Analysis Of Collateral: Three tensional scenes.

Collateral was directed by Michael Mann and was released in 2004 it stars Jamie Foxx and innocent cab driver and Tom Cruise who is a villain. This action packed thriller is full of tension, and creates suspense in a number of ways; I will be looking at three scenes that I feel created this suspense to a large extent.

1)Bag swap scene: This tension in this scene is mainly created through the use of camera shots and sound, as we see Tom Cruise all that can be heard is his footsteps which have been enhanced in post production. His face is introduced to us through a number of close up's and mid shots, through these shots we know something is about to happen, this creates tension and adds suspense in our minds. The man who's bag is going to be swapped with is also introduced in the same way creating an unknown link between the two characters; the cutting from both men adds to the suspense as we want to find the link between these suited and booted men. We then see these men bump into each other which at first seems completely innocent, the quick cut to the brief case informs us this wasn't innocence. At this point everyone else in the airport is blurred out and we can just see these two men, there speech is quick and the swap is quick but is highlighted through a CU on to the bag; the music then comes in which is upbeat and has a fast tempo.
2)Police Scene: The suspense in this scene is created through the CU of the characters worried expressions, the high cam angles show that Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx have something to hide. The music has a suspenseful feel to it as its quite slow and makes every moment for the two men seem even longer. The scene seems to last forever and this in itself creates suspense, this is created through the slow music which is quieter than the characters voice's, and the slow editing; the ECU of Cruise's gun adds another sense of tension.
3)The Ending/Chase Scene: The final scene is full of suspense as the men are on a final chase through the train, the upbeat music which has a drumming feel to it creates the suspense and an action vibe. The CU of Cruise's facial expressions show the danger in his eyes which is then cross cutted with the fear shown in Foxx's eyes. The mix of cam shots create a mixed emotions vibe of what the two men are feeling, the music is very upbeat and has a tensional feel to it. The establishing shots of the train which cut to the characters take us into the situation and make us feel apart of it. As both men shoot in the dark we see the cuts link the men together, we know this will end it tragedy but we don't know which character will die. This final scene is the scene which for me creates the most tension, as both men are out to kill this is shown through the shots and music mostly but between the jumpy editing also.
 
 Overall Collateral creates a huge of amount of tension sometimes through its big budget and sometimes through minimalistic features that we could also use.