Knight and Day
Knight and Day is a 2010 American action comedy film directed by James Mangold, written by Patrick O’Neill and produced by Cathy Konrad, Todd Garner and Steve Pink. The film stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
This film reminded me of a Bollywood masala film (minus the songs). It has all the ingredients of a typical Tom Cruise film: the story is fast moving, the stunts of course larger than life, and the comic timing perfect. The film boasts great locations; filmed in Spain, Austria and Massachusetts.
Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) is an eccentric secret agent who is on the run from the CIA after being falsely labelled as an agent gone rogue. He literally bumps into (twice, in fact) June Havens (Cameron Diaz), a vintage car restorer, at the airport. This is a cute, super romantic, very Bollywood moment where there is an immediate connection between the hero and heroine. They land up on the same, super eventful flight. Here, in an extremely fun-filled scene, Roy subdues passengers and crew whilst June is in the washroom, giving herself a pep talk. He then lands the plane in a corn field and has to drug the shocked June after warning her that mysterious agents will come after her. This indeed happens. At some point Roy reveals to her that he is in possession of a perpetual energy battery and informs her the inventor must be protected. The still untrusting and unbelieving June floats in and out of consciousness as they are both eventually captured by the henchman of a Spanish arms dealer, who is after the battery and it’s inventor! A couple of twists, turns, car, helicopter and train chases later; it is June who who finally takes charge! The film then culminates in a happy ending; predictably so, but don’t we all love a bit of predictability?
Tom Cruise, who in my opinion is the quintessential movie star, does a great job as the energetic and charismatic Roy. He is funny, romantic, and of course his athletic self! Cameron Diaz as June is the cute, innocent girl who gradually falls in love with the mysterious Roy in a heartwarming performance.
The film is action packed and funny, with great cinematography. It is entertaining and fast paced, without a single dull moment. It stays faithful to it’s genre. Although some may find moments unbelievable or even silly, the film never pretends to be high-brow or uber intellectual. The final message is clear and simple- don’t leave your dreams for “someday”. All in all, definitely worth your time!
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.