Knight and Day
                                                                                                                 
Director: James Mangold
Year: 2010
Rating: 6.0
Though this is in some ways your basic action-comedy-romance, it never even attempts to land within the realm of possibility. It wears its absurdities with pride. It is a pure giant size popcorn movie with no more reason to exist than to be 100 minutes of adrenaline entertainment. It announces its intentions very early in the film and only gets more over the top as it goes along. In a sense, Tom Cruise's character Roy Miller is a psychotic smiling version of Ethan Hunt with even more aptitude. This could easily have been called Mission Impossible: Keep the Chick Alive except it often comes close to tomfoolery. What is interesting is that the film is primarily seen through the eyes of the female character with Cruise as the fantasy hero who keeps saving the day. And night. He is famous for doing many of his own stunts - not sure if that was the case here - but if so, there are some impressive ones. Even a cool motorcycle scene ala Mission Impossible: Fallout.

 

Miller is getting on a flight and chats with June (Cameron Diaz) in the airport lounge. They are both going to Boston. She is stopped from getting on the flight. But then they allow her - hardly anyone on the flight oddly - but for a good reason. They are there to kill Miller and think she is with him. It is a comic scene with Miller killing all of them while she is in the bathroom freshening up wondering if she can hook up with Miller. She comes out not realizing all the passengers are dead till she sees the pilots are as well. He claims credit with a smile. The plane crash lands, he knocks her out, takes her home and puts her to bed. With a warning - they will come looking for you - don't get in the car with them - they will kill you. She does. And it is another action set-piece on the freeway with many more to go. The one in the running of the bulls was pretty good. Both the crime syndicate and the Intelligence Agency that Miller works for are trying to find a small battery that can light an entire city. Neither can be trusted. One trick that I see in a lot of films that never makes sense to me is how easy it is to get from one country to another with an unconscious body. Done here a few times, but we are not meant to take any of it seriously or think too much about it. That goes for the entire film.  Just go with the flow.   If you want to see the film again, but not this one - check out Bang Bang from Bollywood - a solid remake.