Does Vincent really believe, deep down, that absolutely everything is meaningless, people are irrelevant and that morality has no value whatsoever? Or has he deluded himself into this belief so he can live with his job, in the same way Max deludes himself that he's happy with his job? The fact that Vincent shows signs of being upset when called out, and his decision to stop fighting Max after being wounded suggest he perhaps isn't as certain about his lifestyle as he appears at first.
Vincent suggests that Max should call the girl who gave him her card if they survive the night. This is an odd sentiment if one subscribes to Fanning's appraisal of Vincent's M.O., as Max would invariably have ended the night dead. Was this comment a ploy to keep Max on his side, or might Vincent have honestly been willing to let Max walk away?
Award Snub: It received two Academy Award nominations - Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing. It wasn't nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actor, or Original Screenplay, and Tom Cruise didn't receive any nominations in spite of his chilling, type-defying performance.
Max and Vincent are stopped at a light. Max is distraught, Vincent indifferent. Suddenly, a friggin' coyote crosses the street, accompanied by the intro riff of "Shadow on the Sun" by Audioslave.
Evil Is Cool: Vincent dresses himself in some badass threads, is dangerously efficient as his job (case in point), has a fairly extensive knowledge of jazz, and is pretty friggin' handsome.
A common bit of viewer speculation is that the unnamed man played by Jason Statham who pops up in a cameo at the beginning to give Vincent his current assignment is Frank Martin, the character that Statham plays in The Transporter and its sequels.
Since in Heat, Neil mentions that he has "a brother somewhere," a fairly common theory is that Vincent is said brother.
Both Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx would later be romantically linked to Katie Holmes.
Jerkass Woobie: Arguably, Vincent himself has shades of this. He murders people for a living and doesn't seem to care at first. Unlike many traditional villains, however, he shows some self-awareness and sometimes subtle flashes of self-doubt. His incredibly bleak and nihilistic outlook on the world probably means his life is actually more hollow, shallow and empty than Max's even though he likes to give him life advice. His final words are essentially a comment on how he feels his own life and death was completely meaningless, further suggesting he might have always been unhappy with the direction of his life.
Love to Hate: Vincent is one coldhearted bastard, but thanks to Tom Cruise's very-much-against-type performance, he's also undeniably badass and an absolute scene stealer.
Magnificent Bastard: The enigmatic, philosophical "Vincent", is a ruthless yet suave Professional Killer, tasked with eliminating witnesses to the crimes of drug lord Felix Reyes-Torrena. Bribing taxi driver Max Durocher to unwittingly assist him, Vincent has Max transport him while he murders his targets. Genuinely affable, Vincent respectfully listens to the story of a jazz club owner before offing him and visits Max's sick mother in the hospital, even bringing her flowers. Adapting when Max destroys the files on his targets, Vincent has Max retrieve a new copy from Felix, both keeping his anonymity and leading the police to mistakenly believe Max is him. Fatally wounded by Max while hunting his last target, Vincent chooses to calmly accept his fate, giving Max some parting words before passing.
One-Scene Wonder: The film does not hesitate in showing some very interesting colorful characters that overshadow protagonists Max and Vincent. Or just appearing on screen is enough.
Jason Statham in the very first scene at the airport giving the briefcase to Vincent. It's very unexpected yet cool.
Daniel Baker, played by Barry Shabaka Henley, the jazz club owner. A Cool Old Guy with a vast knowledge of jazz and remorse over his past life as a criminal. He is also Vincent's only victim that could get anyone's feelings as most of them, except Annie, do not get a developed personality or screen time.
Max's mother, played by Irma P. Hall the Ensemble Dark Horse of The Ladykillers (2004) remake released the same year. A sick elder woman who constantly does not see the good in her son. It's both funny thanks to Hall's performance and sad for Max's development.
Of course, Javier Bardem's Félix Reyes Torrena. A Mexican gangster who tells Max the story of Pedro el Negro, a Mexican version of Santa's Little Helpers that checks on bad boys, to tell him how pissed off he is.
The briefcase scene, due to Cruise's outright scary speed and efficiency he uses to take down some thugs.
The nightclub, thanks to the music and chaotic usage of colors.
Spiritual Adaptation: A ruthless, unstoppable killer tracking down victims on the streets of L.A. at night? This film really reminded a lot of viewers of The Terminator, particularly the nightclub shoot-out. In fact, James Cameron originally intended the Terminator to be a normal looking guy so he'd blend into crowds better (he originally wanted to cast Lance Henriksen), so Michael Mann arguably made an homage to his original concept.
Spiritual Successor: For Heat as far as mood and setting go. Both are LA centered crime stories and end with the death of one of the two stars at the hands of the other.
Note that Vincent dresses almost identically to the way Mccauley (Robert De Niro) does.
This trope was ALMOST intended when you learn that Al Pacino and Robert De Niro would have played Vincent and Max, respectively.
Poor, poor Max. He goes through a lot of shit in the movie, and who knows how he is at the end even if he did take a huge level in badass. Thank God he befriended a prosecutor because all the shit he did in the movie is probably gonna land him in some legal trouble.
Also Detective Fanning. He was a smart cop, did everything sensibly, nearly rescued an innocent man and instead he probably ended up in the same morgue as Vincent's earlier victims that day.
for starters.