KNIGHT AND DAY review; conventional globetrotting action comedy caper lifted by great chemistry

rating: 3

Having already proved capable at inflicting taut human emotion into an urban cop movie (Copland), grisly suspense into a whodunit mystery thriller (Identity), pathos into a music biopic (Walk the Line) and character complexity into an updated western (3:10 to Yuma), director James Mangold turns his talents to conjuring up the necessary intrigue and excitement for a globetrotting action spy comedy. With glossy, colour saturated visuals, glamorous geographical locales and the allure of two beautiful and established leads engaging in relentless action ordeals, Knight and Day draws overt comparisons to vintage espionage chase thrillers of yesteryear that include classy entries like North by Northwest and Charade. Tom Cruise plays Roy Miller, a possible rogue agent who enters the life of June Havens; (Cameron Diaz) a down on her luck everywoman with a thirst for love and adventure. She gets more than she bargained for when she boards a plane to Boston, chats up her charming secret agent seatmate and then as a result ends up relentlessly pursued around the world by the FBI and deadly foreign terrorists, who seek a secret unlimited energy source... It's a classic spy action thriller setup where the audience are inevitably less concerned about pondering macguffin triviality and more turned on by the heat of the globetrotting pursuit and the ongoing contrasting character entanglements. Kudos then for director Mangold orchestrating such a breakneck narrative pace that leaves little time for reflection and pays off in dividends on the action front: cue death defying plane crashes, narrow escape train struggles and audacious cars chases that favour in-camera action over CGI thrills and include a pulsating bike pursuit through Seville that feels like an intense rollercoaster ride. Thankfully Mangold also retains his talent for eliciting great performances and chemistry between his leads. The pair mesh so easily it's a real strain to think of a more complimentary dynamic duo: Diaz evoking the dizzy blonde madcap heights reminiscent of a young Goldie Hawn while Cruise on...well cruise control for some of the duration, proving what a fine comedy actor (and dare I say it parody player) he can be when freed from rudimentary square-jawed seriousness, while still flexing his toned muscles convincingly when the part requires it. Unfortunately the same can't be said about the supporting character players: a clichéd clutch of nerdy scientist types (Paul Dano in an underwritten role), possibly untrustworthy allies (Peter Sarsgaard) and smarmy foreign villains that do little to heighten the tension and a lot to lend the film a decidedly familiar finish. Luckily there's some smart knowing references to the genre to keep events rooted firmly in pastiche. The funniest being a point-of-view shot running gag involving sedation, secret locations and waking up in scant clothing. While the global whirlpool of scenic sights doesn't disappoint either; taking in the beautiful icy vistas of the Swiss Alps, romantic evening tones of Austria, the sun-kissed splendour of Spain and the tropical indulgence of the Caribbean - all so inventively intermeshed with investigative action you half expect a tux clad Bond to suddenly emerge out of the shadows. Much has been made of Knight and Day's poor US box office performance and one suspects - after the recent slew of Bond, Bourne, IndianaJones andMission Impossible films - this is more to do with an overall feeling of familiarity than anything else. While the spy action formula might have been an ideal opportunity for Mangold to let loose and indulge in a little fun after a slew of smaller more serious character pieces, perhaps it would have been more artistically rewarding to have seen him cover new creative ground in a genre more worthy of his talents. Nevertheless Knight and Day delivers everything a conventional spy comedy thriller should and when that's enhanced by winning performances, great chemistry, luscious locales and some superb action sequences why wouldn't you want to rev up your engines and join Tom and Cameron for the globetrotting ride? Knight and Day opens in the U.K on Friday.
Contributor

Oliver Pfeiffer is a freelance writer who trained at the British Film Institute. He joined OWF in 2007 and now contributes as a Features Writer. Since becoming Obsessed with Film he has interviewed such diverse talents as actors Keanu Reeves, Tobin Bell, Dave Prowse and Naomie Harris, new Hammer Studios Head Simon Oakes and Hollywood filmmakers James Mangold, Scott Derrickson and Uk director Justin Chadwick. Previously he contributed to dimsum.co.uk and has had other articles published in Empire, Hecklerspray, Se7en Magazine, Pop Matters, The Fulham & Hammersmith Chronicle and more recently SciFiNow Magazine and The Guardian. He loves anything directed by Cronenberg, Lynch, Weir, Haneke, Herzog, Kubrick and Hitchcock and always has time for Hammer horror films, Ealing comedies and those twisted Giallo movies. His blog is: http://sites.google.com/site/oliverpfeiffer102/