We have enjoyed many of Tom Cruise’s films in the past.
Movies like Rain Man, Collateral, The Firm, A Few Good Men, Mission Impossible et al have afforded us mucho pleasure.
So, notwithstanding the generally poor or tepid reviews we went ahead, albeit with tempered expectations, to Cruise’s new film Knight and Day.
Verdict
There were about 30-35 people for the opening show at a theater on the East Coast.
Not a good omen considering it was the opening day.
Alas, this was one movie we could have done without.
That, folks, is our considered verdict after watching this 106-minute film.
While not a hellishly ugly film like most of our Bollywood or Kollywood movies, Knight and Day was nevertheless a big disappointment.
Featuring Tom Cruise as the CIA agent Roy Miller on the run and Cameron Diaz in the female lead, Knight and Day belongs to the broad genre of what you may call action-comedies.
Set up as the fall guy by one of his colleagues and hunted both by the government and the bad guys (arms dealers in this instance), Roy Miller has in possession a precious thing that many people are after.
You see, Miller is safeguarding a powerful invention by a genius high-school kid that everyone would like to get their hands on – a small, palm-sized battery that contains enough energy to light up a city.
Aha, the solution to the world’s energy crisis.
Uh oh, not so fast.
First, the shooting and the chases.
The movie is one endless chase or shooting – on the road, on the train, on the plane with no respite.
With the endless chases and the trigger-happy characters, there’s hardly any time to weave a coherent story around the broad plot we outlined above.
The movie itself never packs the frenetic energy of the Bourne films although a la the Bourne films we quickly hop from country to country – in this case, from Boston to Austria to Spain to Germany.
By Bollywood standards, the action and chase scenes are alright but nothing that you haven’t seen in many other Hollywood films.
Apart from occasional spurts of life, Tom Cruise doesn’t exactly set the screen on fire in Knight and Day.
Don’t get us wrong. Tom Cruise ain’t no Abhishek Bachchan or Ajith. The man is still watchable.
Just that at 47, the sparkle in the face starts to fade and the body isn’t as agile.
And the Woman
Ah, you want to know about Cameron Diaz?
Within the confines of a sloppy script, Cameron Diaz did what she could. Again, nothing extraordinary though.
Nothing to drool about here. Not even when she dons that itsy bitsy pink bikini.
Hell, the woman is 38. Not 19 like the Winter’s Bone babe Jennifer Lawrence.
For some weird reason, Cameron Diaz reminds us of Jane Fonda. And mind you, we were never great fans of Jane Fonda.
Yea, Raise the Middle Finger
And the ending is an anti-climax.
Overall, we’d say Knight and Day is poorly written fare not worth your time and money.
Extend the middle finger to Tom and Cameron with gusto. 😉
Knight and Day Review – No Cruise Missile, This added by SearchIndia.com on
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Hi, Do you watch ‘TED talks’
here’s a sample
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b694exl_oZo
actually it’s one talk I find very interesting.. there are other too, that touch on many interesting and urgent topics. Have a look.
was thinking.. if the money spent on ‘Tamil Semmoli manadu’ be spent on improving the ‘Tamil medium schools and the infrastructure as a whole, wouldn’t it be useful in strengthening the language, than having manadus. Does everything need to be hyped.
back to TED
another one that I found interesting
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=JQ0iMulicgg&feature=channel
(Do NOT click on above URL but copy and paste in your browser bar.)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Watched both videos.
Interesting.
Note: Copy and paste 2nd URL in the browser.
http://www.ted.com/ is their official site. You find lot of videos there. Tech savvy guys like us can enjoy watching those vids 🙂
Btw, saw Inception trailer? Looks awesome.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Yes, seen the Inception trailer a few times including yesterday at the Knight and Day show.
@ shadowfax_arbit: Thanks, the videos streams well here.
found this one interesting
http://www.ted.com/talks/aditi_shankardass_a_second_opinion_on_learning_disorders.html
I would like to see topics like this discussed in our TVs, but alas they are so hung up on so called ‘VIPs’ celebrities, and sensationalize deaths and taint the people involved, just for the TRP ratings.
Does TED have a TV program?
.. It would be good if it reaches more people. To show there’s more to the world than ‘Manisha Koiral marrying someone younger’ or Language fests taking prime time News spot.
Doesn’t a President have any other work than inaugurate a regional language fest.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. Watched the video. Useful information.
2. You write: Doesn’t a President have any other work than inaugurate a regional language fest.
Short answer – No.
hmm.. wanted to recommend ‘Naach’, and got sidetracked by TED.
please review Naach, also.. didnt do well in the BO. A little filmy here and there. some bad acting and weird .. experimental dances and passable music.
I like this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0eZHmn23vw&feature=PlayList&p=E51D0DD0D809A02E&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=23
on the whole , it makes one interesting watch, just forget the Small B, it doesn’t make a dent.
found this comment on youtube, for the song
“This movie was way back when Abhishek Bachchan was lame, oh wait, he still is!”
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Seen Naach a few years back but can’t remember much.
Will rewatch but the thought of seeing that monkey on the screen makes us want to puke our guts out.
Short answer – No.
..yup.. did know… atleast other presidents had something to do with their time.. like writing a biography.
but this is weird (and 3 yrs old)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlbHh404-Xg
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Watched the video. She is a buffoon.
On something unrelated, are you following the Isner-Mahut match in Wimbledon?
Crazy game, played over multiple days – 10 hours so far…
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Just read a few lines about it last (Wed) night.
BTW, history books used to talk of the Drobny vs Rosewall as one of the great matches.
the game is still on espn3.com.. when your new pc review coming..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Some issues with the Revo (Norton is not working after installation of other software). Have to uninstall Norton, reinstall it and then test it again. Happened twice already. The review after fixing these issues.
i jinxed them 🙁 it is over.
have you seen “great escape” movie?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No.
please see that movie ,you will sure like that movie
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Will do. Well regarded now (although not so originally).
Watched Toy Story-3 today!Was a really funny film! Why don’t you watch it granny? 😛
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: Why don’t you watch it granny?
Maybe, we will. Maybe, we wont.
an excerpt from sify’s article titled ‘Flop internationally, Super Hit in TN!’ on Knight and Day.
It proves once again the taste of Indian audiences is different from US. Tamil Nadu’s love for senseless action movies is once again proved by the success of an international flop Knight and Day in the state.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Attribute it all to the water they drink there. 😉