What Makes Tom Cruise's Vincent One Of The Most Terrifying Villains In Film History

With nearly 40 years of experience in Hollywood, Tom Cruise is typically cast as the main protagonist or hero of a film. Most notable for his outstanding performances in cult classics, blockbusters, and academy award winning films, Tom Cruise decided Michael Mann's Collateral was the best opportunity to explore an evil character. Throughout Collateral, Vincent is a mastermind of manipulation and violence., and Tom Cruise nails the performance.

#tomcruise #collateral #nerdstalgic

Written by Adam Smith
Edited by Dan Smiley

[Comicbroe]

I genuinely want Tom Cruise to play more nasty or just bad guys. This film & Tropic Thunder just proves the incredible potential he has as a villain.

[ardent]

It's insane just how underrated Collateral is

[zachnotzack]

Tom Cruise’s most under appreciated performance. Dude was scary, calm, charming and cold hearted. At the end of the day, he was a guy doing his job by any means..

[DeusExAstra]

I do think this is one of Cruise's best films. It's a simple story, but it's just executed so well and the performances are perfect. Very underrated.

[trip]

In case people wonder about how Vincent lost the shootout: Vincent underestimated Max. He went for the mozambique drill (one in the head, two in the chest). You can see the bullet pattern in the door after the lights go back on. The thing is though, Vincent thought less of Max for spending his whole life planning things, being in a routine, and not being able to improvse, yet Vincent dies because of his routine and planned shooting pattern. Vincent breaks Max out of his routine and teaches him to improvise and adapt to the situations throughout the night, and thats how Max ends up winning, taking a chance, improvising, and shooting wildly though the glass. Thematically, and weirdly enough, Vincent actually saves Max's life by teaching him to take more risks like himself, and ends his own life by falling back on a routine, like Max!

There is also the fact that not only did Vincent forshadow his ending with the story about the dead man riding the subway, but Max forshadowed his ending in the beginning as well! He said it twice, actually! Once to Annie, and then to Vincent! How did he make it to each destination on the minute? "I got lucky with the lights!"

Strangely enough, not only does Collateral end at the same train station the Heat begins at, but Collateral starts where Heat ends: at the airport. Plus, how did Hanna win the shoutout at the end of Heat? He got lucky with the lights! Hanna wins with the light turning on, while Max wins with the lights turning off!

[Frenzy]

"Yo, homie. Is that my briefcase?"

The way he realistically and effortlessly turns the tables of the situation by going from the victim to the executioner is remarkable.

[HittokiriBattousai]

Absolutely insane performance by Tom Cruise, I was shocked at how realistic Vincent was. It made me re-evaluate him as an actor completely. He needs to play more villains.

[shukis]

Dude had the most epic death scene. He knew he was shot, he curses and then he casually sits down on the Subway bench. Delivers his last line, and his head dips as he dies. I never get over how he knows he's dead, doesn't express pain, but expresses animosity for understanding its a mortal wound. Then just casually sits down lol.

[zebulunashcroft]

You're reminded that Tom Cruise can actually act in this film... A damn near perfect performance. Jamie Foxx got all the praise from the critics, but it was Tom that held our attention.

[flopp-bingusrepublic]

The fact that people are passionately discussing their different interpretations of Vincent’s character shows just how incredibly well written and acted he was.

[afurinperil]

There's more to Vincent than just a manipulative psychopath. In fact, what makes him both scary and grounded is that he's NOT a psychopath. Multiple times in the movie he shows a genuine attachment to Max and pushes him to better his life. He hides behind his job as a reason. He'll say he's just doing what's necessary to make the night and his job go smoothly but I think to Vincent, Max represents a side of humanity that he rarely lets himself see. In the end, Max got the better of him and I don't mean killing him in the final shootout. His time with Max challenged his world view and forced him to self reflect. That's what makes this movie brilliant. It's an intimate character study of two people who make each other question the preconceived ideas they both have about the world and their lives.

[BorisGadjowsky]

Vincent changed the whole Max's life in few hours. He showed him that he was living a pathetic, meaningless life in apathy, waiting for a miracle to happen. Vincent is trying to show him that perpetual dreaming for some goals in life leads to waste and that you need to grab every chance that life gives you. Vincent, while doing horrible things through the night, sends a brilliant message.

[tony_n]

You can always tell it's a Michael Mann movie by hearing the gunshots... He's got an incredible ability to convey the realism of the sound through the full echoing you don't get in other movies. He did the same thing in Heat... Easily one of the best shootouts in film history.

[Franswa]

We saw this trend in the early 2000's with Denzel in Training Day, Tom Cruise in Collateral, and Tom Hanks in Road to Perdition. We're so used to their good boy roles, it's exciting to see these actors switch it up.

[paulmadison]

Tom Cruise never gets the recognition he deserves because of the characters he chooses to play, but he’s honestly one of the best actors of his generation. He’s proven he can do it all, even if it’s only once. Collateral is proof of his ability to be in control at all times and hold us in suspense. It’s a fantastic piece of work.

[perfettisd]

Most underrated film of all time

Tom Cruise deserves an Oscar for this role.

[BeastGamingHD]

I think Tom took the part just to show that he could be the non-hero in a movie role and once he's displayed it like no other, he never went back. It was a unique and refreshing experience for him that it showed how good of an actor he truly is.

[sparksprod]

My own take: I think what makes Vincent so terrifying is how normal he can seem sometimes. He isnt some sociopathic alien that is unable to relate to humanity. On the contrary Vincent does have empathy (coyote scene, shoots trumpet). He has charisma. He understands social structures and how to bypass them without being seen. I think he understands humanity too well. Hes just disappointed in the result. Thats why he derides them. Hes a total misanthrope. So he can laugh and have fun, manipulate, work societys hierarchies like a videogame. He literally sees nothing wrong with killing. Hes much more powerful than a sociopathic hermit because he understands humanity too well and is deflated by how weak and meaningless it can be.

[rafanj]

A great villain. So much presence, scary and evil. Cold as ice. A brutal performance by Tom Cruise.

[mstKGf]

Terrifying, yes, but he's also one of the saddest villains I've ever seen. A deeply lonely man who is incapable of making any kind of real human connection. Sure, he keeps Max around to eventually be a patsy to pin the killings on, but you also get the feeling Max is the first person he's actually had some kind of connection with in a long time and he's prolonging the inevitable as long as he can. And that ending where he asks if anyone will notice him dead on the train is one of the most depressing "last words" moments ever. Plus there's the implications of his horrifically abusive childhood.