"Knight and Day" tells the story of June Havens (Cameron Diaz) a woman who is just trying to get home for her sisters wedding. When June arrives to the airport, a man named Roy (Tom Cruise) bumps into her. What seems like an innocent accident turns into something more as Roy tries to keep June from boarding her flight home. When he fails from keeping June from boarding the plane is where the fun begins. While June heads to the airplane bathroom to powder her nose, we find out that the entire plane is full of armed men wanting to arrest and/or kill Roy. Roy takes out the armed men and now warns June that there was a reason he didn't want her to board the plane. Now, Roy and June must join forces and work together to protect a new invention that's so big that even the FBI wants a part of the action. A nonsensical but action packed and fun movie ensues...
Within the first 20 minutes of "Knight and Day" I knew why people hated this movie. First off, it makes very little sense and its really out there. Don't get me wrong, this is a really fun movie but don't expect to "get" it because it doesn't make any sense. The action sequences are over the top, Diaz and Cruise look like they are having a blast the entire time, and the movie is somehow interesting despite the plot making no sense. It's a brainless summer movie with some dark humor tossed into the mix. Not what you would expect from the normal Tom Cruise action flick and therefore why people didn't enjoy it that much.
While there are a lot of names in this film, Cruise and Diaz are the main stars and everyone else seems virtually unimportant. Cruise does a great job on this film with playing a wacky FBI rogue agent. He really uses his action star skills along with his comedic skills in this flick. Diaz, besides coming off as a brainless ditz, is fun to watch on screen. She really plays the clueless role in the film well and looks like she is having a ton of fun while doing it. I enjoyed watching her and Cruise because they have some really solid chemistry and know how to play off one another. The supporting cast consists of pretty solid actors although they are underused including Peter Sarsgaard and Viola Davis.
The screenplay for "Knight and Day" was written by Patrick O'Neill, who hasn't written much besides a television series called "Dead Last." The script didn't lack action nor did it lack comedy, however, it did lack common sense. This movie made no sense and I really had a ton of plot holes. If you watch the movie you will wonder how can they get all these places so fast? How can they avoid being shot so many times? How is there no one flying this plane? How does Cruise jump from car to car when they are going 75 miles an hour? Those are just a few of the questions I have with the film. I also have questions about the plot, which has to do with a high school drop out who invented a top secret energy source that is the size of a battery. Why do so many people know about this? Why is it so valuable? And there are plenty more questions but hey this truly puts the title of mindless action flick to good use.
The oddest thing about the film to me was that it was directed by James Mangold. For those who aren't familiar with the name, he is the man who directed "Walk the Line," the western remake "3:10 to Yuma," and the intelligent and underrated thriller "Identity." This movie just seemed like a odd choice for Mangold because he usually does dramas with some light action mixed in. This film was an action comedy and definitely not something Mangold has a lot of experience with. He did a fairly decent job with the film and really helped make sure Cruise and Diaz had fun with the film and looked good doing it.
At the end of the day, I wouldn't say I loved "Knight and Day" but than again I don't usually love any action comedy. It was completely nonsensical but it was a fun and enjoyable action flick. It's not your typical action movie because it mixed a bit of dark and demented humor. Its plot makes no sense and nothing about the film is serious at all. Everyone is acting goofy and looks like they are having fun working on the film. I liked it but that's because I appreciated it for what it was. People expecting the typical action film will probably not like it as much as they would like and those who want to see it for the comedy aspect alone will probably be a tad disappointed as well. I can see how this had mixed reviews and mixed audience reactions. Its not for everyone but for those who are bored with the typical action film nonsense, you may like this one. It's a fun action packed ride, that's for sure! MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Knight and Day" is a 7 out of 10.
Within the first 20 minutes of "Knight and Day" I knew why people hated this movie. First off, it makes very little sense and its really out there. Don't get me wrong, this is a really fun movie but don't expect to "get" it because it doesn't make any sense. The action sequences are over the top, Diaz and Cruise look like they are having a blast the entire time, and the movie is somehow interesting despite the plot making no sense. It's a brainless summer movie with some dark humor tossed into the mix. Not what you would expect from the normal Tom Cruise action flick and therefore why people didn't enjoy it that much.
While there are a lot of names in this film, Cruise and Diaz are the main stars and everyone else seems virtually unimportant. Cruise does a great job on this film with playing a wacky FBI rogue agent. He really uses his action star skills along with his comedic skills in this flick. Diaz, besides coming off as a brainless ditz, is fun to watch on screen. She really plays the clueless role in the film well and looks like she is having a ton of fun while doing it. I enjoyed watching her and Cruise because they have some really solid chemistry and know how to play off one another. The supporting cast consists of pretty solid actors although they are underused including Peter Sarsgaard and Viola Davis.
The screenplay for "Knight and Day" was written by Patrick O'Neill, who hasn't written much besides a television series called "Dead Last." The script didn't lack action nor did it lack comedy, however, it did lack common sense. This movie made no sense and I really had a ton of plot holes. If you watch the movie you will wonder how can they get all these places so fast? How can they avoid being shot so many times? How is there no one flying this plane? How does Cruise jump from car to car when they are going 75 miles an hour? Those are just a few of the questions I have with the film. I also have questions about the plot, which has to do with a high school drop out who invented a top secret energy source that is the size of a battery. Why do so many people know about this? Why is it so valuable? And there are plenty more questions but hey this truly puts the title of mindless action flick to good use.
The oddest thing about the film to me was that it was directed by James Mangold. For those who aren't familiar with the name, he is the man who directed "Walk the Line," the western remake "3:10 to Yuma," and the intelligent and underrated thriller "Identity." This movie just seemed like a odd choice for Mangold because he usually does dramas with some light action mixed in. This film was an action comedy and definitely not something Mangold has a lot of experience with. He did a fairly decent job with the film and really helped make sure Cruise and Diaz had fun with the film and looked good doing it.
At the end of the day, I wouldn't say I loved "Knight and Day" but than again I don't usually love any action comedy. It was completely nonsensical but it was a fun and enjoyable action flick. It's not your typical action movie because it mixed a bit of dark and demented humor. Its plot makes no sense and nothing about the film is serious at all. Everyone is acting goofy and looks like they are having fun working on the film. I liked it but that's because I appreciated it for what it was. People expecting the typical action film will probably not like it as much as they would like and those who want to see it for the comedy aspect alone will probably be a tad disappointed as well. I can see how this had mixed reviews and mixed audience reactions. Its not for everyone but for those who are bored with the typical action film nonsense, you may like this one. It's a fun action packed ride, that's for sure! MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Knight and Day" is a 7 out of 10.