It feels like Tom Cruise is no longer just a Hollywood actor, but rather the Hollywood actor. The leading man for countless films since he first stepped into the picture, it’s easy to forget just how many he’s been in.
Recently, Netflix viewers have decided to jump back in and rediscover one of his most underrated and forgotten films: Collateral. The 2004 noir thriller has reopened a cold case on streaming, and it means audiences are still high on Cruise-a-palooza after Top Gun: Maverick.
The Michael Mann-directed film is in a similar vein to his acclaimed flick Heat, and the sheer star power of Collateral is enough to sway audiences into tuning in. Sitting at number 10 on Netflix’s charts, it’s accrued an impressive 6 million hours viewed in one week out of absolutely nowhere.
What should have been a simple taxi ride ends up being a high stakes hostage drama as Jamie Foxx’s Max gets entangled with hitman Vincent (Cruise). From there, it’s a eccentric action thriller which got tremendous reviews when it released in 2004, with an Academy Award nomination for Foxx to boot.
Sitting at a fine 86 percent critics’ approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is held in similar esteem by audiences with a 84 percent score. Collateral had an impressive run at the box office as well, grossing $220 million from a budget of $65 million. As for why audiences are rediscovering it, perhaps it is down to Cruise remaining a big figure in the spotlight and Maverick’s huge box office draw.
Collateral is currently available to stream on Netflix.