GIBSON AND HAWN AT THEIR ADORABLE BEST
Knight and Day
***
Review by Paul Preston
Oh, man, what a great trip to the ‘80s “Knight and Day” is! Remember when Richard Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez could crack jokes and dodge bullets, or when Eddie Murphy would make us laugh, then kill a dude. That feeling is alive and well in “Knight and Day”, the new action comedy from unlikely director James Mangold (“Walk the Line”).
Based on the trailers, this movie looked like it was going to try REALLY hard to make you (and by you, I mean everyone) like Tom Cruise again. After a nasty spate of PR, this looked like the “I’m sorry I was a nut. Remember how much you like me as a movie star?”-project that he hoped would launch him back to the top of the box office, where now reside the likes of Johnny Depp, Sandra Bullock and Robert Downey, Jr.
The thing about Cruise’s performance is that it DOES work. He’s perfect in this part, as long as you’re willing to go along with the movie’s conceit that despite the presence of bad guys, twists and turns and death everywhere, there really isn’t a presence of danger. There’s just enough peril to bring our leads together and create some truly impressive action sequences.
The plot is about rogue secret agent (Cruise), positive that those he used to work for are now out to get him. He’s come across a limitless power source (a SUPER-battery), who’s creator (Paul Dano) must be kept safe. But how rogue is Cruise? In it for himself perhaps? These questions dog June Havens (Diaz), who stumbles into his company and gets stuck there for her own safety, for the thrill of it all, and because she’s the number two billing on the feature.
The ‘80s have actually been pretty good to movies this summer. “The Karate Kid” is a certified hit, and although “The A-Team” didn’t fare as well, there are two action sequences in that film that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen (they involve a tank and the huge finale at the Port of L.A.). If “Knight and Day” is really an ‘80s action movie at heart, it, too, delivers the goods big time when it comes to action. Not by providing completely unique setups, but by doing the common EXTREMELY well. This is probably because Mangold is at the helm, the director of the very strong western “3:10 to Yuma”. A lesser director would probably spend half the time trying to impress with whiz-bang overuse of style. For example, Mangold takes the car/motorcycle chase and presents it without excessive shaky-cam and A.D.D. cutting to where the stunts and choreography are remarkable. Not to mention the film globe-trots like a Bond movie, moving from one exotic location to another, and Mangold’s shrewd camera captures each place in all its splendor.
Cruise and Diaz have an interesting relationship, too. It’s almost non-romantic, even though shades of that are shoved in there once in a while. Cruise’s character, Roy Miller (strangely the same name of Matt Damon’s character in “Green Zone”), is SO good at what he does, the ease with which he dispatches action puts him more in the role of her protector than her lover. Diaz does the Goldie Hawn thing pretty well, doing the usual “I don’t know how to use this gun” bit. But thankfully, she didn’t scream too much to where Indiana Jones had to get an elephant to splash water on her. She wasn’t totally helpless, which is WAY too ‘80s a female character trait to work in 2010.
It usually the humor of a film like this that can sink it. But “Knight and Day” thankfully bypasses trying to be hip and instead gets a lot of laughs out of character and situation. Especially good are a couple of hilarious montages where one character is in and out of consciousness, but is apparently traveling a great distance, despite their hazy ability to gauge it. Also, there’s a great bit with an auto transport vehicle that sends up a long-standing movie gaffe.
It’s a shame Tom Cruise went crazy, ‘cause I think this film could’ve been another in a long list of easy-to-enjoy summer actioners, but it’s considered a flop, taking a backseat at the box office to “Grown Ups”, the obligatory annual Adam Sandler offering. Now Mel Gibson has proven that he, too, is a crackpot. Their demise can lead to a ton ‘o’ laughs, but deep down it’s saddening. These are two of the strongest leading men in the movies in the last twenty years.
I don’t know what criteria is required to have a comeback work. It seems like “Knight and Day” would be all you have to do. Mel is probably finished, jury’s out on Christian Bale, but his “Terminator Salvation” and “Public Enemies” last year did good business. Russell Crowe seems to have rebounded from his anger issues and led “Robin Hood” to the biggest moneymaker team-up with Ridley Scott since “Gladiator”.
Matt Damon is probably the closest thing we have to Cruise in his prime. Maybe DiCaprio matches Gibson’s intensity, but DiCaprio chooses more flawed characters. But when I look at who’s next to replace Cruise and Gibson, I’m reminded that I don’t want to do that yet.
Directed by: James Mangold
Release Date: June 23, 2010
Run Time: 109 Minutes
Country: USA
Rated: PG-13
Distributor: New Regency Pictures
