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MOVIE REVIEW

Knight and Day

also known as “Knight & Day,” “Trouble Man,” “Wichita,” “Witchita,” “Encontro Explosivo,” “Innocenti bugie,” “Kaip diena ir naktis,” “Knight—Day,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for sequences of action violence throughout, and brief strong language.

Reviewed by: Carissa Horton
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults
Genre: Action Adventure Thriller Comedy Romance
Length: 1 hr. 50 min.
Year of Release: 2010
USA Release: June 23, 2010 (wide)
DVD: November 30, 2010
Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporationclick photos to ENLARGE Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Relevant Issues
Copyright, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Spies in the Bible

VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

Featuring Tom Cruise (Miller), Cameron Diaz (June Havens), Peter Sarsgaard (Fitzgerald), Maggie Grace (April Havens), Paul Dano, Marc Blucas (Rodney), Viola Davis, Jordi Mollà (Antonio), Dale Dye (Frank), See all »
Director James Mangold — “Kate & Leopold,” “Walk the Line,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Girl, Interrupted
Producer New Regency Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Road Rebel, Tree Line Films, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Wintergreen Productions, See all »
Distributor Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. Trademark logo.20th Century Studios, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company

Tom Cruise is back in a slightly better than “Mission Impossible III” and not quite as good as “Minority Report” action/adventure/thriller/comedy/romance flick that actually does fit all those genres. Opposite him stars multi-talented Cameron Diaz in the role as the ditsy blonde whose one unique quality seems to be retaining ownership of her father’s garage where she fulfills her dream of refurbishing beat-up junkers. Honestly? Yes, you heard me right the first time.

When attractive June Havens (Cameron Diaz) gets on the wrong (as in dangerous and deadly) flight after a slightly cryptic message of warning from a handsome stranger (Tom Cruise), she finds that despite the man’s good looks, he is definitely not all he appears to be. Lucky to escape the airplane with her life, June awakens safely back in her own bed, confused and dazed and trying desperately not to remember the warnings of Roy Miller aka the Stranger.

She figures she can continue with her life, get fitted for her little sister April’s wedding, and forget all about Roy. Unfortunately, life proves more complicated than June ever imagined. June is waylaid by mysterious men in suits and impressive government badges, outside of the swanky clothing salon. Roy warned her to be wary of words like “safe,” “protected,” and “secure,” so, naturally, those are the words used by these men, only heightening June’s inevitable panic. She has no idea who she can trust.

Then, who should come flying up out of the darkness but the insurmountable Roy, determined to save June and convince her that she can trust him and that all of the bizarre and dangerous events surrounding his life—and now her’s—are happening for a good reason.

Moral issues

I could literally go on and on about the story, but only if I wanted to give the plot away. Which I don’t. Because I do recommend this movie for light, fluffy viewing for teens and adults. All right, so it doesn’t take itself seriously, and, yes, Tom Cruise has acted in better films, but “Knight and Day” is still fun. The comedy is generally kept almost slapstick and clean, with only the occasional delving into innuendo-ridden territory. But, that innuendo does exist. For instance, June awakens in different sets of clothing quite a few times after being knocked out by Roy’s use of a pressure point in her neck. She didn’t change herself, so there are a couple of comments made about her companion, the quick-change artist. She turns the tables on him later in the film, as well.

Sex doesn’t become an issue, thankfully, despite a few comments from June when she’s heavily drugged, because they just don’t have the time. June does wear a bikini at one point, a few short skirts, and some cleavage-baring shirts.

The language isn’t quite as strong as I feared, but there are still 1 or 2 f-words, along with a smattering of s-words, and several misuses of God’s name (“G*d,” “Oh G*d,” and “Oh my G*d,” plus 2 uses of “Christ”). Not good, but I’ve heard and seen worse, and I actually did expect much worse.

It’s really the violence that may turn some viewers' stomachs. The intensely violent nature of “Knight and Day” surprised me. A man is stabbed in the stomach with a knife before falling out a window and being run over by a train. Overall, about 20-30 people end up dead or seriously injured because of Roy. Some deaths are more gruesome than others, but I could not help but ask myself if there wasn’t a better way. Surely there were other solutions instead of destroying an entire entourage of vehicles chasing him and June. I most strongly objected to violence as being the ultimate means of power. I always prefer to think situations can be mediated, instead of having to produce a pile of dead bodies. Apparently the author didn’t quite share my opinion, and I didn’t hear Tom Cruise arguing.

Overall, I found “Knight and Day” (PG-13) to be relatively clean, a little too violent, but, overall, quirky fun. The comedy is mostly kept light and enjoyable, with Tom Cruise once again showing his penchant for exposing his funny bone. However, due to the action violence and language, this isn’t a movie for families, but I would think that adult and teen fans of Tom Cruise or action/adventure flicks (or both) will probably have a great time meeting “Knight and Day.” Maybe you’ll have better luck figuring out the meaning of the title.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—My husband and I went to see this movie on a date on opening night and really enjoyed it. We both felt it was the first time in a while where we left the theater feeling good and having fun-and not regretting the money we spent. We laughed out loud several times (along with the others in the audience) and were totally caught up in the movie’s fast and fun pace. One thing we really like about this movie is that is was different than other movies and out of the ordinary. It was quite unpredictable and there were unexpected and delightful twists and turns constantly. You never quite knew what was going to happen or where the characters were going next.

Tom Cruise did a GREAT job in this action/comedy role-very refreshing to see this side of his acting. Cameron Diaz did a great job as well as a woman reluctantly thrown into a international adventure with a handsome stranger. This movie had it all…lots of action, suspense, romance and a lot of comedy. Would not recommend for kids under 13, due to some of the action violence. GREAT, fun summer movie!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Tara, age 39 (USA)
Positive—Very good movie. This film is refreshing, unpredictable, witty, and entertaining. Although I was reluctant to pay good money to see Cruise, I found his role to be one of the most appealing of his career. This film has it all—comedy, irony, action, explosions and a fun ending. Both husband and wife will enjoy. Our 14 year old son liked it. Some sensuality, no sex, mild to medium language including a surprise f-bomb.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Diana O, age 41 (USA)
Positive—My wife and I really enjoyed this movie. It is a great action-romantic-comedy. The chase and fight scenes got cooler and cooler, and instances of comedy were neatly interjected to keep things lighthearted. Cruise and Diaz were superb, as the chemistry between them grew as they face danger after danger together. There is some intermittent profanity, but it is not pervasive throughout the movie. No sex or provocative scenes, unless you consider Diaz in a bikini too much. The violence is really not meant to be taken seriously, but mostly light-hearted (not really any more violent than seeing and old black and white western).
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
M. Terry, age 46 (USA)
Positive—I found this movie to be really good, and I am very picky about the movies we go see, nothing with sex or God’s name taken in vain, I think the viewer of this movie was too extreme; yes there were a few cuss words, but no sex, no nudity; the violence was not shown, no blood, and it was funny!! The drugs were even funny, as it was just to help her get to the next place, never for sexual reasons. I can say that my husband and I never go to PG-13 movies, because of the sex and nudity, but this movie should be rated at least average, I mean really, with all the stuff out there, this one was clean!!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Tracy, age 47 (USA)
Positive—This movie was AWWEESSSOMMMMEEE! I am picky about what I watch, and this HILARIOUS! I laughed so many times. Cruise’s personality in this movie was great; he was so funny. It was constant action, and I was left wanting to see more. It was pretty clean, too, which is hard to find these days. See it, you will love it. Its very entertaining and very funny.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Samantha Taylor, age 35 (USA)
Positive—Funny and entertaining, I thought this movie was good. It was like a Bourne-Mission Impossible hybrid, with the suave secret agent and the innocent female bystander who got dragged along for the mayhem. It is violent and the whole changing-each-other’s-clothes-while-drugged thing is weird, but I enjoyed it and would like to see it again. ***Spoiler*** To me, the title comes from the characters of Roy and June. Roy’s real name is Knight and at the end of the movie, June makes it possible for them to have a “someDay”. I don’t know if that’s what the filmmakers intended, though.***
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Sarah C., age 20 (USA)
Positive—This was such a FUN AND EXCITING RIDE for me, and I really enjoyed the lack of adult content to—it REALY HELPED ME to enjoy the movie more
My Ratings: Moral rating: Excellent! / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Mat, age 34 (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—This was an entertaining action movie, but it had too much violence. Worse yet, every time Tom Cruise was going to commit a violent act, he would be calm and smiling. Why do people have to smile if they’re going to kill somebody? Other than that, it is an away-from-thinking action movie for a Saturday night, better than average film making quality.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jan, age 57 (Guatemala)
Neutral—This movie started out great—unique and fun, but then the fun wore off, and the movie became quite boring. Although “clean” by the standards of today, it still has some issues. None of the offensive elements would keep me from watching it again, however, but pure boredom would. You will walk away from it and not remember what you saw the next day.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Pam, age 55 (USA)
Negative
Negative—I think the violence in this movie more than made up for the lack of sexual activity and profanity. There was violence from beginning to end, as in endless killings. Tom Cruise’s character had no appeal for me—his performance wooden, his charm gone, and even his looks not as attractive as before. Cameron Diaz’s acting was accomplished. All the right emotions, with good timing. But in general, I found the movie boring and awfully disappointing.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Halyna Barannik, age 64 (USA)
Comments from young people
Positive—Ok! This movie is on my top 10 favorite movies! I couldn’t stop laughing the WHOLE time! Lets start with the basics shall we? The sex in the movie was nil. There were a couple kisses but no bedroom scenes or anything. The cursing was kept refreshingly minimal and the violence was not as bad as I thought it would be. Cruise and Diaz were amazing in this film, the chemistry between them made the film flow smoothly. Altogether this was a top of the list movie that your whole family would enjoy and that you could watch over and over again!!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
Sara, age 17 (USA)
Positive—The scriptwriters and director did the movie in a way that is only okay, to me, to watch for the fun of it. The flow and the sequence of action in this movie wasn’t what I expected it to be. The language was not that offensive, in which the words of God are not really cursed in a very bad way—considering the other movies that I’ve seen before. The scene of Cameron Diaz in her bikini is really not God-honoring, and I didn’t like that at all. Other than that, sex scenes are not evident in the movie. Overall, this movie is good for anyone who wants to take his friends out to watch a movie just for the fun of it.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Theophilus Tan, age 17 (Malaysia)
Positive—Every once in a while, there comes a film that offers nothing new, but is still a lot of fun. This is one of those films. And unlike most action films, this one actually isn’t that bad, morally. The violence isn’t in your face or over graphic, but it’s still there. People are killed, albeit from a distance.

The sexual content isn’t too bad either. One of things includes a line of dialogue in which June (under truth serum) that she wants to have sex with Roy. Also, early in the film, she passionately kisses him even though she had just met him 5 minutes ago.

The language wasn’t terrible, although it did have 1 F-word, and 1 misuse of Christ’s name. Those are the main concerns for the film. If you’re willing to accept the implausible plot, and the infinite number of luck given to the main characters, this is a fun film that parents and teens can enjoy.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jacob M., age 15 (USA)
Positive—Me and my mom went to see this movie, and we loved it. I would not recommend this movie to anyone under 13 though, I remember a very strongly used F-bomb. There was, also, violence, not to gory, but one scene shows a man being stabbed, it is brief, but there was blood, besides that, just non-gory shootings and Jason Bourne style kicks and punches. Overall, I would say that if your teen has watched Mission: Impossible, then he, or she, could handle this.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Jonathan, age 13 (USA)
Positive—In an overview, this movie was entertaining, but also had a few objectionable parts to it. Much of the time, Tom Cruise acts understanding and kind to June (Diaz). He acts much the way any God-fearing man should to a woman much of the time. Unlike some movies, the protagonist isn’t mindlessly killing, or promoting profanity or evil. Cruise is taking his actions and risking his life to save another character in addition to assisting Diaz. I will not say more for fear of giving away the plot.

While this movie may have some positive morals to it, there are still negative aspects: ***MINOR SPOILER*** As stated in the main review, multiple times Diaz is rendered unconscious by Cruise and awakes in different closes making it clear that Cruise changed her. Also, Diaz appears in a revealing bikini. Not the worst, but still not God-honoring.
***SPOILER END***

The violence may appear to be disturbing at some points to certain viewers, but nothing too gruesome is shown. During gunfights, blood is kept to a minimum for the most part. There is no gore whatsoever. The language isn’t as offensive as I’ve heard in some movies, but nevertheless bad. I counted 1 f-word, some “sh” words, and uses of the Lord’s name in vain. Again, not the worst, but still disappointing.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Hayden, age 14 (USA)