Knight and Day

After a recent round of Indie films, I decided to jump back into the Hollywood pool with "Knight & Day". Now I know why I prefer Indies. Before we get to the film itself, let's chastise the studio marketing department for the worst title and marketing campaign to come along in years. The title has absolutely nothing but a sliver of a connection to the film and has no appeal whatsoever. Therein lies the problem. 20th Century Fox figured they have Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz...heck we can call the movie "paper" and people will come. Guess what, they won't... according to the recent box office.

This film is a perfect example of the Hollywood machine gone awry. Take two superstars, add exotic global locations (including Brooklyn NY?), mix in a formula villain you can spot immediately and drag it out for maximum stunts, explosions and comedic interplay between the leads and what do you have? A film you have seen countless times before and probably done better. The script really insults the audience's intelligence.

You never forget for a moment that you are watching Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. They don't even bother trying to create characters. They try hard to just get by on their looks and charm. Credit Ms. Diaz especially in the charm department. She actually outshines Mr. Cruise in the fun to watch category. She is obviously having fun with her role and lets the audience in on the gag.

To be fair, the stunt work is good and many sequences are exciting (with the exception of some sub-par CGI) but just when you've have your fill of explosions, globe hopping and gunplay, you get more. For a film that runs under 2 hours, it seems like an eternity. A better title would have been "A Long Day's Journey Into Knight".