Movie: ‘Knight and Day’
In Theaters: June 25, 2010
Director: James Mangold
Runtime: 110 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action violence throughout, and brief strong language.
Gecko Rating: 
If you go into ‘Knight and Day’ with the main goal of seeing a fun action flick with some romance thrown in, then you’ll probably love this movie. If you go into it looking for some sort of in-depth plot a la Martin Scorsese, then you’ll be seriously disappointed. It’s a fun popcorn movie. Just go with it.
The pairing of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz is a great combination, and you can tell they had a blast making this movie. There are some awesome stunts – which I’m sure Cruise did, because he loves that stuff and it drives his PR people nuts – and Diaz never looked better. They’re really at the top of their game here.
Things start out with mild-mannered auto-restoration guru June Havens (Diaz) leading a normal life and looking forward to attending her sister’s wedding. At the airport, she bumps into the handsome Roy Miller (Cruise) – twice – and then ends up on the same mostly-empty flight with him.
Turns out he’s a secret agent, and there are some very bad people after him. One thing leads to another, and June and Roy end up on the run, dodging criminals from one end of the globe to the other. Exotic locales include tropical islands, Austria and Spain.
Here’s where the story gets a teensy bit “what?!” Everyone wants to get their hands on a tiny battery invented by nerdy young scientist Simon Feck (Paul Dano). Apparently, the battery can power entire cities by itself. Yes, it’s an eco-storyline which, mind you, I’m not knocking so don’t send me hate mail. The way it’s woven into all of the action just seems a little unrealistic.
But no matter. Remember, we’re not seeing this movie for the story. We’re seeing it for the awesomeness of Cruise and Diaz, and that’s all you really have to know. It’s a little departure for director James Mangold, who came into our consciousness with the gritty ‘3:10 to Yuma.’ Here, the action and violence are more of a vehicle speeding by in the background while Cruise and Diaz take center stage. The body count is high, but it’s all in good fun.
Oh, and keep an eye out for Riley (Marc Blucas) from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’!
NOTES FOR PARENTS:
Sex/Nudity: June and Roy flirt and kiss a few times, and in one scene, June (under the influence of drugs) tells Roy she wants to have sex with him. Each of them change the others’ clothes after drugging them (though it happens offscreen).
Violence/Gore. Lots of action violence, much of it played for laughs. Includes fighting, guns, explosions, drugged needles, darts, car and motorcycle chases, and a bull chase! A main character is shot, but as with the rest of the movie, not much blood is shown. While the body count is high, the overall feel of the movie is light-hearted and romantic.
Profanity: Several uses of “hell,” “damn” and “sh*t.” One use of “f*ck” (totally unnecessary to the scene).
Images: 20th Century Fox
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