Yeah, I know. But it was really hot the day this opened and I hadn't left the house all day and there's nothing else playing! Leave me alone! Anyway, Knight and Day pairs two people whose movies I usually avoid and places them in an action-packed romantic comedy that doesn't break any new ground but does entertain. June Havens (Cameron Diaz), a self-assured mechanic, meets the charming Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) on a flight from Wichita to Boston. After he kills the rest of the passengers and both pilots, she is left to believe he is either a hardworking secret agent being hunted by bad guys, or an unhinged killer on the loose.
Because of her association with him, upon reaching Boston she is brought in for questioning by FBI agents and placed quickly in the middle of a daring car chase/shootout through Boston's highways. Roy convinces her to stick with him for her own protection and the two embark on a multi-national journey concerning a missing teen genius (Paul Dano) and a powerful new energy source, with June continually unsure if her companion is trustworthy.
Ok: So I'm really not a Tom Cruise person. I've seen about 2.5 of his movies and have never been especially wowed. Then again I've never seen his big films like Top Gun or Jerry Maguire, so what do I know? I was surprised by how much I liked him here. He's funny and charismatic and quite believable as a seasoned risk-taker, and definitely has a lot of fun going to work as Roy Miller. I have always found Cameron Diaz unshakably obnoxious, and she didn't disappoint this time around. She spends most of the movie screaming or whining, and I just didn't care at all about her character. The script tried to make her be a bit more capable than many other lady sidekicks to action heroes, but as an actress she wasn't believable. Plus the character allows herself to be drugged way too much. That's really not something she should be shaking off and forgetting.
The filmmakers do a great job balancing the comedy and the action, and for the most part avoid the recent trend in shaky, indiscernible action scenes. The story is decent and the dialogue is curt and funny, and pace-wise there isn't much wasted time. I also dug the supporting cast of Paul Dano (despite his just AWFUL, perplexing facial hair), Peter Sarsgaard, and Viola Davis. There are definitely too many changes of scenery, but they do put most of the locations to good use so it wasn't a huge setback- I especially loved the shots of Boston and the Zakim Bridge (one of my absolute favorite bridges).
Knight and Day is not a great movie, with a lot of it reading like a spy version of Romancing the Stone but with a less likable cast. It is, however, really quite enjoyable as a lighthearted action flick for a hot summer day. I think Tom Cruise did a good job in the role but Diaz continues to really annoy me, leading me to believe the movie could've been pretty darn good if it had different leads. As it stands it's a bit mediocre, but entertaining.
3/5
Further Reading:
Joel Crary review
Roger Ebert review
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Knight and Day (2010)
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This most have had a decent opening weekend. A LOT of bloggers have covered this already and many said they had no interest in it at all.
ReplyDeleteSounds like harmless and thoughtless fun though. Maybe on the next really hot day I'll make it there.
i adore tom cruise and i'm vurious about this movie. ithink he's a good actor who's gotten a raw deal recently. but cameron diaz? not a fan. i wanna check this out for some guilty fun.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I gotta know: what's the meaning behind the title? When I first heard about the movie I just assumed it was the characters' surnames, but apparently not?
ReplyDeleteHeather: Yeah it was a good choice for a hot day!
ReplyDeleteCandice: I don't like Cameron Diaz either but she doesn't completely ruin the film. Cruise is great in it so it'd probably be worth just for him and some fun action!
Norma: Ok, bit of a spoiler here fyi. Roy Miller isn't Cruise's character's real name, since he's a super secret agent or whatever. At one point Cameron Diaz visits a house Roy's been monitoring with the name "Knight" on the mailbox, and it turns out it's his parents and that's his real last name. Also, in the beginning of the film he hides a super-powerful batter inside a little toy knight souvenir he buys at the airport.
This movie tanked at the box office! I think they pairing of these two stars makes no sense, they dont seem to go together somehow...the movie sounds fun, but, whos big idea was it NOT to put Tom Cruise on this films poster? I mean, just his face plastered on the posters assures more seats, what was the big idea?
ReplyDeleteIm not a fan of posters with huge faces in them, but with a star like Cruise, it would have been a sure fire way to get people to choose his film over the other. As it is, you look at this films poster and you have no idea what its about or if its an action/adventure movie.
Thanks for the review!
Connoisseur: I actually really liked the poster because it wasn't assaulting me with big images of the stars, and sports a pretty cool and eye-catching design. But you are right that it's weird to not sell the involvement of the leads, since their faces (especially Cruise's) would garner the movie poster more attention. I guess the marketing team was going for something more daring, instead of what they knew would sell.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's been bugging me, but not enough to motivate me to see the movie.
ReplyDeleteI am not a big Cameron Diaz fan, but given the choice between Knight & Day or Killers, I'll take Tom and Cameron any day.
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