Mr. Majestyk Takes A Look At KNIGHT AND DAY!

Beaks here....

It doesn't hit theaters until June 25th, but 20th Century Fox has been promoting the hell out KNIGHT AND DAY since early April. The television spots are inescapable (especially if you've been watching the NBA Playoffs), while it seems like all of Los Angeles - from buses to billboards - is plastered with ads for Tom Cruise's spy lark. Usually when Fox is this aggressive, they've got a stinker on their hands. But this perceptive review from Mr. Majestyk claims otherwise - which, despite all the vitriol I spew towards Rothman, pleases me. I dig Tom Cruise when he's got his movie star mojo working, and, given the way this May has been going, would love to know there's a big, thoroughly entertaining action flick on the way. I'll turn it over to the world's toughest melon farmer...

Harry, Caught this last night, figured some readers might like the early word. Yesterday my friend told me that he scored a couple of passes to see a “new, big summer action movie” at a local Orange County theater that night. Tempted by what it could be (praying it was The Expendables), we got there an hour early to find a mammoth line. Everyone had to sign the standard NDAs and fill out some marketing info. No information was given on what movie it might be, or the studio behind it. After a 30 min. wait we were let in and everyone was given the wand to insure that we didn’t have anything that could record or take pictures. My friend and I grabbed a couple seats up top neat a section that was taped off, presumably for some VIPs involved with the picture. Another 30 min. rolls by before the evening’s host took center stage the inform us that we were the first audience to be seeing “Knight and Day”, the new Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz action/comedy spy caper. My friend and I had figured beforehand that this would probably be the film they were showing. Lights come down and the show starts… but, amusingly enough, just as that happened some of the VIP guests took their seats. My buddy turns to me and says, “There’s Tom Cruise”. I started to laugh because I figured it was an usher or someone, but he says, “No, really, he’s sitting right behind you”. I turned around and, sure enough, the Master Thetan himself was sitting there, face obscured by the standard celeb disguise: a baseball cap. I’ll preface the film review by stating that, as this was a test screening, a lot of the effects work wasn’t completed. This film has loads of green screen work, and much of it was still in an unfinished state. Same goes for some of the larger set pieces requiring CGI, some of which were simply animatics or crude wireframe designs. But you got the gist of what the scenes were about, so it didn’t completely detract from the viewing experience. But it did shine a light on just how much is done on a sound stage these days. I’m not going to spoil anything since, with this being an is-he-or-isn’t he rogue spy movie, the less you know, the better. But I’ll sum it up by stating that the film primarily deals with Cruise’s character, Roy Miller, trying his best to protect Diaz after she ends up getting on the wrong flight during our opening scene. There’s international interest in obtaining a revolutionary power source which Cruise is in possession of, one which was created by a brilliant engineer (played in a humorously nerdy fashion by Paul Dano). Cruise warns Diaz that men will be coming for her, and if she wants to live she’ll run for her life if they utter some key words he tells her to listen for. They come, and Cruise follows their every step to keep her safe. The rest of the film is a bit like a cross between “North by Northwest” and “From Paris with Love”. Now, I reference the first film because it’s obvious that director James Mangold was heavily influenced by Hitchcock here, and this film is similar in many ways to that film, except that Diaz would be the Cary Grant character. There’s even a direct homage, and reference, to “The Lady Vanishes”. I’m referencing “From Paris With Love” because this film has that same sense of frenetic action that was on display in that film. We don’t get a lot of breaks here. Just when things start to simmer down, Cruise pops up and before you know it, guns are blazing and shit gets blowed up real good. Cruise spends almost the entire running time fucking shit up, big time. When he isn’t, that’s when we learn a bit more about his character, who is impossible to read in regards to whether or not he’s a batshit rogue agent gone mental, or the guy who’s two steps ahead of the pack. Now, most people fall into two camps on Cruise: those who don’t like him because they think he’s a wackjob, and those who couldn’t give a shit less. I fall into the latter. I think he’s one of the best actors working today, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him reprise his Ethan Hunt role for M:I 4. He’s on fire here, delivering some hilarious lines in addition to kicking all kinds of ass. You remember how Liam Neeson just kept kicking ass after ass in “Taken” with barely enough time in between to breathe? Well, that’s a lot like Tom in this movie. He performs some amazing stunt work that’s right up there with his M:I films, but he also proves he’s still got the comedic chops to get an audience rolling. I can’t think of many film characters to compare his Roy Miller to, but, again going back to “From Paris with Love”, he’s a bit like Travolta in that. He’s brazenly throws himself right into the thick of things, cracking jokes, and he relies on his training and instinct to get the job done, no sweat. Diaz surprised me here. I normally can’t stand her, and I’d have a hard time naming a film she’s in that I can watch without getting annoyed. There were a few times that I groaned at her character. Particularly, there’s a scene in the beginning, on the plane, where she’s talking to herself in the bathroom about making a move on Roy which goes on for a while (though you’ll understand when you see the movie why they kept her in there for so long). But I absolutely hate scenes where characters speak what they’re thinking out loud. It doesn’t quite reach the level of, say, Ed Norton in “Red Dragon” (arguably the pinnacle (or nadir) or such a stupid plot device), but it bothers me because I can’t imagine people really so that shit. But she’s a chick, so what do I know? Maybe they all do that. Anyways, she’s pretty damn likeable here. As an ordinary woman suddenly thrust into the world of international espionage, she manages to stay slightly calmer than most people might have been in that situation. Although, when she does start to lose her cool... well, there’s a running joke about how Roy gets her to mellow out. I can’t say I have many complaints about the film. I didn’t care for the score too much; I felt it lacked some real punch during fast-paced action scenes, but it’s likely that this was a temp score, so I don’t know if the final film will sound any different. I also wasn’t completely sold on Peter Sarsgaard as a federal agent. The role itself is crucial to the plot, but I’m just not a fan of his lazy, relaxed delivery on film. I thought he was one of the worst things about “Orphan” (the other being Vera Farmiga), which is too bad because it was a decent horror flick otherwise. But I digress. He just isn’t an actor I care to watch, and I would have been fine with someone else inhabiting that role. But he doesn’t have enough major screen time to bother me to such an extent. After seeing previews for this over the last couple months, I was hoping it would just be a big, fun action flick. And that’s exactly what it is. Cruise obviously had a helluva lot of fun in his role, and it’s another positive step in his attempt to reconnect with audiences. If you use this, call me Mr. Majestyk.