Knight and Day

This is an accepted version of this page Knight and Day is a 2010 American satirical action comedy film directed by James Mangold and starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

The film's investors offset funding costs by paying Cruise a lower advance fee and providing him a share of revenue only after the financiers were repaid their investment in the production.

Knight and Day was released in the United States on June 23, 2010, and received mixed reviews from critics with praise for its action sequences and the performances of Cruise and Diaz, but criticised its script.

[7][8] June Havens, who is returning home to Boston from buying car parts in Wichita, collides with Roy Miller at the airport, and is bumped to a later flight.

June wakes up aboard a train in Austria, where Roy has reunited with Simon, and they manage to kill Bernhard, an assassin hired by Quintana.

Fitzgerald and CIA Director Isabel George finds June and reveal Roy used her at the airport to smuggle the Zephyr past security.

Returning home, June attends her sister's wedding, and visits an address Roy had been monitoring, where she meets his parents and learns his real name is Matthew Knight.

The Writers Guild of America, West, decided that due to this large number of contributors, only Patrick O'Neill, who had worked on the beginning layout of the script, would get credit.

[9] Other writers that worked on the film's script included Scott Frank, Laeta Kalogridis, Ted Griffin, Dana Fox, and Simon Kinberg.

[5] That meant that Cruise would not receive a share of the film's revenue until Knight and Day funding investors had first gained back their investment in the production.

"[5] The Los Angeles Times noted that "... Cruise and Diaz are not as popular with younger moviegoers, who often drive big opening weekends in the summer.

[21] A FOX official commented to New York Magazine regarding the film's pre-release polling data, "at those numbers, we can't open the movie right now.

[3] It performed poorly at the box office in its debut, with a take of US$3.8 million the day after its initial June 23, 2010, release, from ticket sales in the United States and Canada.

[26] An analysis of the opening day results by Box Office Mojo noted it was the worst attended action film debut for Tom Cruise since his appearance in the 1986 Legend.

[28] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times characterized the film's initial revenue results as "a box-office disappointment";[29] Roger Friedman noted for Hollywood News, "Bad reviews didn't help.

The site's critical consensus reads, "It's pure formula, but thanks to its breezy pace and a pair of charming performances from Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, Knight and Day offers some agreeably middle-of-the-road summer action.

[41] Justin Chang of Variety characterized the film as "a high-energy, low-impact caper-comedy that labors to bring a measure of wit, romance and glamour to an overworked spy-thriller template".

[42] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Bottom Line: Logic and plausibility take a holiday in this nonstop actioner that counts on stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz to sell the nonsense."

Phillips concluded, calling it "A 21st Century Charade pumped up on all the wrong steroids, 'Knight and Day' may well suffice for audiences desperate for the bankable paradox known as the predictable surprise, and willing to overlook a galumphing mediocrity in order to concentrate on matters of dentistry.

"[44] Emanuel Levy was critical of the film's writing, calling it a "mindless flick"; he noted, "The story moves at a breakneck speed, as if to conceal the incongruities in the storytelling."

Levy gave the film a grade of "C", and commented, "Preposterously plotted, the saga is dominated by long, energetic, uneven action sequences, but it lacks any logic and pays minimal attention to characterization.

Repetitious in structure, and with humor that more often than not misses the mark, 'Knight and Day' is characterized by nihilistic violence and amoral tone, which wouldn't have mattered had the movie been witty or fun to watch.

"[47] Peter Howell in the Toronto Star commented, "There is supposed to be romance in Knight and Day — and Diaz is up for it — but Cruise still looks as if he's taken charisma lessons from Al Gore.

"[52] In a review for the Orlando Sentinel, critic Roger Moore commented, "The blase plot devices (a gadget, the nerdy guy who invented it), the bland villains, the too-fast dash through exotic locales, don't matter so long as Cruise and Diaz click and spark their scenes – chases and embraces – to life.

"[55] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe stated, "The movie's a piece of high-octane summer piffle: stylish, funny, brainless without being too obnoxious about it, and Cruise is its manic animating principle.

"[56] Writing for the Associated Press, Christy Lemire commented, "Cruise's presence also helps keep things light, breezy and watchable when the action – and the story itself – spin ridiculously out of control.

"[57] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic observed, "Mangold, working from a script by Patrick O'Neill, accelerates events in a way that is either a perfect representation of how current action films are made or a demonstration of everything that's wrong with movies today.