At least one thing can be said about Tom Cruise: He’s really good at doing Tom Cruise movies. That, coupled with the fact that even some of the most yawn-prone moviegoers will likely be impressed with the geography if not stunts in the summer movie “Knight and Day,” means this film is a matinee or date night well spent.
There’s nothing more inviting than the scenery of the cities this movie globetrots, with high-speed chases in Pamplona and Sevilla, some of the most-beautifully-executed cities of Spain, along with other stops that make this movie feel like a lighter-hearted adaptation of the “Bourne Identity,” which makes sense, as it’s director James Mangold, who directed the “Bourne” trio along with film fetes “Walk the Line” and “3:10 to Yuma.”
Also pleasant are the cameo-like appearances of Peter Sarsgaard, Tony-winner Viola Davis and Paul Dano.
While the problem for some could be that this is another Tom Cruise movie, (Roy) Tom Cruise expands on what we love best about him (fast-paced, Ray-Ban-wearing smooth talker that he is) and is less than what has been annoying about him in big name movies such as the “Mission Impossible” series: He’s more human somehow, perhaps because he’s aged — and he seems to take himself less seriously, a trait that’s arguably long overdue.
He does this, however, while also being quite the badass, part crazy, part tongue-in-cheek.
June Havens (Cameron Diaz) does more than hold her own, and is equally-refreshing, adding a sort of levity as well to the mix. The more-mature duo this go around has more success sharing the screen together than they did in “Vanilla Sky,” the Spanish “Abre Los Ojos” remake, and the audience reaps the benefits.
With a chemistry that hearkens back to the days of Goldie Hawn and Mel Gibson in the cheesy-but-loveable flick “Bird on a Wire,” but with more oomph, it’s a comfortable and — gasp — believable chemistry for Cruise and Diaz all around.
When special-agent Roy tactically meets June, an exalted mechanic of sorts, she’s on her way to a wedding in Boston, the die are cast and June’s life will never be the same — a tad formulaic and antiquated as movie plots go, but interesting nonetheless. When she walks out of a flight restroom to find everyone but Cruise dead, she’s got a decision to make of whether to trust him, a decision that is skewed by her attraction to him.
And from there a series of high-end stunts ensue, much of which were done by the actors themselves, all of which is of course set to high-paced music such as “Uprising” by Muse.
Roy and Havens hardly have enough time to be attracted to each other, however, as for nearly the entire duration of the film Roy is trying to keep himself and June alive, out of danger and on the offensive. Luckily for the movie, this is not only engaging but at times funny to watch, as Havens proves herself not only a contender but quite the character when it comes to learning on the run how to handle a weapon, sometimes even while nearly lap-dancing a motorcycle-riding Roy.
Overall, Knight and Day offers a good mix of campy and exotic datelines with enough new tricks to keep the action feeling going throughout. To say the least, it’s is a good date-night movie perfect for the heat of summer.
