Collateral (2004) (Limited 20^th Anniversary Steelbook Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Michael Mann

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith

Release Date: August 6, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

Tom Cruise gives a chilling performance as Vincent, a cool, calculating contract killer at the top of his game. Jamie Foxx received an Academy Award® nomination for his portrayal of Max, a cabbie with big dreams and little to show for it. Max transports Vincent on his next job – one night, five stops, five hits, and a getaway. And after this fateful night, neither man will ever be the same.

‘Collateral’ tells the thrilling story of a kindhearted cab driver named Max who spends his nights driving a cab in LA with aspirations of eventually starting his own unique limo service. But when on a random night of work like any other a calm, calculated hitman named Vincent enlists the services of Max to drive him from one hit to another without any choice, the night soon turns into a battle of wits and determination as Vincent calmly tries to complete his hit list while Max attempts to thwart him whenever possible. Meanwhile, law enforcement begins to get an idea of what’s going on and no matter how the night ends, it will change each of them forever.

The explosive ride is directed by notable filmmaker Michael Mann (Heat, Ferrari) who does a magnificent job at the helm of ‘Collateral’ guiding along a tense and thrilling screenplay from Stuart Beattie with style and heart. The film’s noteworthy cast includes Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg, Bruce McGill, Javier Bardem and more who each contribute solid performances in their respective roles throughout, although Foxx and Cruise are the real stars and Cruise repeatedly steals the show with his calm, uncompromising portrayal of Vincent.

‘Collateral’ was first unleashed into theaters in the Summer of 2004 and I can still remember being blown away by this tense and beautifully crafted ride in theaters opening weekend, not to mention by Tom Cruise’s splendidly twisted performance as the smart, calculated contract killer Vincent. It’s a powerful, gorgeously stylish and consistently enthralling look at two very different men who end up being forced to rely on each other in one manner or another as they embark on a terrifying night of violence throughout the streets of Los Angeles.

Filmmaker Michael Mann proves yet again that he is one of the best there is at capturing the gloom and beauty of LA and he showcases as much love and heart throughout the city as he does in the characters, while Cruise tears through each situation with composed and calculating focus, all with a powerhouse supporting cast that delivers every step of the way. It’s a fantastic ride and a surprisingly re-watchable film; if you’ve never had the pleasure of it before I would strongly encourage giving it a whirl whenever possible.

‘Collateral’ returns home on 4K Ultra HD in a new Limited Edition Steelbook release from Paramount Home Entertainment celebrating its 20^th Anniversary. The release features the film in full Ultra High Definition with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 which looks outstanding and is nicely boosted by a multichannel DTS-HD MA soundtrack that throws the viewer directly into the chaos. No mention of a new transfer is noted so it’s likely that the presentation is identical to the previous 4K release, although I’m unable to confirm for certain as I don’t have access to that release. One thing is for certain though and that’s the fact that this presentation is an absolute treat and doesn’t disappoint whatsoever. The release also includes a Blu-ray copy of the film that features various previously released extras and both discs are packed into a solid and glossy Steelbook that fans should appreciate. While it will be up to those who already own the film in 4K to determine whether this Steelbook justifies a double dip, for those of you that don’t already own it on the UHD format and would like to, then this new 4K UHD Steelbook is certainly worth picking up and is recommended.

VIDEO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook release of ‘Collateral’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, presented in its original 2.39:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks fantastic as a whole and serves up a clean, crisp and filmic presentation that looks sharp and gorgeous every step of the way, showcasing splendid detail throughout that’s noticeable on everything from the stubble and suit of Cruise’s character to the various LA surroundings, while the Dolby Vision HDR only boosts much of it by offering some clean, vivid and more lifelike colors that are nicely complemented by deep, rich black levels. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition video presentation that never disappoints and should thrill fans that haven’t yet had the pleasure of this one on the UHD format.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack holds up tremendously itself and delivers a clean, crisp and hard hitting audio presentation throughout that immerses you into the action and chaos. It consistently takes advantage of all five available channels in order to send music, bullets and other effects zipping throughout the various speakers at every fitting opportunity, while never contradicting or negatively impacting any dialogue or other audio elements that might be occurring simultaneously. Overall, this is a very nice 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that does its job well and should satisfy the fans.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Steelbook release of ‘Collateral’ features a nice offering of previously released extras, all of which can be found on the included Blu-ray disc. Included on both discs is an ‘Audio Commentary with director Michael Mann’, in addition to the film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (running approximately 2 minutes in length). The Blu-ray disc additionally offers some Behind the Scenes Featurettes and other fun videos that feature interviews/comments with the cast and crew, plus behind the scenes footage and more including ‘City of Night: The Making of Collateral’ (running approximately 41 minutes in length), ‘Special Delivery’ (running approximately 1 minute), ‘Shooting on Location: Annie’s Office’ (approximately 2 minutes), Visual FX: MTA Train’ (2 minutes), and ‘Tom Cruise & Jamie Foxx Rehearse’ (4 minutes). Also included is a ‘Deleted Scene with Commentary’ (2 minutes) and the film’s ‘Teaser Trailer’ (2 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray disc included in the 4K UHD Combo Pack and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on the 4K UHD & Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8/10

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Michael Mann’s ‘Collateral’ is Now Available to Own on 4K Ultra HD as A Limited Edition 20^th Anniversary Steelbook from Paramount Home Entertainment

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You can purchase ‘Collateral’ on 4K UHD Steelbook at Amazon HERE!

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