Review by Loc
To remember the good old days, when action movies were jingoistic and Tom Cruise was a fighter pilot. There’s little better than watching Maverick blow up some unnamed Commie basterds while playing volleyball against a prebloated Val Kilmer. Since then, action flicks have become more “realistic” and politically ambivalent and Cruise has become a couch-jumping caricature whose allowed his off-screen exploits to poison his box office viability. What a difference an Oprah appearance makes. So, why not jumpstart your career with a safe, action-comedy turn? Quick hit: sometimes, even a formula flick can’t get you out of the rough.
Knight and Day stars Cruise and Cameron Diaz as unlikely accomplices in a supposedly convoluted spy-vs-spy game of intrigue. Only with laughs and Cruise’s unfaltering smile and charm. Except, the smile and charm can no longer hide the underlying ick associated with real-life Cruise. Not that it matters too much here, but it’s a stain that’s going still take more time to scrub off. Diaz is trying to revitalize her own career after hitting a crescendo with the original Charlie’s Angels. She does her thing, flashing her own million-dollar smile while finding herself in goof-inducing action and exploits. In the end, both stars rely on what brought them to the show, and unfortunately, most of us have already moved on from their brand of entertainment.
The story itself is standard fare. Cruise plays an overly energetic, affable spy who may just be a crazed, traitorous agent. Through a series of concocted accidents, Diaz finds herself broiled in Cruise’s affairs, which in turn leads to plane crashes, car chases, island getaways, and train rides. Surprisingly, there wasn’t anything in the snow, I guess that could have been saved for the sequel. Too bad this warrants no such follow-up treatment.
The action isn’t as great as you want it to be. There’s some close-quarters stuff which has been perfected by telephone book wielding Jason Bourne. There’s the large scale stuff, like the car chase through the bull runs in Spain. It’s weird that CGI-cars can look very good zooming around, but once you get them crashing and tumbling, carry so little weight as to make them look horrible. In all honesty, Mission Impossible action was similar, but probably better just because it fit the tone of the movie better.
One of the most vexing aspects of this film involve blackouts and two-second returns to consciousness. There are multiple times that either Diaz or Cruise find themselves drugged and pass out in the midst of explosive action. Then we’re treated to glimpses of narrow escapes, airplane jumps, water dives, all manner of action…for two seconds! When an action movie bails out on the action to be clever, there’s something very unsatisfying about watching it unfold.
Overall, Knight and Day is a mix of Mission Impossible 3 and Mr and Mrs Smith. There’s supposed to be charming comedy with explosive action. In reality, there’s awkward smiles and flat action sequences. Add in a couple of fading stars that are supposed to carry the film and what you have left is an empty flick barely worth watching. Out of 100 hours to save the day, Knight and Day manages only 50 hours of battery life.
Rated: 5/10
