Directed: James Mangold
Writer: Patrick O’Neill
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard
Tagline: “ She met him on a plane. He’ll take her for a ride”
Trivia: When Roy is late and discovers Simon’s hidden message in the shipping container, similarly-hidden messages reading ‘URLATE’ can briefly be seen on both sides of the container wall.
I know, I know, some of you might jump on me how could I even consider loving this movie when it was such a flop in the box office, but in my humble opinion here is another example that “Nobody knows anything” and this time sadly.
If there is a “go-to” movie in our household that everyone enjoys no matter how many times we watch it, it’s this one. Not an easy feast to achieve when you have a young ultra-feminist sensitive, as my daughter, an action lover, like my hubby and a romantic soul like me.
Knight & Day is a romantic action comedy, which is probably the reason why it didn’t succeed as the critics didn’t know in which genre it falls into and what box to tick and therefore dismissed it as a fluke. But in our home we LOVE the movie with all it’s quirkiness and over-the-top gestures and unforgettable lines, which by now became family jokes and used repeatable when wanting to make a point.
Tom Cruise is fantastic in having a good laugh on his own character in Mission Impossible (1 to infinity), Ethan Hunt. At the age of 48 (when the movies was released) he’s quick, confident, charming as rogue spy Roy Miller who’s mysterious actions get June Haven (Cameron Diaz) mixed in his plans in a Cute-Meet scene that we’ve seen in so many other rom-com movies, but this time with a twist.
This role of Tom Cruise just shows how good he is, not only as an action figure, but as a comedian who isn’t afraid to make fun of his own movies and characters he plays in so many of them.
His female co-partner, Cameron Diaz, is also giving a run to her own 20 something blond clueless girl but this time with an update. Her character is a pretty independently minded.
She runs a garage and rehabs classic cars for a living. She also broke off an engagement with a nice-guy fireman because she didn’t want to settle for a marriage without sparks.
In short, she has a sound, smart head on her shoulders. Which makes us believe that if she isn’t interested in a calm life and “normal” one, she would be willing to chuck her humdrum, everyday lives to run off with a charismatic, possibly insane secret agent, and drive into the sunset.
June starts off as a bumbling valley girl-type who is terrified of guns and cars speeding down the road with no drivers, but by the end of the movie–and with the help of her exciting new beau–she turns into a quick-draw, seasoned assassin. Not a bad arc for a female role on screen.
If there is one element which is disturbing, for me, is the plot device the writers have chosen to use to help Roy carry June through her arc, which is drugging her… repeatedly.
He then carries her off to whatever exotic locations he chooses and even changes her clothes to fit their surroundings. Was there no woman working on this project to explain how profoundly disturbing this plot device is?
The bad guys in Knight & Day are other agents led by no other than the fantastic Viola Davis, who shines in each of her short scenes, Peter Sarsgaard and Jordi Mollà who is becoming more and more the go-to Spanish villain and does it with so much charm you wish to convert him.
If this is not enough reason to watch this movie than the bantering Cruise and Diaz have throughout the movie are hilarious and the one-liners are to keep for life.
Is it a masterpiece or a great movie – NO, but sometimes we just want to have some fun. So, at the start of the season to be merry and silly (with Thanksgiving) and Christmas around the corner, if you haven’t watched it, grab your copy or watch on Amazon Prime and don’t wait for “Someday” as someday is just another word for never as the wise guy says in the movie…
Verdict – 4.5/5 Stars in my book