Knight And Day: Movie Review

Knight And Day: Movie Review

Knight and Day
Rating: 7/10
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Paul Dano
Director: James Mangold
It's rare these days to get a seasonal blockbuster film which takes a fresh look at the tired action genre.
Knight And Day is that film - Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz reteam in this action comedy.
Diaz is a ditzyish June Havens who's on the way to her sister's for wedding duties; while at the airport, she literally bumps into Tom Cruise's enigmatic, beaming and slightly cocky Roy Miller.
There's an instant attraction and spark between them - and soon June finds she's on the same flight as Roy as the plane takes off.
But then things get a bit weird. As June freshens up in the bathroom, Miller becomes an action hero and despatches all of those on the plane who're trying to kill him.
After the plane's set down, Miller explains to June that the FBI (in the form of Peter Sarsgaard) will come looking for her and she's not to trust anyone.
So, June finds herself thrust into Miller's world and sent on a globetrotting quest&.in more ways than she could have expected.
Part of the joy of Knight and Day is how the plot unfolds (hence very little spoilers here) because it doesn't conform initially to your expectations. The mystery remains well until half way through the film - Mangold and the writers seem to have subverted the expectations of the traditional winter time blockbuster - while there's an action sequence at the start on the plane, a lot of it's broken up by the quick dialogue and interaction between the beaming Cruise and wide grin Diaz.
It's their sparky relationship which powers the majority of the film (although it lapses into a few stock action scenes later on) and peppered with some great one liners and funny moments, it makes for an entertaining mix and a refreshing piece of cinema.
Once the full extent of the plot is revealed, there is a bit of a lull, but thanks to good solid supporting performances of Paul Dano as a boy genius and Peter Sarsgaard as an FBI agent, it's no drag to get to the end.
There's also the clever way that while June is drugged, there's still plenty of action going on around her - but as she drifts in and out of consciousness, we see snippets of Miller on a boat with June as the passenger or being pushed out of a plane and sky diving. It's a very smart and astute way to offer something different.
But it's Tom Cruise who impresses most in this - with his continual 10,000 mega watt smile and cockiness throughout (and a lot of white grinning teeth), it's a reminder of how well he can command the screen when he's really on form.

Knight and Day is a welcome entrant into the sometimes tired comedy action thriller genre - and a welcome distraction from the school holiday movie fodder.