Knight & Day (C or 2/4 stars)
So, the big question is: after yrs. of personal controversy, does Tom Cruise still have his movie mojo? Umm, it's there ... sort of. Next question: is his new movie any good? Well, not really. 'Knight & Day' (directed by James Mangold, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) opens in an airport, with plucky June Havens (Cameron Diaz) trying to talk her way onto a full Boston-bound flight. On her way to the gate, she bumps into - not once, but twice - a seemingly charming guy named Roy Miller (Cruise). She makes it onto the flight. He's perturbed by this. We don't know why. But we go with it. Because we have to. Sitting one row away from each other, they re-connect with awkward, flirty conversation. But Roy proves to be more dangerous than anyone could imagine. As is turns out, having recently survived a mission he was supposed to die in, he is basically one of two things ...
1) He's either an unstable rogue operative who is selling a never-before-seen technological device on the black market for profit, or 2) a slick super-spy who's been unfortunately set-up by a dubious co-worker. Seeing how easily he dispatches a host of foes on the airplane in the opening sequence, & seeing how readily he drugs June (to better their situation), would make one pause; thinking he's obviously a bad guy. But both June & we (the audience) have no way of knowing 'til later in the plot. In the meanwhile, the main man pursuing Roy, an FBI agent named Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard), seems as shady as they come, too. So, when Roy falls onto the hood (literally) of June's runaway car as it barrels down the highway while being chased by the feds, she has to make up her mind: trust Roy, or not. A crazy, implausible, nation-hopping adventure unfolds. Is Roy good? Is he bad? And can he trust June in the most pivotal of moments?
'K&D' aims to be the perfect summer romantic/action flick. I mean, look: respected director, original story, good stunt/sound team, exotic locales, Tom Cruise's big comeback vehicle, Cameron Diaz's mini-comeback vehicle, etc.. The 1st half of the film is really, quite fun. We're put in the same position as June, i.e., 'what the HELL is going on here!?' -- that's the main source of entertainment. There are a handful of tongue-in-cheek moments. I'm happy to see Tom back onscreen. I've always, for some reason, enjoyed Cameron Diaz. The pacing hits a nice, low-key groove, early on. The mystery of their situation had intrigue. Once the spy plot kicks into gear, there is some fun 'spy self-parody' on display. But everything flies off the rails during the 2nd hour (once we learn about Roy's true involvement with the technological device). Any cute chemistry formed btwn. the leads dissipates. The humor, barely registering early on, becomes weird, & unfunny. Any interest in the already implausible story drizzles away. And the action - crisp & involving - becomes the only reason to watch the film further.
I really hoped to unabashedly enjoy this action romp across the globe. The 1st half HAS the cheesy (but fun) dialogue, glamour, & high-speed chases. But a complete loss of narrative energy (& coherence) hangs over the 2nd half with boring assassins, & inessential top secrets cover-ups. At 47, Tom still looks great & commands the screen. Cameron looks amazing & brings her trademark sexy/ditziness. But their celebrity overwhelms the characters (of Roy & June) in this movie. And after dodging a million bullets, & surviving a plethora of crashes, explosions, & falls ... how can we invest in a hero who has no weaknesses? It's just stupid. 'K&D' is not meant to tax the brain, but it made mine glaze over with 30 minutes left in the running time. Having 2 stars (in their twilight, so to speak) hamming it up in gorgeous settings, driving, & shooting their way through deadly foes can only take you so far when the plot is as lazy & inexplicable as it winds up being.
1) He's either an unstable rogue operative who is selling a never-before-seen technological device on the black market for profit, or 2) a slick super-spy who's been unfortunately set-up by a dubious co-worker. Seeing how easily he dispatches a host of foes on the airplane in the opening sequence, & seeing how readily he drugs June (to better their situation), would make one pause; thinking he's obviously a bad guy. But both June & we (the audience) have no way of knowing 'til later in the plot. In the meanwhile, the main man pursuing Roy, an FBI agent named Fitzgerald (Peter Sarsgaard), seems as shady as they come, too. So, when Roy falls onto the hood (literally) of June's runaway car as it barrels down the highway while being chased by the feds, she has to make up her mind: trust Roy, or not. A crazy, implausible, nation-hopping adventure unfolds. Is Roy good? Is he bad? And can he trust June in the most pivotal of moments?
'K&D' aims to be the perfect summer romantic/action flick. I mean, look: respected director, original story, good stunt/sound team, exotic locales, Tom Cruise's big comeback vehicle, Cameron Diaz's mini-comeback vehicle, etc.. The 1st half of the film is really, quite fun. We're put in the same position as June, i.e., 'what the HELL is going on here!?' -- that's the main source of entertainment. There are a handful of tongue-in-cheek moments. I'm happy to see Tom back onscreen. I've always, for some reason, enjoyed Cameron Diaz. The pacing hits a nice, low-key groove, early on. The mystery of their situation had intrigue. Once the spy plot kicks into gear, there is some fun 'spy self-parody' on display. But everything flies off the rails during the 2nd hour (once we learn about Roy's true involvement with the technological device). Any cute chemistry formed btwn. the leads dissipates. The humor, barely registering early on, becomes weird, & unfunny. Any interest in the already implausible story drizzles away. And the action - crisp & involving - becomes the only reason to watch the film further.
I really hoped to unabashedly enjoy this action romp across the globe. The 1st half HAS the cheesy (but fun) dialogue, glamour, & high-speed chases. But a complete loss of narrative energy (& coherence) hangs over the 2nd half with boring assassins, & inessential top secrets cover-ups. At 47, Tom still looks great & commands the screen. Cameron looks amazing & brings her trademark sexy/ditziness. But their celebrity overwhelms the characters (of Roy & June) in this movie. And after dodging a million bullets, & surviving a plethora of crashes, explosions, & falls ... how can we invest in a hero who has no weaknesses? It's just stupid. 'K&D' is not meant to tax the brain, but it made mine glaze over with 30 minutes left in the running time. Having 2 stars (in their twilight, so to speak) hamming it up in gorgeous settings, driving, & shooting their way through deadly foes can only take you so far when the plot is as lazy & inexplicable as it winds up being.