Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz first worked together on VANILLA SKY ﹙2001; directed by Cameron Crowe﹚; this year they reunite for KNIGHT AND DAY ﹙directed by James Mangold﹚, a film of action, comedy and thriller. It’s packed with daring stunts involving car chase, motorcycle riding, gun battle, running for your life, chasing bad guys and last but not least Cameron Diaz panicking and screaming.
When the news of reshoots spread throughout the media seven weeks before the film is scheduled to be released I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to hit the theater in time. Then I began to see the film poster all over town and all I can think of is, “This is the most horrific film poster ever! And obviously it’s a last-minute work of art!”
The film begins slow, depicting how Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz meet each other. Soon it takes you on a roller-coaster ride, up and down, through Boston, MA., bulls chasing in Spain, and deserted island in Jamaica. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not really a fan of Tom Cruise. Despite his not-so-tall frame he’s definitely got a million dollar smile! And you’ll see plenty of that throughout this entire film, whether he’s on a shooting rampage or trying to charm Cameron Diaz. For you loyal fans you’ll find Tom Cruise once again irresistible and charismatic. Evidently Tom Cruise became a target for satire after the couch incident on the Oprah show. Soon after the beginning of the film, there’s a scene where Tom Cruise seems neurotic as if it’s his way to spite the parodies mimicking his 2005 incident.
Supposedly Chris Tucker, Adam Sandler and Gerald Butler were considered for the lead role before Tom Cruise was confirmed to take the part. I’m glad that it’s Tom Cruise. Chris Tucker will yak till you go crazy; Adam Sandler will be funny but the film will have a lot of less action stunts; Gerald Butler is too rough to be a James Bond type of secret agent. At the age of 47 Tom Cruise performs most of his own stunts in KNIGHT AND DAY. That’s impressive. He’s really one of those actors who work so hard to make up for his shortcomings.
In a nutshell KNIGHT AND DAY is action-packed and entertaining. It’s a film that won’t require killing any brain cells. You’ll laugh. You’ll enjoy the actions. You’ll melt when Tom Cruise smiles. But be aware of Cameron Diaz panic screams which annoy me so much that I want to reach out and slap silly and say, “Shut the f**k up already!”
