The Philippine Online Chronicles

Two of Hollywood's hottest actors grace the big screen with an explosive tale of adventure, mystery and espionage with 20th Century Fox's latest film, Knight and Day.  Starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, the movie takes viewers on a globetrotting escapade filled with double-crosses, betrayals and breathtaking action.

The story begins in Wichita airport where Roy Miller, a government-trained secret agent, bumps into a free-spirited June Havens who is on her way back to her hometown to catch her sister’s wedding.  June is immediately smitten by Roy and is thrilled to know that they were on the same flight. But they encounter more than just air turbulence as Roy single-handedly fights off assailants who are there to capture him. He single-handedly fights them off. The next day, June wakes up on her bed, thinking that it was all a dream. It isn't long, however, before she realizes it wasn't. As she confides her experience to her firefighter-ex-boyfriend, she is snatched by Roy and taken to places she never imagined.

Bringing Roy Miller to life is one of Hollywood's most powerful actor, Tom Cruise. He has starred in many of movie history’s memorable flicks, the first on the list is the ‘Mission Impossible’ franchise.

And just like MI, all of Roy Miller’s stunts in Knight and Day are portrayed by Cruise himself, no doubles. “It's challenging for me, and I think it's more exciting and entertaining for the audience... Plus I really enjoy doing it," he said.

Starring opposite of Cruise in this action-packed film is America's sweetheart, Cameron Diaz. Diaz recently reprised her voice role as Fiona in the last installment of the franchise, Shrek Forever After. Prior to ‘Knight and Day’, Diaz and Cruise also starred together in 2001’s Vanilla Sky.

This action flick had Diaz facing rough-and-tumble sequences as well, but it is no problem for the actress. "I love being able to do fight sequences. A whole week of bruises, and cuts, and sprains, and whiplash... It's so much fun," Diaz said.

In fact, she would have loved to do more action. In an interview with ET, Diaz related that she wanted to do the stunts her co-star Cruise is doing. "I want an action scene. I wanna fight, I want to be in front of a car!," she said.

Rounding out the cast of Knight and Day are actors Peter Sarsgaard, who plays Fitzgerald, one of the agents assigned to catch the rogue agent Miller, Jordi Molla as the Spanish arms dealer who will stop at nothing to get the secret Miller holds, Viola Davis as Director George, and Paul Dano, the genius behind it all.

Knight and Day is directed by James Mangold who wanted a movie that will make audiences see how charming Cruise really is. "There was a lightness to him and a charm to him..This was a really great opportunity, I think, for him to shine, still being the leading man and still being capable but getting that other side of him out," the director said.

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From Salzburg to Seville

Besides the high-powered, explosive action scenes, viewers will find themselves awed by the breathtaking cinematography, made even more rich with the various locations where the movie was filmed. These include the snow-capped mountains in Salzburg, Austria and the Spanish cities Cadiz and Seville where many of the film’s biggest scenes took place, including an exciting run with the bulls. While the bull run was a fun addition to the film, it was not without controversy, as many animal rights groups protested the abusive sport’s inclusion in Knight and Day. Earlier on, production was also halted due to a bull attack.

It is no surprise, therefore, that Knight and Day’s Gala Premiere was held in Lope de Vega Theater in Seville, Spain last June 16. Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes were present during the affair.

Crash and burn?

Knight and Day is shaping up to be one of the US summer’s entertaining films, although the early reviews are mixed. While Kirk Honeycutt calls the film “nonsensical”,  fans call it “the most fun I’ve had in a long time” and “not great, but solid fun”. Overall Rick Porter sums it up as “good and bad according to critics.” The consensus is the same with the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, which gives Knight and Day a 54%.  Despite all the criticism about a lackluster story, critics point out one thing: Cruise and Diaz deliver a highly entertaining film. As the renowned Roger Ebert points out, “…Cruise and Diaz are effective enough in their roles that they're not overwhelmed by all the commotion surrounding them. They make the movie work because they cheerfully project that they know it's utter nonsense and pitch in to enjoy the fun”.  As for this writer, the film is definitely a good watch, just don’t expect too much. It is what it is, an exciting run around the world marked with laughs and poignant moments as you go along on the journey.

Knight and Day opens June 24 in theaters across the Philippines and is released by 20^th Century Fox.

Photo credit: 20^th Century Fox