Collateral (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount
Release Date: December 8, 2020
Rating: R
Film: 4/5
 
Plot
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.  The film showcases the actors as 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.
 
My Thoughts
Max was having the night of his life when a hot federal prosecutor (Jada Pinkett Smith) gives him her business card and essentially begs for him to come calling. Still basking in the glow of his newfound potential relationship Vencent comes along and knocks on his window looking for a ride. Unfortunately for Max, he accepts the fare and the night that started so promising is going to go south rather quickly.
 
Director Michael Mann was in his prime when making this film and he takes what could have been a rudimentary thriller and turns it into something more. The dialog is outstanding and seeing Cruise play the villain is a treat—in fact, it may be the best performance of his career. Foxx didn’t win the Oscar for his role, but it put him on the map for the voters and he’d eventually win his golden statue for his performance in Ray.
 
Having never seen the film on disc, I was surprised at how gritty and unflattering the 4K presentation was. Granted, the film takes place at night for the vast majority of the film and the color palette is as bland as the food in the UK, which doesn’t lend itself for an awe-inspiring affair. About halfway through the film I popped in the Blu-ray as a comparison and frankly, I couldn’t tell the two apart in a blind test. The gamma was slightly brighter on the Blu-ray, which actually helped resolve the shadows a bit at the expense of true inky blacks. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is the same on both the Blu-ray and UHD and does a good job at conveying what’s on screen, but it’s mostly front loaded and only opens up when the bullets start flying or Vincent and Max enter a nightclub.  
 
Video 7/10
 
Audio 8/10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)
 
Special Features:
 

• Commentary by Director Michael Mann
• City of Night: The Making of Collateral
• Special Delivery
• Deleted Scene with Commentary
• Shooting on Location: Annie’s Office
• Tom Cruise & Jamie Foxx Rehearse
• Visual FX: MTA Train
• Blu-ray + Digital Copy

 
 

 
 
Conclusion
I haven’t seen this film in over 15 years and while I remembered the general premise, I had forgotten how tight the writing was and how great the interactions between Fox and Cruise were. The presentation in 4K is nothing to write home about and if you own the legacy Blu-ray, there’s really no need to upgrade since they look virtually identical.
 
 
Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS2000 4K Ultra High Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 88” 16x9 Fixed Screen
 Anthem AVM60 Audio/Video Processor 
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed ChannelsATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player 
 System Controller: URC MX-980M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 SVS PC-Ultra Cylinder Subwoofer
 HSU VTF-15H MK2 Subwoofer
 SVS SB-3000 SubwooferJL Audio Dominion D110 Subwoofer x 2 (configured as tandem mid bass modules)Mini DSP controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

 

[AVSCraig]

I watched the 4K Blu-ray last night in fact. Some scenes ( mostly brighter ones ) looked outstanding. Hand held video shot in low light / night scenes really can't look any better than on the Blu-ray. Great film though. For some reason I had to really crank the audio track to reference +1 and boost the center a bit. Then it sounded pretty good ( especially the ending ). Did Disney do the soundtrack? :

[David Vaughn]

I watched the 4K Blu-ray last night in fact. Some scenes ( mostly brighter ones ) looked outstanding. Hand held video shot in low light / night scenes really can't look any better than on the Blu-ray. Great film though. For some reason I had to really crank the audio track to reference +1 and boost the center a bit. Then it sounded pretty good ( especially the ending ). Did Disney do the soundtrack? :

The bitrate of the soundtrack was lower versus the Blu-ray (or so I've read). I didn't have an issue with it myself.