#neo noir film | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

closetofcuriosities · 12 days

Text

Thief - Dir. Michael Mann - 1981

5 notes · View notes

schlock-luster-video · 5 months

Text

7 notes · View notes

sleepy-blr · 2 years

Text

Informal Opinion Piece on Michael Mann's 'Collateral' ( 2004) Opening Sequence.

Fair warning, if you plan to watch this film, this includes spoilers, half spoilers, and everything similar. I'm just turning information from a pro forma into a half assed opinion piece that includes a little bit of analysis.

'Collateral' (Mann, 2004) is quite the film. Personally, I'm hurt that Jason Statham only starred to be in an airport, drop a bag, then never be seen again. That, and Tom Cruise being in the film, but those are just personal grievances.

'Collateral' is a neo noir, and as Mann put it, a drama with realistic action. It conveys the underbelly of the city, and the hidden crime in the shadows in this incredible fashion through the 'everyman', a taxi cab driver, by the name of Max, played by Jamie Foxx, but I'm getting ahead of myself with introducing Foxx's character.

I think the opening is interesting, when the audience is introduced to Tom Cruise's character, Vincent it's slowed down, compared to Airport Man, Jason Statham. It's as if Vincent is isolated, which isn't inaccurate. Guy was a lonely bastard, and an annoying one at that.

I really liked Max's introduction though, It opened with him going to work, the job of a Taxi driver. There's loud diegetic sound, it just shows how noisy daytime LA is, but as Max closes the cab door to start his shift, it all comes to a hush. It also hints at his characteristics. He cleans the car, making it pristine for the day. He takes pride in his job, he prides his work. Also the shots of Max's day were just visually interesting, this, and the funny scene between the two workers, were one is having an affair. Back to the lovely imaging though. It shows LA through the day, but also Max's work life. He knows the city, every part of it. The montage is just a lovely way to skip through the day fo the 'everyman'. It also allows for it to be nighttime, and in this film, a major factor in the action, for everything happens at night.

The introduction to the love interest, also known as Annie, played by Jada Pinkett-Smith. A factor of Noir Films, and in turn Neo Noir, is a love interest. In the case of Annie, she's the 'Dangerous Woman' trope, but this doesn't tie in until much, much later in the film. She's introduced just as another person for Max to pick up. Pinkett-Smith plays her character in a great fashion, with her being like every other person in Max's car. She's on the phone, disconnected from him, shown through the disconnection between the medium shots between Max and Annie. This changes when Max creates a bet with Annie, the shots change to Over-The-Shoulder (OTS) shots, resembling a connection between the two.

An interesting end to the sequence of Annie and Max is the location in which she gets out and the postcard. The shorter part to talk about is the location, which from memory, it isn't completely clear in this scene, but it's the Attorney's Office, also known as where the prosecutors work, also known as Annie's work. She is a key character because she's the love interest, but also linked to Vincent. The second part to the opening of this paragraph is the postcard Max gifted to Annie. It's an image of the Maldives, and to Max, it's his getaway as he drives. Earlier in the montage, the audience sees him look at his personal holiday as a couple argues in the back of his cab. It's symbolic to him, because it gets him through his day. He gives it to Annie, after asking her when she goes on a break, a holiday. He'd told her to look at it whenever she needed to clear her mind, take a break. This links them, as well as Annie's business card, which ends up saving her at the end of the film.

Another great shot is the 'dirty' single, medium shot on the escalator leaving and entering the Attorney's Office. It would be a normal single shot, but behind Vincent, on the entering escalator is Annie, which it does cut to a closer shot of her moments after the connecting shot. It is a connecting shot because the two characters are, in fact, connected. Though, that is explained later in the film, but Mann's use of them crossing paths is quite funny. It's similar to another shot of Max, Vincent and Det. Fanning being in the same elevator.

Now, the first cause that leads to the rest of the narrative, Max meeting Vincent. Another beautiful element here is that it's the beginning of the Hero's Journey for Max. Letting Vincent in his cab is what causes the chain of events to unravel. Max actually wasn't going to drive Vincent, he was going to go back to the garage, finishing his shift, but because Max needs to fulfil his destiny and become the protagonist, he takes Vincent onboard.

Another great part is the confinement of the setting, everything is inside of a cab, a small car. Which allows Max to fulfil his role as just any other guy, but also allows for Vincent to blend into the night. Who would assume some cab driver and his passenger is wreaking havoc across LA without a person knowing?

General Notes:

Neo Noir Film

Drama, with Realistic Action

First Feature Film to use a high definition camera.

Lots of crossing storylines that tie together to a degree across the film, but come to a full circle at the end

Neo Noir, Film Genre Notes:

Crime/Crime related plot

Love interest

Underbelly of the Big City

In the shadows

Suspense, unbearable suspense (attracts audience)

Crime Thriller (Mann's specialty?)

Production team

Director: Michael Mann Writer: Stuart Beattie Film Editors: Dion Beebe, Paul Cameron Music: James Newton, Howard Cinematographers: Jim Miller, Paul Rubell Scene Production: David Wasco

Main Actors

FOXX, Jamie … Max CRUISE, Tom … Vincent PINKETT-SMITH, Jada … Annie RUFFALO, Mark … Detective Fanning

#spoiler warning #collateral (2004)#media #vce media #opinion piece #???#somewhat analytical #neo noir #neo noir film #michael mann #studyblr #sleepy blr study

0 notes

hollygl125 · 5 months

Text