Tom Cruise , Larry Fishburne and Batman -Writing for the Actor
Jimmy Cagney couldn't do better then Tom and Larry. Laurence Fishburne starred in "Apocalypse Now" back in 1979, and since then has emerged as the actors' actor. See him shine in " The Cotton Club and Gardens of Stone." Fishburne has played a natural born killer in the "King of New York." His acting there is similar to Tom's in "Collateral" The dipped head, the smile, slightly off center. The projection of the Hollywood alpha male is in both films.
Tom has evolved into a Strasbergian moment. He has the voluntary relaxation technique for Cruise project's his character's persona. Calmness lies underneath his killer role. Laurence does the same.
In the "King of New York," his character smoothly strides into a chicken joint pealing off money. His actions announce his gangster status. Tom portrayed this role but on another level in "Collateral." The art of coolness with the flow of macho flaws and cracks. If one takes, the cynical approach one could say his scripts reflect his persona. But to confirm that you must speak directly with Mr. Cruise. In last years " Collateral" Tom gave us wise cracks such as " You don't have the trunk space." This smart ass remark by the character Vincent focused on a pending murder of two Los Angeles police officers. This line projects the growth of his acting skills since "Risky Business."
In that movie he danced in his underwear and pimped out the ladies. In "Collateral" he reflects coolness, and the macho flaw of arrogance. The screenwriters Scott Frank and Jon Cohen clearly set out the strength of the character in Act one. In the opening act Tom invokes the killer Strasberg method and by Act three has de-constructed to a deadly fate. Fishburne does the same in his performances in " Hoodlum" and " The King of New York."
As Peter Howell media critic for the Toronto Star has said, " he's (Cruise) never been this convincingly wicked." To paraphrase, the script in "Collateral" is Cruise on steroids.
As a screenwriter one has to contemplate past characters and why the actor has chosen to spend ten weeks to several years to portray a particular role. One should also consider Tom in " Minority Report." Mr. Cruise again plays the flawed hero who in one moment stops a murder and in the next seeks a drug fix. In the "Last Samurai" the character is a drunk. Yet,
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