Get ready to say goodbye to one of the sleekest, most suspenseful crime thrillers of the 2000s. Michael Mann's Collateral, which features Tom Cruise in a rare villainous role and a memorable early appearance by Jason Statham, is officially leaving Peacock in the United States. If you've been putting off a rewatch—or have never experienced this neon-soaked Los Angeles nightmare—now is the time to hit play.
Released in 2004, Collateral follows Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx), a meticulous cab driver whose ordinary night shift spirals into chaos when he picks up Vincent (Cruise), a silver-haired contract killer with a chilling agenda. Vincent forces Max to chauffeur him from one target to the next across the city, turning the cab into a pressure cooker of tension and moral dilemma. The film also stars Jada Pinkett Smith as a prosecutor who becomes entangled in Vincent's spree, Mark Ruffalo as a dogged detective, and Javier Bardem as a menacing cartel boss. Jason Statham appears in a small but pivotal role as Frank Martin, a character he would later reprise in the Transporter series.
What makes Collateral essential viewing is Mann's masterful direction. The director famously shot much of the film with digital cameras, giving Los Angeles at night a gritty, almost documentary-like texture that was revolutionary at the time. Combined with a pulsating soundtrack and Cruise's against-type performance—he traded his trademark grin for icy, calculating menace—the result is a thriller that critics adored. The film holds an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71 on Metacritic, and it earned two Academy Award nominations: Best Supporting Actor for Foxx and Best Film Editing.
Commercially, Collateral was a solid hit. Against a reported $65 million budget, it grossed $101 million domestically and $220.2 million worldwide, making it one of Mann's biggest successes outside of franchise fare. For a standalone crime drama, those numbers are impressive—and they speak to the film's enduring appeal.
If you're a fan of high-stakes thrillers, you might also enjoy Sicario's streaming resurgence or the most flawless psychological thrillers since 2010. And for another crime epic leaving a major platform soon, check out Matt Damon's Oscar-winning crime epic.
Peacock has not announced a specific departure date, but the film is expected to vanish from the platform in the coming weeks. Streaming rights are notoriously fickle, so if you want to catch Collateral without renting or buying, don't wait. After it leaves Peacock, it may not land on another subscription service for months.
Whether you're here for Cruise's chilling turn, Mann's stylish direction, or Statham's brief but memorable cameo, Collateral remains a high-water mark for the crime thriller genre. Do yourself a favor and stream it while you still can.
