Seeing Knight and Day was a consequence of our preferred movie, Toy Story 3, proving to be too expensive for a family (i have decided i hate 3D). If the trailor was any indication, we had reasonable expectation that Knight and Day would be an enjoyable alternative, featuring Tom Cruise and Cameran Diaz and providing some rollicking entertainment – in theory a Rom.Action; an attempt to satisfy the gal and her bloke.
While my preference is for films that make you think, I don’t mind the occasional Friday night of mindless entertainment. While certainly mindless, Knight and Day wasn’t all that entertaining.
Romance? I can see what Cruise saw in Diaz (and no, i simply cannot remember who the actors were playing – this film was self consciously drawing on the star power of its two big names, and the characters they played were largely irrelevant), but the opposite attraction was just silly? Do girls really go for killer spies that use and abuse them? Would a girl really give herself to a murdering villain on the off chance that she might be rescued by an aging CIA agent – even if that agent was Tom Cruise?
Action? A little, but the filmmaker kept telling the story from the perspective of the character (whether Diaz or Cruise) who, for whatever reason, was unconscious. Just when it looked like some action might be on its way, the film skipped the good bits!!! This might have provided a way for Hollywood to save on stunt expenses, but it meant that the action was left to the audience’s imagination. The more this occurred, the more irritating it became.
Plot? Predictable and absurd. While I appreciate that action films require the suspension of belief (and i love science fiction, so i am cool with fantasy) it is also important that a movie has at least a certain degree of internal coherence. Knight and Day, however, cared nothing about the logic of the story. In one scene near the end of the film, Cruise is about to enter a car chase after a fleeing bad guy. The villain flees, but before he follows Cruise kills 4 faceless goons and engages in some repartee with Diaz, which ends in a passionate kiss. 10 minutes must have past before Cruise jumps on his motorbike, only to find himself a mere half a block from the fleeing baddie.
Character? Cruise and Diaz are the only thing halfway likable about this film. Both have a certain charm and Cruise, in particular, plays the ultimate cool madman. But otherwise, , everyone is stereotyped. Villains are greezy and stupid and absolutely hopeless shots. Scientists are dweeby geniuses. CIA agents are mindless drones.
Dialogue? The occasional funny line. Look for Cruise making a joke of himself (playing a likeable madman).
All in all, Knight and Day is not merely a meaningless movie. This might be forgivable if the action and passion of the film stimulated the adrenalin, which it doesn’t. Worth watching only if you want to see Cruise and Diaz half naked on the beech. Otherwise, go watch inception or Toys story – or anything else.
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