“Knight and Day,” you are the one. You are the picture that could make or break Tom Cruise’s reputation as a bankable leading man. After more than a quarter-century as a headliner, now age 47, the star hasn’t rocked the box office for four years. In today’s easy-to-swallow popcorn picture, opposite complement Cameron Diaz, he’s as winning and magnetic as he ever was.
But it remains to be seen if the spy romp will kill. To the credit of director James Mangold (“Walk the Line,” “Girl, Interrupted”) and screenwriter Patrick O’Neill, “Knight and Day” is original material. A risky rarity in summer especially, it’s not a redundant sequel, an unnecessary remake or a “pre-sold” adaptation of a comic book, toy, video game or TV show.
That’s not to say that their romantic action comedy (a hybrid genre already tainted this year by Jennifer Aniston’s “Bounty Hunter” and Ashton Kutcher’s “Killers”) is exactly fresh. It borrows from dozens of previous fantasy adventures involving cute undercover types, glamorous international locales, goreless gunplay, preposterous plot points and high-speed mayhem.
Unlike Bond or Bourne or even Cruise’s own Ethan Hunt, however, rogue United States secret agent Roy Miller has something more than an impossible mission. He has an age-appropriate love interest in vintage car aficionado June Havens (Diaz). And she is more than victim and eye candy.
If you go
‘Knight and Day’
3 out of 5 Stars
Stars: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis
Director: James Mangold
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action violence throughout, and brief strong language
Running Time: 109 minutes
After a corrupt co-worker (Peter Sarsgaard) and government boss (Viola Davis) turn against him, the pro Roy drags the civilian June around the globe. She starts as his accidental patsy. But she becomes a crucial partner as the playful pair tries to protect a geek genius (Paul Dano) and his miracle battery from a megalomaniacal Spanish arms dealer (Jordi Molla). Forget the story, though. It’s logistically absurd. And it wastes three amazing supporting actors — Sarsgaard, Davis and Dano — with thin characters and too few opportunities to show off.
No, “Knight and Day” works to the extent that it does for other reasons. Its main asset: the appeal of Cruise and Diaz. They both still look great in bathing suits and sparkle together in frothy, bantering dialogue scenes and silly but amusing chase sequences. It also doesn’t hurt that the swanky production offers glistening glimpses of the Austrian Alps, southern Spain and the Azores.
Even better, as seasonal escapism goes, this entry doesn’t overdo the faux effects or resort to condescending humor. And these days and nights, that’s an endorsement.
