In a summer where the ‘action movie remake’ is making it’s much deserved comeback, is there any real need for any spy movies with little or no plot? The answer there is pretty much a no-brainer, but Knight & Day somehow managed to get the thumbs up from studio bosses and made its way into cinema’s and even had the nerve to open overseas. If there was a way to halt distribution on certain celluloid into the UK, apparently the parties concerned missed the memo.
Poor Directing and a Weak Script
James Mangold, better known for directing 3:10 To Yuma – 2007 and Identity – 2003 must have read the script for Knight & Day whilst experiencing some severe form of migraine that makes individuals agree to direct anything. Mangold has the movie jumping from location to location with Diaz being drugged by Cruise’s secret agent character (Roy Miller) prior to each continent shift. It’s a little weird how he manages to move an unconscious woman from place to place without being flagged by the authorities or meeting with any difficulty, which kind of sums up the ridiculous nature of the film that begs the audience to keep watching in the hope, they won’t notice how creepy the whole situation is.
2D Performances verging on one Dimension
Cruise is merely a quirky version of a spy he’s definitely played before in earlier movies, and although no one can argue that he makes being a spy look immensely cool; it doesn’t make up for the failing in a script that is very weak and lacking any real substance. There’s no need for anything sophisticated in the way of dialogue for a movie such as this, but audiences that love a good action ‘flick’ aren’t all AC DC t-shirt wearing meatheads with nothing better to do on a Friday night than chew popcorn and count bullets.
Diaz doesn’t fare much better, cast as the spunky, tomboyish love interest. Like Cruise and the rest of the cast her performance is 2D with hints of 1D if that’s at all possible.
In an attempt to sell a movie fuelled by the appeal of its actors (something done more than ten years ago, in abundance), all responsible for Knight & Day have failed miserably.
What is the Movie Really About Though?
The premise of Knight & Day is that two people with very different lives (one quite normal and the other exciting and dangerous) get together through circumstance – not all coincidence – and end up forming an unlikely union as they are chased around stunning locations whilst being shot at by, well ... everybody.
Knight & Day has one of those well put together trailers that might make many a gullible person say: “Ooh.” And possibly “Ahh.” But inevitably the movie will make them say: “Erm?”
What actually happens is not much of anything worth a ticket stub. Cruise has developed that capable air some actors have of; playing certain characters so well they become monotonous to watch. And, with his past performances as Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible series it’s safe to say that people will go away thinking more about how unimaginative the characters were than how bad the film was, or should that be the other way around? Who cares! Additionally - why the movie s actually called Knight & Day is never divulged during the movie, much like a really bad techno track.
That said, it wasn’t all terrible. Some of the action sequences were great to watch, although, the staple spy fodder which is unreal and far-fetched, was still entertaining on some level. There were a few moments where the movie looked like it might actually be more than a Cruise/Diaz on-screen-chemistry vehicle but, that would simply be hoping for too much.
Though disappointing and void of any kind of structure or story, Knight & Day is still mindless fun, but then that’s just an insult to anyone who wants to watch it.
- Knight & Day
- Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz
- Directed by: James Mangold
- Running time: 109 minutes
- Released in the Uk: 6th August 2010
Stefan Jeffrey - Stefan Jeffrey is a Goldsmiths University graduate. His area of study was Community and Youth-work of which he has actively worked in for ...
Join the Conversation