Especially with whatever frame rate and camera equipment they used to film it with.
shareTotally agree. I love the atmosphere that Mann and his cinematographer created here. It turns ‘LA at night’ into another character in the film.
shareI actually disliked the video-look... loved the movie and the framing though.
I can imagine a remake with today's video quality being "prettier", low light video has come a long way since 2004.
I saw this in theatre and this was the first time I had ever witnessed that video look. Little did I know at the time was that it was shot digitally and many other films in the future would have that same look. Having said that, the film is good, but the look is absolutely terrible.
shareMann achieves a similar look and feel in Heat. He’s masterful at it, just like he was with Miami as a canvas for Miami Vice.
When it comes to the atmosphere created, Moby deserves some credit as well.
Speaking of atmosphere…and LA….that coyote crossing a major boulevard in downtown LA at night (as seen by Cruise & Foxx from the cab while sitting at a red light), was a happy accident. It wasn’t staged—and it was quite bizarre for a coyote to be wandering alone in that area.
Mann kept it in the film, and I think it’s a fantastic allegory for Cruise’s character…a lone predator in grey, in a sea of city light and concrete.
It's a little like that in The Insider as well. But in Collateral, I find the visuals jarring.
shareIf you love seeing LA at night shot beautifully, watch "Nightcrawler." It's a great movie! Plus, Robert Elswit, who shot "There Will Be Blood" is the cinematographer. Especially in a key sequence towards the end, it's spectacular work.
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I especially loved the night scene when that wild coyote crossed right in front of the taxi, and the music from Audioslave was just perfect for that scene too. 10/10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX9JNJThhxY
It looked like digital video to me, which made it look cheap, like a typical 1-hour 21st-century TV show.
shareI agree just started thinking the other day about how good this movie is and that Mann could’ve made more highly quality thrillers instead of junk like Miami Vice and Blackhat.
shareMichael Mann did a great job with this movie. Now what if Christopher Nolan had directed this movie?? Then what??
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