'Knight and Day'

'Knight and Day' (PG-13) (3 stars)

Writers: Scott Frank, Laeta Kalogridis and James Mangold
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano

"Knight and Day" accomplishes what "The A Team" wishes it could have, create a dumb action movie that actually succeeds in being dumb fun. The problem with the "A Team" creators was that they had a dumb property, thought they were being clever by being complicated and wound up being dumb asses. The plot in "Knight and Day" is so simple that we are not confused by anything because there really isn't even a plot. Tom Cruise is a spy who bumps into Cameron Diaz, they get on a plane and bad guys try to kill them on plane. When they get off Cruise drugs Diaz and then she wakes up in her apartment. They bump into each other again and they get involved with a drug dealer and FBI agents on their trail. The FBI say that Cruise is dangerous and mentally unstable. What is Cruise's mission? To protect a scientist who made something really powerful but I really don't understand why and what it does. Roger Ebert taught me when I was young what he learned from Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock explained that something that the good and bad guys are after and stirs the plot is called a "McGuffin". The device in this movie is the McGuffin. You really can't explain what it is but everybody sure wants it! A movie like this does not depend on it's plot, something the makers of "A Team" should have figured out. This movie depends on star power and it has two of the biggest stars at the top of their game. I didn't care about the plot, I just loved seeing Cruise and Diaz strut their stuff.

This movie is a lot of fun, pure and simple fun. It is very dumb but there are some good one liners. The action is exciting but I had a slight problem and that was CGI effects. This movie could have been much better and a classic in the vein of "Romancing the Stone" if the movie had realistic action without jazzed up effects. Back in 1984 when the iconic "Romancing the Stone" came out CGI effects weren't around and the movie had simple romance, realistic action and pure comedy. That is a classic and "Knight and Day" needed more talk and less hyped up action. Don't get me wrong, there are some great chases and Cruise and Diaz look good being athletic. Tom Cruise has mercifully lightened up lately after being so boring and safe in Robert Redford's dull misfire "Lions For Lambs" and the last two "Mission Impossibles". I actually like this movie much more than those sequels. With this movie and "Tropic Thunder" we have the old smiling, loose and funny Tom Cruise. I think we underestimate the power of Cameron Diaz. She is tall, drop dead gorgeous and has one of the best smiles in the business. She is also very great at comedy and she is funny, daffy and charming. These two mega stars have smiles that light up the screen and it was a joy watching them work. I just wish they kissed more, made out a little and talked and then we would have a great movie. "Knight and Day" is a lot of fun, never boring and is a great date and popcorn movie. If Cruise and Diaz weren't in this movie it would have been a big failure. I was imagining Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl in these roles and I started to cringe. That is the difference between an A team like Cruise and Diaz and hacks like those other two. This is an action movie that delivers the goods and has two actors I could watch in almost anything. I hope they make another movie together.