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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Tom Cruise abandons his Germanic accent in the opening minutes of “Valkyrie.”

He would have been better off brushing up on his British accent instead.

Director Bryan Singer (“Superman Returns”) surrounds our favorite couch jumper with British actors to recreate an amazing chapter in German history.

It’s one thing to let a star like Cruise forgo an accent. But why confuse matters by fleshing out the cast with other non-German actors?

Had “Valkyrie” transfixed us as planned, none of this would matter. But its first half is a yawn, a plodding construct which only keeps our interest thanks to Cruise’s still palpable star power.

“Valkyrie” tells the true story of the most famous attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life. We’re deposited in Nazi Germany at the height of World War II, and a few German officers are starting to realize what a madman Hitler is. He just might bring down Germany unless something is done – and fast.

So Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) spearheads an effort to take Hitler out. But to do so he’ll have to forge some delicate alliances and keep every part of his plan top secret.

“Valkyrie” caught heavy flak over the past year for its revolving release dates and withering buzz over re-shoots. The finished product is far from the disaster you might expect. It’s handsomely shot with a terrific supporting cast which includes Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branaugh and Bill Nighy.

But Cruise’s character just doesn’t inspire us as he should, and the blame goes directly toward screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. Their tale includes a few tense moments, but we remain emotionally detached from both the conspiring Colonel and the rest of his allies.

Yet watching Cruise’s colonel recover from wounds suffered in the film’s early combat sequence reminds us why he rose to the upper echelon of modern movie stars.

“Valkyrie” stirs to life in the final half hour as the intricate plan starts coming together. But the stakes remain shockingly low given the enormity of their mission.

Cruise’s latest should stop the actor’s career free fall, but it’s hardly the vehicle to thrust him back in Hollywood’s good graces – or ours.

(Photo: Lookout, Tom! There’s an Allied plan right behind you! Tom Cruise stars as Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg in the new suspense thriller “Valkyrie.”)

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