I don't know about those Oscar nominations, but this is a damn fine entertaining film. So entertaining, in fact, that one can overlook the rather absurd premise (why hire a cab for such a job?) and the several glaring holes in the plot.

Mann's got to be the coolest (or should I say the coldest?) American filmmaker working today. The look of this film is mesmerizing, as was "Heat". The undercurrent of nihilism and loneliness in this film is intoxicating. An added bonus is the 2-hour cab tour of various Los Angeles neighborhoods. To me, it feels like a Hopper painting come alive, with elements of Sayles and gangster flicks thrown in.