Knight and Day

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.

• Positive
• Neutral
• Negative
• Young people