Matinee Melee: Cruise and Diaz bring some light to 'Knight and Day'

CASEY PHILLIPS: He may not have Jason Bourne's stoic professionalism or Jack Bauer's angry face, but Roy Miller is a secret agent who can hang with the best of them.

Tom Cruise's comedic take on the archetypical super spy in "Knight and Day" is as likely to make a quip mid-fight as he is to eliminate with prejudice. As a result, he's easy to like. Yet despite the laughs, Miller is still suave and dangerous enough to be taken seriously.

The fact that there is an archetypical super spy is reason enough to applaud a new take on the role. In fact, Cruise's over-the-top performance is one of the best bullet points in this (almost) excellent, globetrotting film. He's exceedingly charismatic.

HOLLY LEBER: And yet he manages to retain that caricature-like element that is infused into all things Cruise, be it a movie role or red-carpet interview. The part really does fit him well.

Cameron Diaz is also suited for her role as June Havens, who finds herself caught up in Miller's world. Let this be a lesson to keep all luggage free of decal stickers; you never know when you might get tied up with a renegade super spy.

She might not be quite as spritely and adorable as she was in "Charlie's Angels," but Diaz still has high energy and good comedic timing.

The chemistry between the two leads was good, though not as good as, say, the chemistry between Diaz and Ben Stiller in "There's Something About Mary." Come to think of it, Stiller does a pretty good Cruise. You think he could have taken a break from "Little Fockers" to speed a Vespa through Andalusia?

CASEY: That's a "no," Holly. Don't give Hollywood bad ideas we'd all end up regretting.

"Knight and Day" is built around a great concept, but its execution routinely falls slightly short of being fantastic.

Cruise and Diaz are just far enough past "super-hot" status that they didn't effectively sell the sex factor. As wonderful as it is to have visual variety, director James Mangold goes too far, throwing so many settings at viewers in such rapid succession that it can be difficult to follow. And despite the excellent stunts and choreography, some set piece moments feel tacked on just to clean out the special-effects budget.

As a result, the film is fun throughout, but its pacing drags towards the end.

HOLLY: Really, the plot as a whole is pretty disjointed. There are a few attempts at deepening the back stories, but really this is the kind of movie that should stick to being shallow and proud of it. Great cinema this is not, but it is a pretty great summer blockbuster.

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