Charm and Romance In the Face of Danger

There is not a shred of believability in "Knight and Day", but I had an absolute blast. For 2 hours and 10 minutes, I gleefully suspended all logic and basked in the glory of the breathlessly exciting action sequences and the sexy, irresistible rapport of stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Many action blockbusters annoy you with nothing but insanely farfetched chase scenes and clunky dialogue. Insanely farfetched chase scenes are at the very essence of "Knight and Day", but they are executed in such a wildly entertaining manner that it is easy to forgive the absence of anything approaching realism. And the dialogue is not clunky at all. Rather, Patrick O'Neill's screenplay is breezy and engaging. James Mangold's direction is fast and compelling, and "Knight and Day" is a richly satisfying action-comedy extravaganza.

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There will be no mention of plot in this review. Because let's face it, saying that the plot is important in a film like this is like saying that a sliver of parsley is the most important part of an entree. No, we don't enjoy going to movies like this for a coherent storyline, although to its credit, "Knight and Day" has a storyline that is far more intelligent than most films of its kind. We enjoy movies like this because they are just plain fun. The real secret behind the success of "Knight and Day", however, is the vibrant energy of the two leads.

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Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are a match made in heaven on the big screen. Their chemistry in this film cannot be overstated. Though there is no overt sex in "Knight and Day", Diaz and Cruise crackle the screen with the type of sizzling romantic heat so rarely seen in movies these days, conjuring memories of their last collaboration, 2001's thrilling "Vanilla Sky". Their sexiness and energy together feels completely genuine, and that gives the movie a refreshing feel.

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You may be thinking that I am a hypocrite for recommending "Knight and Day". After all, how can I hate a movie like "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and like a movie like "Knight and Day", when both films rely on scenes of ridiculously implausible action. Well, that's simple. It is all about attitude. The soul-crushing, insufferably long disaster known as "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" carries itself with a smug seriousness that prevents any semblance of fun and humor from creeping into its gloomy corridors. "Knight and Day", however, is light on its feet, never taking itself too seriously. This allows viewers like me the chance to revel in all of the films gloriously impossible antics. On a scale of pure fun, it doesn't get much better than "Knight and Day".