Tom Cruise is one of the most dedicated actors who will stop at nothing to give the audience a good experience at the cinemas. Be it risking his life for a stunt that has never been attempted before in the Mission Impossible series or being the ‘savior of cinema’ after the global pandemic endangered the theatre business.
Cruise’s extreme dedication to his craft is not a recent phenomenon. He has always impressed seasoned stalwarts with his quick grasp of skills that he trains for a film. One such interesting trivia about his neo-noir film Collateral, left director Micheal Mann stunned.
19 Years Of Collateral
In 2004, Micheal Mann’s neo-noir thriller Collateral opened to rave reviews and excellent box office numbers. The Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx starrer was lauded for its performances, with critics praising both Foxx and Cruise. Foxx was on a hot streak that year, gaining an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Collateral, as well as for Best Actor for playing Ray Charles in Ray. Though he lost the Best Supporting Actor award to Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby, he did win the Best Actor Award for Ray.
Collateral was written by Stuart Beattie who got the germ of the idea when he was 17. He was taking a cab home from the Sydney Airport and imagined the story of a homicidal maniac taking a cab while the driver speaks to him casually. It was called The Laso Domino. Beattie sold the script to DreamWorks after bumping into an old classmate, who turned out to be a producer, while he was waiting tables at a restaurant.
Many actors were considered for the role of Vincent, including Russell Crowe, who brought in director Micheal Mann. Though Crowe left the project due to delays, Mann stayed. He changed the setting of the script from New York to Los Angeles. He approached Tom Cruise and Adam Sandler, hoping to cast them as Vincent and Max respectively. While Sandler could not make it, Cruise accepted the role. The director then approached Jamie Foxx, who he had worked with in Ali.
Tom Cruise’s Excellent Gunmanship
Collateral earned a total of $220 million at the box office from a $65 million budget. It is considered one of the best neo-noir dramas and is a crowning glory in the legendary director’s filmography. It is also considered to be one of Tom Cruise’s finest performances. The actor trained extensively for his role as a hitman to such accuracy that a certain scene in the film is shown as an example of excellent gunmanship.
The scene in question is when Cruise’s Vincent ties up Max, the cab driver played by Foxx to the steering wheel as the former has hidden a body in the trunk. Max calls for help and the two who listen instead try to mug Vincent’s briefcase. Vincent quickly draws his gun and shoots them to retrieve the briefcase.
Tom Cruise’s craft in drawing the gun is lauded among experts and is shown as a part of tactical training. Cruise extensively trained for the role of Vincent by working as a FedEx delivery agent without being recognized as well as tactical handgun training in the LA County Sherriff’s combat ranges.
Director Micheal Mann, praising Tom Cruise’s abilities, said,
“Tom is extraordinarily skilled at everything athletic that he tries.”
Tom Cruise’s dedication to the craft has always been awe-inspiring. Stories like these prove time and again why ace directors like Steven Spielberg called him the ‘savior of cinema’.
Source: All The Right Movies
