Tom Cruise became an action star in his own right in the 90s. He wasn’t the typical strong, burly gun-toting heavy that earned the reputations for Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, or Arnold Schwarzenegger; instead, Cruise played an action hero closer to a character whose real talent was putting the pieces together and then surviving the high-octane chase filled with explosions, trains, motorcycles, and helicopters that would inevitably follow. He’s proven himself a versatile actor across the genres, but Knight and Day sees him returning to his Mission: Impossible glory days and the nostalgia proves to be bittersweet.
The life of June Havens (Cameron Diaz) takes a long series of unexpected twists the day she becomes the focus of secret agent Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) on a mission he learns he wasn’t supposed to survive. But he did and now has in his possession the key to renewable energy that could potentially change the world forever, but he has to get it into the right hands. Or does he? Or maybe he’s a thief and stole it from a top secret government lab. Maybe he intends to sell it to the highest bidder. Maybe he wants nothing but to earn a quick billion off the energy source and retire to a secluded island. These are the lies and truths June must sort through as she’s taken on a whirlwind ride around the world as Roy’s hostage/accomplice. As much as June would like to run, the world of spies has dangerous people at every turn and she never quite knows who to trust.
Or, at least, that was the objective of the film. The idea was for all of the ups and downs June faces throughout the day to leave the audience constantly guessing. Is Roy a lunatic? Is he unhinged? Can he be trusted? Whose side is he really on? We’re supposed to ask these questions, but neither the script nor Director James Mangold have the force to keep the momentum going on the uncertainty. The entertainment factor benefits from Cruise getting to play a zany, off-the-wall kind of role, and Cameron does well enough screaming in comical despair as she tries to sort out the secrets amidst plenty of flying bullets-but Knight and Day never reaches the heights of a solid spy thriller. It’s just amusing enough to not be a waste of time, but not enough to be memorable.
The Blu-ray presentation leaves you with a mixed feeling. On one hand, action films typically look great in hi-def (and Knight and Day is no different, there are a few moments where the imagery is great), but it’s just not a very visually interesting film. The chase scenes feel slow and plodding in the face of what we saw in the Bourne series, and the entire film feels like it’s still sprinting to catch up. A few action scenes make good use of the hi-def, but otherwise you’d be just as happy watching this one on DVD. By comparison, the audio is pretty great if done in surround sound, but it doesn’t really redeem the experience.
Marc Blucas, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, and Peter Sarsgaard also star.
Oh, and can anyone tell me where the “Day” in the title comes from? From what I can tell it has no significance whatsoever.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The Blu-ray, DVD, and digital copy combo pack features a respectable number of extras, the titling of which seem more intent on giving some sort of rationale to the film’s title a posteriori. All extras are on the Blu-ray disc. First off we have two production featurettes, one covering the stunts in the film (of which there are many) and one about shooting on location in Boston and Spain. Then we have a featurettes dedicated to the crafting of the film’s story (which according to some research was done by about a dozen writers in various stages) and another that looks at the film’s twists and turns, its big plot points, and its international implications. As a whole the featurettes at least hold your interest, and Cruise and Diaz are likable enough that you’re willing to watch them do cable work and make faces at the camera in exotic locations.
"Knight and Day" is on sale November 30, 2010 and is rated PG13. Action. Directed by James Mangold. Written by Patrick O'Neill. Starring Cameron Diaz, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard, Tom Cruise.
