Knight & Day And The Runaways Posted by Matt Smith 16 July, 2010 - 4:29 PM

Knight and Day

Starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.  

June is at the airport waiting for a flight to take her off to her sister’s wedding. Roy Miller is a secret agent with the FBI and CIA on his tail. When the two cross paths they soon find themselves as fugitives embroiled in an adventure where nothing is really as it seems.

‘Knight and Day’ has Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz playing the lead characters and joining forces again for the second time. They first teamed up on 2001 film ‘Vanilla Sky’. Anyone turned off by the proposition of the two Hollywood heavyweights on the screen together again can rest easy – ‘Knight and Day’ is like the Ying to ‘Vanilla Sky’s’ Yang.

‘Knight and Day’ is an action packed comedy with a true Hollywood blockbuster feel to it. Cruise is perfect as the hyperactive spy that will have you guessing if he is a good guy or a bad guy. Diaz is wonderful as the naïve June, quickly adapting to her new life on the run.

Chaos and silliness reign supreme in ‘Knight and Day’ so those will have tendency to question the possibility of every single action scene in modern films best look elsewhere. It should be also noted that Cruise is at his over the top best/worst, reminiscent of him jumping on Oprah’s couch.

If you can handle Cruise’s craziness and be prepared to be dazzled without logical explanation, you should find ‘Knight and Day’ a hell of a lot of fun.

Three out of Five Stars.

The Runaways

Starring Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning and Michael Shannon.

The Runaways were a punk glam hybrid all girl band during the 1970s. This film chronicles their short but chaotic career.

Biopics about musical acts tend to guarantee two things – the actors playing the musicians will be truly put to the test and the artists featured will see resurgence in music sales from their back catalogue.

In the case of ‘The Runaways’ there is no doubt the actors have been tested and responded brilliantly. As for music sales, it is hard to see the film encouraging the same sort of reaction as previous biopics have.

Unlike previous music biopics like ‘Ray’, ‘Walk The Line’ and ‘The Doors’, ‘The Runaways’ focuses on style over substance. At times the film delves into some pretty heavy issues, but for the most part the film is to be looked at not thought about.

Director Floria Sigismondi is a respected music video director and she certainly adapted those skills to the big screen. However, it is the main stars Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart that really steal the show. Fanning is fantastic as the glammed up sexpot Cherie Curran. Stewart brings her own grunge aesthetics to the role of Joan Jett and is perfect.

‘The Runaways’ is certainly not the best film about music you will ever see. However, it is saved by two brilliant performances from Fanning and Stewart and a pretty rocking soundtrack.

Three out of Four Stars

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