Collateral (2004)

Vincent is the most careful hitman in Los Angeles, and he bets his entire night on a cab he picked at random, which is the dumbest plan in a very smart movie. Tom Cruise plays him gray-haired and polite, and the polite part is what gets under your skin. He never raises his voice. He doesn’t have to. Jamie Foxx is the real lead, though. Max keeps a picture of a tropical island clipped to his visor instead of chasing anything, and watching him find a spine one red light at a time is the whole ride. Michael Mann shoots LA at night like the city is glowing from underneath, and a coyote wandering across the street in the middle of all this is one of the weirdest, best moments he’s ever put on film. The last stretch turns into a standard chase and loses some of that grip. An 8.3 because two men arguing in a taxi has never been this tense. $44.79 says you glance at the back seat before your next ride share pulls away.

What works: Cruise’s calm, polite menace, Foxx’s slow build from doormat to fighter, and Michael Mann’s glowing nighttime LA.

What doesn’t: The last stretch turns into a standard chase, and Vincent’s plan to rely on a random cab driver never makes sense.

Who it’s for: People who like their thrillers small, tense and mostly set inside a car.