Cruise slips out of "Cruise Control" (see what I did there, I am damn clever) to put in one of his best performances in his ching ching blockbuster career (not quite his best performance, remember Legend, Top Gun and Cocktail!). His portrayal of Vincent stays on rail throughout, with little fluctuation at the pivotal scenes. Even at his charming best you sense that Vincent would as soon snap your neck as shake your hand. Indeed, if paid enough he seems the sort of character that would even skin your dear little puppy and invite you round for dinner afterwards. It is Foxx, however, that steals the show. He nails his character (not literally, that was Mel Gibson) and always keeps him both believable and relatable (is that even a word). Foxx portrays Max so well that you really identify with his turnaround from anally retentive cabby to desperate any ends hero (although not ripped shirt Bruce Willis style hero). You can see every fibre of his sanity shred as his world and beliefs fall apart around him.

Mann's direction is both assured and knowing. This crime drama/thriller genre matches perfectly with his mix of gloss and grit. He handles the characters with the respect they deserve and uses the locations to full effect. LA seems soulless and keeping the action set over a short period of times allows easy expectations of character desperation.

My one complaint would be the wasted character portrayed by Ruffalo. It seemed at times he was only there to show there is a gulf between LAPD and FBI, both seeming to be exceptionally keen to get one up on each other. I don't know if it is a true representation, although it is a common one, and if it is then someone has there priorities skewed.