Knight & Day
Release July 2, 2010
An action-comedy centered on a fugitive couple (Cruise and Diaz) on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
Writers: Scott Frank, James Mangold
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Olivier Martinez, Paul Dano, Maggie Grace, Mark Blucas
Director: James Mangold
Runtime: 2 Hr 32 Min
20th Century Fox has released the second movie trailer for the new Tom Cruise action/comedy Knight and Day. Directed by James Mangold (Walk the Line / 3:10 to Yuma / Girl, Interrupted), the film centers on a fugitive couple (played by Cruise and Cameron Diaz) on a “glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.”
Ten years ago pitching a Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz movie would have been a slam dunk. In fact, Cruise's 2001 thriller "Vanilla Sky" was sold as just that, even though Penelope Cruz, his little known at the time co-star, had way more screen time than the "Charlie's Angels" star. Now, the duo are finally making the action comedy they should have made way back then when they were both hunting for Oscars. But is it too little, too late?
Knight & Day finds Diaz as a seemingly normal, every day woman whose life is turned upside down by Cruise who is revealed to be a former CIA agent who has gone rogue -- or has he? And is Diaz as naive as she seems as well? Twists and turns are promised, but the material is hard to gauge so far.
Director James Mangold of "Walk the Line" fame tries to balance the comedy and thrills in a new trailer which 20th Century Fox released today. The studio is also in the middle of a media barrage of TV ads on appropriate cable networks (ESPN, Comedy Central) in what appears to be an attempt to increase awareness of the June 25 release. What's more puzzling is why spend the money now? Early awareness is important for any media campaign, but why this particular week in March? Could someone be panicking over Knight & Day competition: Adam Sandler's "Grown Ups" and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse? And if you sell this movie as a more comic version of "Mission: Impossible" will audiences buy it? If not, Fox may have to work on making Cruise's character seem like he's more than just an off the wall Ethan Hunt (especially as "Mission Impossible 4" may begin shooting as soon as this summer).
