Michael Mann’sneon-lit LA noir thrillerCollateralis marking its 20th anniversary, and it’s the best way to watch a groundbreaking film. The movie’s incredible cinematography was as a result of Mann going full digital for the first time, and it looks stunning. StarringTom Cruiseas a cold-blooded hitman andJamie Foxxin an Oscar-nominated role as his unwitting cab driver, the film remains one of Mann’s finest works. Beloved by critics with an 86% Rotten Tomatoes score, and an 84% audience score to match, it’s one of Mann’s best-known mainstream movies and is well worth a watch. The new 4K UHD edition ofCollateralfeatures a gorgeous transfer onto disc as it puts thebeautiful and terrifying Los Angeles at night on full display.
Paramount has also included a number of intriguing special features on the disc, including some deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes exploration ofMann’s meticulous filmmaking processin documentary form, and perhaps most appealing to true cinephiles and Mann fanatics (Mannatics?) will surely be the audio commentary which features the director alongside other creative figures in the movie.
Is Jason Statham ‘The Transporter’ in ‘Collateral’?
There’s another detail that has intrigued fans for years, the small matter ofJason Statham’sbrief cameo in the opening scene, in which he hands over a briefcase to Cruise’s Vincent. Now, on the face of it, it’s not much. Statham appears as “Airport Man” in the first scene of the movie, but is there more to it? Well, yes, as it turns out.
Fans ofThe Transporterseries have long theorized that Statham’s unnamed “Airport Man” inCollateralis actually Frank Martin, the highly skilled driver and mercenary fromThe Transporterfranchise, andback in 2022,CollateralscreenwriterStuart Beattieconfirmed the connection as canonical, at least in his own mind. Speaking on theCollateral Confessionspodcast, Beattie said:
“Absolutely Frank Martin ofTransporter. I asked Jason about that… Yeah, absolutely. Yes, it’s canon. Same world… the studio will never admit to that, but in my head, absolutely it’s him.”
DirectorLouis Leterrier, who helmed the first twoTransporterfilms, hinted back in 2005 that Frank Martin’s cameo was intentional, saying, “He’ll just be a cameo in other people’s movies; in Michael Mann’s movies.”
Collateralarrives on 4K UHD and Blu-ray on December 8. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Tom Cruise, Michael Mann, Jamie Foxx and, of course, Jason Statham.
