When this movie debuted, I was super excited to go see it. The fact that Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise are two of my favorite actors, coupled with the genuinely good-looking trailers had me pumped. Unfortunately, I saw the reviews and was taken aback. I decided to skip the apparently mediocre film and move on to other things. That was until yesterday when I finally decided to see this movie, and while it may be formulaic, Diaz and Cruise make it such a fun time that I was always excited to see the next scene.
Knight and Day is about Diaz’s character, June, having a chance meeting with Cruise’s character, Roy. They bump into each other at the airport, and Roy is put onto the same flight as June except June’s ticket becomes invalid. When she is put back on the plane, she finds out that Roy is a rogue spy trying to clear his name. Throughout the movie, June is pulled into tons of crazy situations with Roy right behind her, saving her life. This movie follows a definite formula, but that doesn’t hinder how much I enjoyed this affair.
Cruise is the star of the show. His comedic timing is perfect and he always has that classic Tom Cruise charm to his acting. Whether he is running around a battle, talking to someone else, or even drugging Diaz time and time again, Tom Cruise always makes his character likeable.
Diaz doesn’t play as big of a role as Cruise, but she is still funny. Diaz pulls off the cute and innocent girl with ease, and even though she is getting older, she can still be very attractive (something that is also shown in her recent film, Bad Teacher).
The writing in this movie is great. The film is very fast-paced and newcomer Patrick O’Neill pulls of the romantic-comedy-action genre with style. Every little quip was placed perfectly and every line was spot-on. I never felt like I was cheated out of a good situation. Every time Diaz and Cruise are somewhere, the most is made out of every second they stay in that place. This is largely thanks to the lightning-fast pacing, and although it slows down a bit in the middle, as most movies do, the writing was an amazing mix of three genres.
The direction was also very well-done. James Mangold, the director behind Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, and Girl, Interrupted, knows how to make a great action and romance sequence. Every car that flew by, every thing that exploded, and every set piece that flew by was handled with finesse. Whether it was a fistfight in close quarters, or a gun battle in a large area, the direction was always excellent.
Knight and Day may play by a few rules, but the funny writing, the amazing direction, and the charming leads make this movie a joy to watch. 7.5/10
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