What Do The Critics Say?

"In this day and age, it's refreshing to see a blockbuster that isn't a remake, a comic book adaptation, or a big screen version of a popular TV show. It's lit up by the larger-than-life superstar wattage of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who bring all of their abundant charm and energy to a film that lives and dies on their chemistry. Thankfully, they've got it in spades." Erin Free FILMINK "After so many bad romance movies, it's a treat to see genuine sparks fly between two major stars. That the budding relationship evolves over the course of bullets, die-hard assassins and chiseled torsos increases the pleasure." Randy Myers SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS "The slick, proficient Knight and Day is proof that you should never count Cruise out." Mary F Pols TIME MAGAZINE "The real purpose of the exercise is watching the two stars radiate charisma at nuclear levels while zipping through exotic locales in high-speed vehicles." Rob Vaux MANIA.COM "Cruise and Diaz are terrific together and we believe them both. Sometimes things happen for a reason Roy tells June when they bump into each other by accident at the airport at the beginning of the film and I am happy to say there is no real reason to see the film, except that you will have a whale of a good time. It's a thrill ride with laughs and director James Mangold hangs it all together with a light touch." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

"Of the dozen or so studio summer extravaganzas that have landed on screens thus far this year, excluding animated features, James Mangold's Knight and Day strikes me as the most entertaining and, inarguably, the nimblest of the lot." Chris Cabin FILMCRITIC.COM "Fast-paced and charming, Knight and Day may well restore the box office fortunes of its well-matched leading man and lady. It's the Mr & Mrs Smith of 2010." John Wirt ADVOCATE "Crazy Cruise has a great time in this summer flick, and you will too." Jeff Bayer THE SCORECARD REVIEW "Cruise and Diaz both seem refreshed here: both are at their charming best." Jeffrey M. Anderson COMBUSTIBLE CELLULOID "Who needs things like narrative cohesion and logic when you've got Cruise and Diaz at their winsome best in Knight and Day?" Christian Toto WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH? "Both Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz play is straight, bless them, grounding the film and letting us invest in their characters. It would be so empty without that. Mangold has a light touch but delivers a seriously entertaining film, a roller coaster with plenty of scary downhill rushes as well as some tense cruising and heavy duty climbing." Andrew L uRBAN URBAN CINEFILE

The Inside Story On The Making Of Knight And Day According to three time Golden Globe winner Tom Cruise, his latest film "Knight and Day", has everything he loves in movies. "It’s a perfect mix of action, comedy and fresh, identifiable characters with a love story that feels very organic. What interested me so much about the story of Roy and June is that everything that happens to them happens through the prism of action. The challenge and joy for Cameron and me was finding ways to reveal our characters in the middle of these manic moments of danger: showing how Roy and June start to bring out the best in each other, which is the ultimate romantic idea." 2004 Imagen Award recipient Cameron Diaz, who was already attached to the project when Cruise came aboard, appreciated the character's interplay, their romance and the chance to take the journey with her leading man. "I was drawn to "Knight and Day" not only for its high-level action, but because I saw it as an impassioned love story between two people who find each other from opposite worlds. Roy and June have that thing where they each bring out something interesting and unexpected in the other, and I thought that would be so much fun to explore on this thrilling ride with Tom." Director James Mangold has a history of taking creative, edgy approaches to classic genres: he most recently helmed the Oscar® winning biopic of Johnny Cash, "Walk the Line"; and brought wit and speed to the Western in the critically acclaimed "3:10 To Yuma". Now he makes another departure, mixing global espionage action with witty romance, and wrapping an intricate web of high-speed chases, battles and escapes inside a love story full of glamour and fun. Refreshingly, unlike most action films of this scope, the film did not begin as a comic book, TV series or franchise property: but as a spec script by Patrick O’Neill. For Mangold, it was a chance to make something classic new again. "We saw "Knight and Day" as an update of those wonderful, Hollywood cinematic confections: a movie full of travel, glamour, humor, love and adventure; but with modern characters and dynamic, intense action. One of the things important to me, as a director who has done both dramatic and comedic films, was not to let "Knight and Day" become a James Bond movie. We wanted to do something more fanciful, more like "Charade" or "North by Northwest"; a modern action picture with a light heart. We wanted to take audiences on a fun journey around the world, a journey filled with comedy, yet with characters who feel completely real and actors who would commit to that. To do all that, you need the right people. With Tom and Cameron, I knew it could happen." Another person key to the project was Mangold’s long-time filmmaking partner and behind the scenes marriage partner, producer Cathy Konrad ("Girl, Interrupted "), with whom he has developed a tight-knit creative shorthand that it verges on telepathy. Konrad was drawn to "Knight and Day" by the story’s originality. "It’s hard to find fresh material that isn’t superhero based or something like that," she observes. "What spoke to us is that "Knight and Day" is about two great characters, even more so than the action. It reflects something that I think is found in all of our work: the idea that behind every good story there are always great people." Mangold upped the clash of high-end spycraft with comedy and romance, while taking the characters into slippery territory, which is just where he likes to dwell. "You have these two wonderfully opposite characters; a woman who has always had a fantasy of going somewhere but has never let go enough to do it and a man who has been absolutely everywhere," Mangold says. Roy Miller is a spy whose mission is unexpectedly detoured by his brush with ordinary love. Cruise, an actor of a very rare breed who mixes iconic action hero roles with finely tuned character portrayals, brings unexpected dimensions to the film’s twist on a classic movie character. His work as Roy Miller leaves audiences to wonder, just who is this guy, really? Cruise has come to define the suave, bold, quick-witted action hero in contemporary movies: in roles ranging from "Top Gun" to the hugely popular "Mission: Impossible" series; while at the same time earning three Academy Award® nominations for emotionally complex dramatic roles in "Magnolia", "Jerry Maguire" and "Born on the Fourth of July". He was thrilled to now have a chance to playfully upend just the kind of debonair, unflappable hero audiences expect him to evoke. From the minute he came onto the project, his motto was 'Make it fun and make it cool.' In fact, Cruise admits he "couldn’t wait to make this movie." Key to crafting that romantic tension was Cruise’s long-awaited reunion with Cameron Diaz ("The Holiday"), with whom he previously starred in the suspense-fantasy "Vanilla Sky". "As soon as we took on these roles, I could not wait to see what Cameron was going to do with her character. I always wanted to make this kind of movie with Cameron,” Cruise ("Tropic Thunder") says. "I was really excited about it because I enjoy her work in action movies. She’s talented, funny, athletic and a great actress, and this was such a winning character, I knew she’d give a winning performance." Their chemistry began simmering from the first day on the set. "The repartee between us was just like boom-boom-boom," Cruise revealed. To play Roy, Cruise not only had to leap rooftops, outmaneuver bulls on a motorcycle, and land a 727 in a cornfield, he had to balance Roy’s laser-focused intensity and survival instincts with the frenzied, uncontrolled energy of a man falling head over heels in love. "Roy is completely intersected by June," he explained. "Right away, Roy sees potential in June, and he feels like he has to make sure she is always OK. But she starts out repeatedly rejecting his world." Diaz, whose comedic skills and deft charm have made her one of today’s most sought-after leading ladies, has drawn accolades for a broad range of roles ranging from the comic zaniness of "There’s Something About Mary" to the spirited action of "Charlie’s Angels" to the period drama of Martin Scorsese’s "Gangs of New York". Knight and Day’s June Havens, however, was something different for Diaz; a whirlwind of suspense and sexy humor that becomes an action-packed portrait of a woman finding the confidence to finally let go and trust her heart. Dual 1995 Gijón International Film Festival Award winner Mangold ("Heavy") saw Diaz as a custom fit for the diverse challenges of playing June. "I honestly can’t think of another woman who could have done so much in the role of June. Cameron is unique in that she’s glamorous, beautiful, a great actress and, at the same time, is comically gifted and incredibly physically able. Cameron lets you see how June turns from an inward approach to life to an outward adventure. You have the chance to see June expanding as a person. Just like June and Roy, Cameron and Tom brought out the best in each other." Much like Roy and June, Diaz found herself right away in a dynamic rhythm with Cruise. "Working with Tom is wonderful because he makes everything I do that much better. He has so much presence and so much energy. If you’re going to do an action movie, it doesn’t get better than to do it with Tom Cruise." And, like Cruise, Diaz was ready and willing to do her own stunts. Diaz confesses that she loves training for fight sequences. "It’s a week of getting bruises and cuts and sprains, but it’s also a lot of fun. When I went to the Golden Globes® this year in the middle of filming Knight and Day, I had lumps up and down my arms and scraped knees. I loved it!" Roy is a man with a lot of people after him. From U.S. agents to foreign spies, he is an extremely wanted man; all of which provided an opportunity for Knight and Day’s filmmakers to cast a stellar group of actors in the film’s additional starring and supporting roles. Chief among those in pursuit of Roy is Fitzgerald, the agency boss who tries to convince June Havens that Roy is a 'spy gone bad'. To play Fitzgerald, Mangold chose one of today’s most versatile actors: Peter Sarsgaard, fresh off critical acclaim for his portrait of a charming con man in "An Education". "Roles like Fitzgerald can either be cardboard or they can be made to live," Mangold (who played Dr Greg in "The Sweetest Thing") notes. "Peter had the ability to bring a real spice to a character who is, in a sense, a mirror to Roy Miller; a light mirror or a dark mirror, depending on how you see things." Sarsgaard was attracted to the story’s blend of sophistication and playfulness. He believes the film "has quite a mix: old-school spy elements, as well as action and comedy. I loved the freewheeling lightness." Sarsgaard ("Garden State") ultimately found an inspiration for Fitzgerald in an unlikely place: the cartoon skunk Pepe Le Pew, who never gives up the chase no matter how futile. "Pepe Le Pew has that quality where he just keeps going and going and he never changes modes, and that’s Fitzgerald." Sarsgaard ("Kinsey") was impress by Cruise and Diaz's stunt work. "The risks I saw Tom take during production were often incredible. He and Cameron are both just so confident and they always figure out just the right thing to do in the moment: even if the moment is jumping across a rooftop." Those kinds of pure adrenaline moments were also a draw for Academy Award nominee Viola Davis, who garnered honour for her supporting role in "Doubt" opposite Meryl Streep. Here, she got to flex some muscle and power as CIA Director Isabel George, who oversees U.S. counterespionage efforts, and has her own vendetta against Roy Miller. "Viola is a terrific actress and it was so important to have somebody with her gravity, weight and authenticity in a tricky role that is all about whether you can really believe what this character is saying," Konrad ("Teaching Mrs Tingle") says. Like her cast mates, Davis could not resist the screenplay. "I love big, splashy movies. I love watching them and I especially love being a part of them. "Knight and Day" also interested me because it’s such a hybrid, it has everything we all want to see in movies: from comedy to romance to action; which gives us as actors a lot to play with. Making this movie was a rush." As Director George, Davis also had the pleasure of being a woman in charge. "I liked the fact that Isabel is the big authority." The key character in the films storyline is Simon Feck, a brilliant über-geek is played by Paul Dano ("There Will Be Blood" & "Little Miss Sunshine"), who says: "I’ve never been in this kind of film before so for me it was very exciting. There's a lot of comedy to Simon Feck and it was fun to play a boy genius." Butaca Award winning Spanish star, Jordi Mollà ("Blow" & "Bad Boys II") was cast as the nefarious weapons kingpin, Antonio Quintana. He, too, fell in love with the script. "It’s a fantastic ensemble of very appealing concepts and styles all in one movie." He describes his character as "a classy, dangerous, sexy, charming, intense, dark, funny guy who wants one thing: power." What's It All About?

At breakneck speed, secret agent Roy sends the ordinary-seeming June life on a screeching detour and vice versa. June boarded a plane in Wichita, Kansas and began chatting up her charming, mysterious seatmate, Roy. Soon after, everything changed. Suddenly, the plane was hurtling into a cornfield without any living crew or passengers. Without even time to catch her breath, June finds herself being pursued around the globe: dodging bullets in Boston, leaping rooftops in Austria, and running from bulls in Seville ; all in the company of a potentially duplicitous, possibly unstable yet decidedly alluring secret agent at the center of a life or death adventure that will push these two people from opposite worlds to do the one thing they’ve long avoided: trust. Now, nothing will be the same. This secret operative and everyday woman find themselves drawn into a battle to survive.

The Verdict "Cinemagoers who are looking for something fresh, exciting, invigourating and more importantly, good value, should set their sights fairly and squarely on James Mangold's latest big-screener, "Knight And Day". A 'Bond' film it ain't: and, thank goodness for that. If you've seen the trailer, you know there's some spectacular moments in the film, including one that features an aircraft, crash landing in a corn field. You'll also know that Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are the leads. Those who may be put off by the pairing, should put that thought on hold, because the two stars ooze chemistry. Mission: Impossible man Cruise, applauded for his roles in "Tropic Thunder" and "Valkyrie" has certainly brought his 'A' game to the table. Diaz sheds her 'girlie' image, steps up to the plate and matches Cruise on every level. The twist at films end involving her character June, leaves the way open for a sequel. There's heaps of firepower, car chases, roof-top chases, a motorcyle chase, bulls on the run, good guys and bad guys, great stunts, SFX, CGI and some spectacular scenery. With a solid support cast, interesting characters and a 'will they or won't they' hanger in the romance department: what more could you wish for. An action packed, chemistry charged, funfilled romp. 4 1/2 STARS." The Production Team

Director Writer Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editors Casting Production Design Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Design

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

James Mangold Patrick O'Neill Todd Garner/Cathy Konrad/Steve Pink/Joe Roth John Powell Phedon Papamichael Quincy Z. Gunderson & Michael McCusker Lisa Beach/Donna DeSeta/Sarah Katzman Andrew Menzies Jeff Wisniewski Jay Hart Arianne Phillips

Who Is Playing Who?

Tom Cruise Cameron Diaz Peter Sarsgaard Jordi Mollà Viola Davis Paul Dano Falk Hentschel Marc Blucas Lennie Loftin Maggie Grace Rich Manley Dale Dye Celia Weston Gal Gadot Jack A O'Connell Trevor Loomis Nilaja Sun

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Roy June Fitzgerald Antonio Director George Simon Feck Bernhard Rodney Braces April Havens Danny Frank Jenkins Molly Naomi Wilmer Eduardo Allison

Run Time 109 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Twentieth Century Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.