hypnotic soundtrack and crisp acting but it is at the same time a moving story about dreams deferred. A story that will make you ponder your own life. And that ability to make you look at where you are at in your own life is what contributes to making it a spiritual film.

Tom Cruise is the silver-fox hitman Vincent that hops in Max's (Jamie Foxx) cab and proceeds to use him as the driver in an overnight L.A. killing spree. But he also pushes Max to start thinking about his own life and why he hasn't pursued the dreams that he's had.

What is spiritual about this movie? Though steeped in violence there is a cutting undercurrent of hope that beats throughout. The metaphorical long dark night of the soul becomes a literal one for Max. By the same token it becomes the catalyst that he needs to reexamine his own life and by transference a catalyst that we can use to reexamine our lives as well. Are we where we want to be? Are we following our own dreams? If not, what are we waiting for - someone to put a gun to our heads? :)

Memorable Lines:

Max: First time in L.A.?

Vincent: No. Tell you the truth, whenever I'm here I can't wait to leave. It's too sprawled out, disconnected. You know? That's me. You like it?

Max: It's my home.

Vincent: 17 million people. This is got to be the fifth biggest economy in the world and nobody knows each other. I read about this guy who gets on the MTA here, dies.

Max: Oh.

Vincent: Six hours he's riding the subway before anybody notices his corpse doing laps around L.A., people on and off sitting next to him. Nobody notices.

More Lines:

Vincent: Max, six billion people on the planet, you're getting bent out of shape cause of one fat guy.

Max: Well, who was he?

Vincent: What do you care? Have you ever heard of Rwanda?

Max: Yes, I know Rwanda.

Vincent: Well, tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody's killed people that fast since Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Did you bat an eye, Max?

Max: What?

Vincent: Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Whales, Greenpeace, or something? No. I off one fat Angelino and you throw a hissy fit.

Max: Man, I don't know any Rwandans.

Vincent: You don't know the guy in the trunk, either.

*************************************************************************

Did Any of Your Favorites Make the List of 50 Spiritual Movies?
You can find out by reading and passing on the ebook that reviews and
lists top motivational movies and has links to some very worthy charities.
Grab your free copy here.
You have rights to reprint this article as long as this box is left intact.

*************************************************************************

Get Collateral on DVD