Knight and Day 2010

"I'm the guy. I'm a guy."

I feel like this film lacked something or other that would've made it better; This Means War comes to mind; maybe I'm thinking of comedy: there was a lot of that in This Means War. I think if this film somehow had the same or similar effect as that film, it would've done a lot. I guess I'm referring to the vibe. The vibe of This Means War was memorable, to say the least, and had this film possessed that same vibe, more or less, that would've been so impactful.

Interestingly enough, even though this didn't cause This Means War to come to mind, two elements shared similarities with that film. Cameron Diaz, specifically how she delivered a line or two: and how she played the character at times, was similar to Reese Witherspoon in that film. And the scene in the airplane lavatory with June talking to herself/pumping herself up while chaos ensues outside was like the scene in that film where Reese's character is doing the same thing in a restaurant's bedroom while the same thing is happening outside. I thought those similarities were interesting.

That said, I'm not saying this was a bad film. It was entertaining. Both the action and the comedy were, perhaps surprisingly, good. The fight choreography was good, and of course, Tom Cruise elevated it on top of doing most of the stuff his character does. And some of the comedic moments, like the running gag of being drugged (and it, coming full circle in the end) and the first half of the film, specifical instances with Roy and the way Tom played the character, along with his charisma, were quite entertaining. But I think that, even in the realm of these kinds of movies, there was still room for it to be even better: and it wasn't, which is fine.

The story was nonsensical; no surprise there, and it was, essentially, irrelevant. The biggest draw, and arguably the film's point, was the duo of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, including the action-comedy element. I thought Cameron's performance was a little rough around the edges at times; nothing too immersion-breaking. Once her character mellowed out and became more serious, Cameron's performance was better. And I thought Tom was the stand-out, to no one's surprise. This performance of his is one of my favorites yet, which is probably surprising to those reading this. His charisma is undeniable, and he did comedy quite well.

He should do a film like this again, or one with a comedy element at some point: maybe even a sequel to this one, which could be good; he can't do Mission Impossible films forever. I'm sure people are interested to see what direction he'll take his career afterward; if that's even what he'll do: he may retire.

One of the other things that I liked was the chemistry between him and Cameron. The way Roy interacted with June was, in his words, sublime. Some may think there hardly was any chemistry, but I found myself caring about the relationship between their characters. And the ending was surprisingly effective.

The rest of the cast (Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano) was surprisingly stacked, none of whom I've seen in anything yet, besides this film, shockingly. Paul was the one that surprised me when I saw his name during the opening credits. They didn't stand out much, although I guess Peter and Paul delivered their performances well. And Jordi Mollà's acting in his character's first scene with June was entertaining; the scene overall was. I was also surprised by Gal Gadot's cameo, which probably wasn't much of that since she, likely, wasn't that/as popular back then.

The direction was good, especially for the action sequences. Bad directing can ruin good choreography, so I'm glad that the directing was well-done. The cinematography by Phedon Papamichael was pretty decent as well; it was at its best (along with the lightning) in the scene where Roy and June are in the car, the one transported. And the score by John Powell was different in a good way; it was unlike any score I've ever heard. It didn't sound that familiar to the Bourne films or Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which were composed by him, but my recollection could be hazy.

Overall, this was a fun film to watch. I think the vibe could've been more potent, positively elevating the film further, but the film was still watchable. The first act, and most of the second act, were the best, while the final one wasn't as good, although the ending was better and surprisingly impactful. The only issue I have with this film is that it doesn't feel that memorable. This Means War was: and still is. It's disappointing that this film isn't that memorable, but I still had enough fun watching it.

This film was on TV while I was having dinner and while I had different plans, I ended up watching it through the end. Starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, it's an action comedy that provides an incredibly dumb and fun experience.

The leads were fantastic in their roles, being able to fill the presence with their charisma. The chemistry between them was fun to watch and I think it managed to avoid quite falling into the realm of cliche. It had enough uniqueness and sillliness to it that I had no issue, though June's character was certainly very... dated.

The action was great, but the CGI not so much. No in between. Over the top and an absolute blast, but anytime the film had to rely on anything but practical effects, it dropped the ball hard. I can think of one explosion in particular that looked like it was made after watching one Youtube tutorial. It was glaring the times it did appear, but thankfully that was not enough to ruin the joy that was the rest.

Action comedy through and through, an unashamed example of the genre that has so much fun with its silly premises. It makes as much sense as it needs to, beyond that its ridiculousness knows no limits. The running gags were lovely and took me off guard each time. I believe this is the area that "Knight and Day" excels the most at, and I am glad they never ruined it with unnecessary drama. There was some, don't get me wrong, but only so the plot kept going, they never ruined the light tone.

"Knight and Day" is so joyfully stupid, I wouldn't mind rewatching it. There's nothing too special to it, I simply think it is highly entertaining. Go watch it with someone to have a good time, that's all I have to say.