KNIGHT & DAY (REVIEW)
Cast.
Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano, Maggie Grace.
Running
time. 111 Minutes
Rated M
He may have been a little controversial
off screen over recent years, but on screen, Tom Cruise is still a certified movie
star in every sense of the word. At 47 years of age, a nimble Cruise shines and
is sure to win many of his fans back again in this fast paced action comedy.
Cameron
Diaz plays June Havens, a virtuoso automotive mechanic who is taking a flight
back from Kentucky to her home in Boston. With a bag full of scrap parts to help
rebuild her late father's car, she is keen to finish it so she can surprise her
sister for her upcoming wedding. At the airport, June literally bumps into Roy
(Tom Cruise), a super-spy, although she doesn't know that yet. Roy is a responsive
flirt to her ditzy charm. While on the nearly empty plane, June retreats to the
bathroom to primp and debate whether Roy is just a player, or a genuine force
of personality. While she is inside the cubicle adjusting, fluffing and straightening,
he is engaging in brutal combat with everyone else on the plane including the
pilot. Not noticing the carnage at first, June makes an irrational decision to
kiss Roy, until it becomes obvious nobody is flying their plane.
This
kinetic, loose and completely ludicrous film makes little sense, but director
James Mangold ('Copland', 'Walk the Line') seems to be fully aware of this fact
aiming for thrills and fun instead of logic. Amongst the mayhem, the pair become
a couple while on the run from corrupt federal agents, including Roy's former
partner. The interest for both parties is a small battery sized object code-named,
Zephyr. It is a self renewing energy source, if falling into the wrong hands,
is capable of creating unlimited weapons of mass destruction.
Roy's
friend, an eccentric scientist, creator of the Zephyr is also along for the ride,
but the focus is really on the romantic interest for the leads. The action goes
global including a cat and mouse chase on an Austrian train, an aerial attack
on a secluded island, and a motorbike pursuit that concludes in the middle of
a running with the bulls on the streets of Spain. Cameron Diaz is undervalued
as an actress, capable of drama ('My Sisters Keeper'); she has genius comic timing
and a constant sense of playfulness that is irresistible.
A
high flying Cruise is back, looking good and full of deft moments, including an
ongoing joke where Roy drugs June whenever the situation gets alarming. She wakes
up oblivious to what's gone on around her. From innocent bystander, to a gun toting
dame, her transformation borders on bananas, but the pair make a great couple,
in the same vein as 'Mr & Mrs Smith'.
'Knight & Day'
is a buoyant film where the actors are obviously enjoying themselves, transferring
into the audience just the right mix for an entertaining diversion.
Shane
A. Bassett
