Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx Underwent Intense Training for Collateral

As the film celebrates its twentieth anniversary, its director, Michael Mann, reveals behind-the-scenes footage.

Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) is a taxi driver in Los Angeles. During his night shift, he picks up a certain Vincent (Tom Cruise) as a client. In exchange for a generous tip, the latter asks him to be his driver for the next five trips. After dropping his client off at his first meeting place, a man falls out of a window and lands on the hood of his taxi. Max is frightened and discovers that Vincent is in reality a hitman and that he now only has four targets left. As the hours go by, a bond is formed between the two men, a policeman, played by Mark Ruffalothe tracks.

For his second collaboration with Jamie Foxx – nominated for this supporting role at the Oscars – since Ali, Michael Mann (The Last of the Mohicans, Heat), makes a triumphant return. This nocturnal thriller that is Collateral, set in the director's favorite city, recorded 1.5 million admissions in France and defined a new visual approach for cinema, using high definition for its exterior sets to give depth to the field. Released in 2004, this feature film that has become a cult classic is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, Michael Mann spoke with IndieWire and uncovered the secrets of his success.

Collateral is to be (re)watched on Première Max

The idea for the film is not his own, but that of Stuart Bettie who, one day while taking a taxi outside an airport, realized that his driver knew nothing about him – and yet they were chatting like old friends. He then imagined that he could very well have been a dangerous psychopath, without the driver knowing it. This thought germinates, becomes the scenario of Collateraland falls into the hands of Michael Mann:

“The attraction of Collateral was quite intense. To go from a big story (editor's note: Ali) to a story that takes place over twelve hours with all the reflections that that includes in all the facets of that story to push the metaphor to the point of absurdity… it was very tempting. Imagine having one outfit for an entire movie! You can focus on what's happening in those twelve hours and the relationship between these two characters. The concentration of the narrative meant that I could delve deep into the intensity of these two characters connected to each other within the confines of one taxi, one night, and one location.”

Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are chosen to play the main characters. Actors first and foremost, for Michael Mann it was essential that they forget their job as actors to become the men they play on screen. Thus, their gestures will become automatic and the whole thing will be more realistic: “I want them to be able to do it for real.”

He adds:

“When an actor has these skills, then it's about reflex. (…) It seems authentic because he can do it.”

To have Tom Cruise become a sniper, the director called on a good friend, Mick Gould, a former member of a British special intervention unit with whom he worked on HeatThe actor trained in close combat, shooting, and sneaking through a crowd without being spotted. The result is more than convincing.

On the other hand, for Jamie Foxx, it was driving lessons that awaited him. Michael Mann having been a taxi driver in a previous life, just like his father and grandfather before him, it was obvious that he would not let a single misstep go unnoticed. Together, they follow drivers:

“We had customers, and we would explain where we were going, and hanging out with Jamie made it all hilarious and a lot of fun.”

Thanks to his newfound driving skills, Jamie Foxx was able to perform some of the stunts himself, including when the car speeds through the streets of Los Angeles.

The two men are not the only ones to have used these techniques. method acting. To play the prosecutor, Vincent's last target, Jada Pinkett Smith followed a lawyer for some time, analyzing her behavior in court, her gestures, etc.

Intensive and specific training that has paid off, because Collateral is now one of the best performances by actors.

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