It started like any other night

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Barry Shabaka Henley, Javier Bardem, Jason Statham

DML Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ - great

"Well, tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody's killed people that fast since Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Did you bat an eye, Max?... Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Whales, Greenpeace, or something? No. I off one fat Angelino and you throw a hissy fit." - Vincent

Why watch this? It's a snappy, stylish race-against-the-clock thriller.

Plot Summary: Max, a meticulous but unassertive Los Angeles taxi driver, finds his night hijacked when his latest fare, a professional hitman named Vincent, forces him to act as a chauffeur for a series of five contract killings across the city. As the night progresses and the bodies accumulate, Max must find a way to stop Vincent's killing spree and save the final target while both the police and federal agents close in.

Dad's Preview:  There is immediately a noticeable quality to this action thriller from director Michael Mann. It is dark and moody. The jazzy soundtrack is comforting against the madness that is Los Angeles at night. Then the plot kicks into high gear and we're on a helluva ride. It's rare air that Cruise plays a ruthless villain, but here he is as cold as ice, and dead set on fulfilling his duties as a contract killer. This actually makes Foxx's character more compelling. He's the perfect "every man" involuntarily thrust into a deadly situation, interacting with a man who makes his own rules and holds the loaded gun. A lot of the fun is watching their quasi-philosophical jabs at each other.

Paramount Pics, Parkes/MacDonald Prod., Edge City; DreamWorks Pics