While it is hardly high art, Knight & Day is a moderately entertaining bit of fluff. It's clearly been cynically designed to be film that men and women can both enjoy. The problem is that while you can make a good romantic comedy (there must be at least one, I suppose) and you can make a good comic thriller I think that a good romantic comedy thriller may be impossible. The elements are too disparate.
Tom "Bonzo Loony McInsaneypants" Cruise is his usual charming self and runs a good level of manic energy. I'd seen the trailer a few times and in typical Hollywood fashion it ruined just about all the best lines of the film. The moment where Cruise says "If anyone tries to stop me I'll kill myself and then her" should have been hilarious but having seen it in so many trailers it just seemed tired.
The word "kooky" could have been invented for Cameron Diaz and she is very charming in the film. Her transition from humble classic car restorer to international secret agent seems a bit unlikely but then so is this film so why not.
Spoiler
June (Diaz) gets onto a plane with Roy Miller (Cruise) and "wacky" violence ensues. Whilst June's in the kharzi Miller kills everyone on the plane and crashes it in a field.
Miller, you see, has absconded with a super-top-secret AA battery which can power a city. The US government want it back and think that Miller may have handed it off to June which puts her in the frame as well.
This kicks off a global chase much of which occurs offscreen whilst June, drugged by Miller, is unconscious.
End Spoiler
In the end Knight & Day is a compromise film. It's designed to be a good date movie. It has some crash-bang-wallop for the guys, some swoony-smoochy to keep the ladies interested and a bit of comedy to round it all off. All told it was moderately entertaining and for what it is designed to do it does fine. If you want to see a good film starring either Cameron Diaz or Tom Cruise there are better alternatives.
Tom "Bonzo Loony McInsaneypants" Cruise is his usual charming self and runs a good level of manic energy. I'd seen the trailer a few times and in typical Hollywood fashion it ruined just about all the best lines of the film. The moment where Cruise says "If anyone tries to stop me I'll kill myself and then her" should have been hilarious but having seen it in so many trailers it just seemed tired.
The word "kooky" could have been invented for Cameron Diaz and she is very charming in the film. Her transition from humble classic car restorer to international secret agent seems a bit unlikely but then so is this film so why not.
Spoiler
June (Diaz) gets onto a plane with Roy Miller (Cruise) and "wacky" violence ensues. Whilst June's in the kharzi Miller kills everyone on the plane and crashes it in a field.
Miller, you see, has absconded with a super-top-secret AA battery which can power a city. The US government want it back and think that Miller may have handed it off to June which puts her in the frame as well.
This kicks off a global chase much of which occurs offscreen whilst June, drugged by Miller, is unconscious.
End Spoiler
In the end Knight & Day is a compromise film. It's designed to be a good date movie. It has some crash-bang-wallop for the guys, some swoony-smoochy to keep the ladies interested and a bit of comedy to round it all off. All told it was moderately entertaining and for what it is designed to do it does fine. If you want to see a good film starring either Cameron Diaz or Tom Cruise there are better alternatives.