Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz click so hard in “Knight and Day” it sounds like a thunderclap.
They need every ounce of that screen chemistry to overcome the spy film’s absence of logic, continuity and everything else that makes up a traditional narrative.
It’s the latest example of Hollywood playing fast and loose with Movie Making 101, but casting two uber-attractive stars means the film is never less than imperfect eye candy.
Cruise stars as Roy Miller, a super spy getting hounded by government agents. Is he innocent or a rogue operative who must be contained?
June (Diaz) doesn’t have a clue. She accidentally gets caught up in Roy’s antics while boarding a flight to Boston, and she can’t seem to let the toothy spy go.
They bounce from one exotic locale after another, with Roy trying to protect a tiny new battery which promises an unlimited supply of energy.
Director James Mangold (“Walk the Line”) seems an odd fit for this “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” style romp, but he’s shrewd enough to gives his leads enough time to flash their mega star appeal.
Cruise uncorks a new variation on his shopworn swagger, and Diaz has never looked lovelier – or more wonderfully vulnerable.
The film’s narrative may be a goopy mess, but the stars are given enough sharp retorts to keep our minds occupied.
Or at least not allowed to completely shut down for the movie’s 2-hour running time.
“Knight and Day” delivers in the stunt department, from some “whoa …” car chases to a thrilling airplane shootout.
The aforementioned sequence kicks off the film, and for a minute you wonder if the movie can keep up the delirious pace.
Not a chance, and the story squanders an A-list support team including Viola Davis, Paul Dano and Peter Sarsgaard.
For all the talk of Cruise’s diminishing marquee value, “Knight and Day” reminds us why the actor still matters. He refuses to let the movie’s razzle dazzle overwhelm his presence. In fact, none of it would count if a lesser actor were in front of the camera.
Diaz provides a fine foil, radiating goofy charm and a hint of loneliness. No woman in her right mind would stick around Roy for more than a conversation’s worth of time.
But she’s intrigued by him and awed by his calm in the center of one storm atop another. And Diaz makes us understand that, even if her choices seem maddeningly ill-served.
“Knight and Day” hustles to its finale, never building enough story momentum to add something extra to the table. It’s content to let us enjoy the magnetic leads, cracker-jack action and beautiful scenery until we’re bludgeoned into submission.
(Photo: Roy (Tom Cruise) and June (Cameron Diaz) prepare for the ride of their lives, as they flee pursuing assassins – and bulls – through the streets of Seville, Spain in “Knight and Day.” Photo credit: Frank Masi)
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
We happened to see this one on the opening night and I had many of the same thoughts about it as you listed above. It was very lightweight, but still enjoyable due to the cast and it reminded me that whatever people think of Tom Cruise’s personal antics, he is every inch a movie star and sure knows how to use charm/charisma (X factor, call it what you will) on screen. There doesn’t seem to be too few actors out there right now who can make that claim.
Should have been “too many actors” – sorry!