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08-09-2004, 05:04 PM
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#31 of 130 
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| I think it's important to note that, unlike most of Mann's other films, like Heat, Ali and The Insider, he didn't write the screenplay for Collateral; maybe that's why the ending felt a little more "Hollywood," and seemed to lack Mann's usual precise attention to detail. |
In fact, this script has been floating around for something like 10 years. Mann did do a polish, which I think shows in some of the more "attention to detail" scenes.
The subway story that provides Vincent's final thought even feels/sounds more like a NY story than L.A. I wonder if the original script was set in NY?
Overall, I really love this film. It does have a handful of problems/flaws that I think originate in the original script. Let's face it - if this stars Steven Seagal and Jim Belushi and is directed by Simon West, it is totally forgettable. But, it just goes to show you how incredibly talented people (Mann, Cruise, Foxx) can elevate material to an all new level. |
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08-09-2004, 05:14 PM
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#32 of 130
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It would have been perfect for Neil to kill Waingro and walk off into the sunset, just as it would have been perfect for Vincent to walk off into the sunset. However, Hollywood seems to scowl at the bad guy winning, even though in the case of a hitman vs a cabby the hitman will win 99% of the time.
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I may be in the minority on this one. During the Club Fever scene I was dreading an Arlington Road type ending, and after Max failed to kill Vincent with the first shot in the office I was convinced it was going to happen. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised to see Max walk away unscathed.  |
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08-09-2004, 06:52 PM
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#33 of 130
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I wonder if I would have enjoyed the movie just a teeny bit more if the trailers and commercials hadn't given away the first death (over and over and over).
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after Max failed to kill Vincent with the first shot in the office
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Seemed like Max had time to take a few steps and finish off Vincent while he was still down. But then we wouldn't have the final bullet-fest and the closure with the subway story.
Pretty minor quibbles, though; a very good movie. |
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08-09-2004, 07:17 PM
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#34 of 130
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I've Been Thinking about Seeing but still don't know
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08-09-2004, 11:04 PM
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#35 of 130
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The ending is definitely a bit of a puzzler since Vincent is shown, over and over, to be a killing machine. It seems outside the bounds of reality that 1) he would shoot off an entire clip at Max and miss, 2) that he wouldn't crouch or otherwise diminish his profile defensively.
I wonder if it wouldn't have worked to have both escape. Max is able to ditch Vincent on the train... In a metaphysical way, the dead man is still on the train (referring to Vincent's emptiness) while Max escapes (too risky for Vincent to come back for).
In any case, I very much enjoyed it, despite ending on a relatively sour note.
This message ends with Todd.
Hey kid you got no class. Hit the bums, kid. Run like the devil. Get a tin can and take up mooching. Knock on back doors for a nickel.
Tell them your story. Make \'em weep. You could have been a meat-eater, kid. But you didn\'t listen to me when I laid it down.
Stay off the tracks. Forget it. Its a bum\'s world for a bum. You\'ll never be Emperor of the North Pole, kid. You had the juice, kid, but not the heart and they go together.
You\'re all gas and no feel, and nobody can teach you that, not even A-No.1. So stay off the train, she\'ll throw you under for sure. Remember me for that. So long, kid. -A-No.1
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08-09-2004, 11:40 PM
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#36 of 130
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Thi Them
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I'm not sure if Vincent's death was a result of that shootout because I didn't see severe bleeding or wounds that wasn't there before. Maybe he knew he was going to die?
~T
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08-10-2004, 12:50 AM
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#37 of 130
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Thomas
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Quote:
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I'm not sure if Vincent's death was a result of that shootout because I didn't see severe bleeding or wounds that wasn't there before. Maybe he knew he was going to die?
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I'm pretty damn sure I saw a bullet wound on his chest, or in that area.
The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all. But maybe he's still out there, somewhere. Maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I'll see him again.
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08-10-2004, 02:30 PM
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#40 of 130
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Thomas
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Location: Columbus, OH
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The man I loved - the man who vanished - he never came back at all. But maybe he's still out there, somewhere. Maybe some day, when Gotham no longer needs Batman, I'll see him again.
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