As flighty as an 80s-style police sitcom and named as such, Knight & Day is the type of film we rarely see these days, a curious blending of Romancing the Stone with the lightest of Hitchcock’s thrillers, with just a dash of Cruise’s own Mission Impossible for that necessary box-office boom.  Two mix-matched adults – one possibly a secret agent – cross paths while being pursued across the globe by a group of seldom seem villains, all while oozing sex appeal and engaging in exciting chases and dodging explosions.  Simply put, this is a vehicle for two of the world’s biggest stars to do their thing, and as the second pairing (after 2000’s Vanilla Sky) of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz it’s the best of its type since True Lies.

The plot is as serviceable as it is disposable, and feels designed to allow its stars as many opportunities to travel the world and look their movie-star best doing it.  When boy-genius Simon (Paul Dano) invents the world’s first perpetual-energy battery (i.e. the Zephyr), this naturally brings out the worst in the very agency put in charge of protecting him – the CIA.  When super-agent Roy Miller (Cruise) uses June Havens (Diaz) as a mule in a Wichita airport to help transport the item through security, the two begin a manic rollercoaster ride that seldom leaves anything - including our credulity - in its wake.  The real question is whether agent Roy is genuinely raging against the machine or simply gone bananas.  But who are we kidding?  The real reason to even consider plopping down your cold, hard cash (or whipping out that credit card plastic) is to watch giant, charismatic do their thing for our enjoyment.

The real star – and I mean star – of this circus is Tom Cruise, who seems to have come to grips with his public persona as of late and truly embraced his ability to act flat-out crazy.  Critics are calling this his “Jerry Maguire Best”, and as preposterously silly as that might sound, I’m inclined to agree.  He’s of that dying breed that’s becoming increasingly absent in our blockbusters, a true blue movie star that has rightfully earned his name above the movie’s title.  One need only look at that Ashton Kutcher mess “The Killers” to see this for yourselves, and why spend time with pale imitations when you can have the real thing.

But what makes his Roy Miller so fascinating is how, um, normal he’s played here.  Whether he’s taking down an entire jetliner full of assassins (of both sexes) or surfing across a sea of cars through traffic, he plays the whole thing cool as ice; what might be the most exciting thing in the world is just another day for the CIA’s most amazing spy.  Just listen to him trying to hold down a ‘normal’ conversation (about a dress) while attached to the windshield of a speeding car that’s being chased – and riddled with bullets – along a crowded highway and through tunnels.  Cruise either plays the whole thing wildly hysterical or deeply sociopathic; either way it’s still damn fun to watch.

Hard to believe that after 25 years as one of (and often the) world’s biggest movie stars he can still pull this stuff off, let alone make it look completely effortless.

As June Havens, Diaz does her best Kate Capshaw (as in Temple of Doom) impression throughout most of the film, alternating between screaming her head off and accepting Roy’s help (when not being drugged into compliance).  I’ve always liked Diaz and thought her one of the most gifted female comedians of her generation, and it’s fun watching her being dragged (often literally) through these elements with Cruise.  The two share great chemistry, although come off more as siblings than potential lovers, and this will probably disappoint those expecting a romantic comedy.  Still, the oft-repeated bikini joke is priceless, and you’ll have to use your imagination when it pops up.

As you might imagine, the rest of the cast are practically non-existent in this universe, and given how much attention is given to the actual story, that’s probably for the best.  James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) directs a surprisingly gorgeous adventure, and takes full advantage of the ever-changing locales to generate as much heat as cinematically possible.  The several ‘comatose transitions’, where several key moments essentially happening – intermittently – in snippets were a curious choice to link these locations together, but I’ll give Mangold credit for trying something new.

One moment we’re cruising through the highway of Boston, while the next we’re outrunning the (CG) bulls in Spain on a motorcycle, all shot in glorious two-dimensions (no glasses needed here, folks) that absolutely pop when projected on the big-screen.  Of course, this is when we’re not treated to loving close-ups of Cruise and Diaz, who both look great for their respective ages and seem to handle themselves better than any of today’s hottest young things.

While it’s probably not fair to point this out in its review, one thing that really bugged me watching this one play out were the missing scenes I was expecting to see from the trailers.  I’m aware that this type of misleading advertising has become somewhat common, but so many of the most exciting and cinematically exciting moments from those minutes of preview joy have been clipped from the theatrical version, including that killer scene between the motorcycle and the matador.  John Powell’s lush and often industrial score may sound great, but would it have hurt to have snuck The Muse’s “Uprising” in there somewhere?

Beautifully shot and often hilarious, Knight and Day is a cool refreshing breeze through the multiplexes in a summer of disappointments.  Sure, it may only exist to further the careers of its two megastars, but its hard to complain when you have Tom Cruise pulling every cinematic play to make it seem so easy.  Let the Cruise detractors detract their little heads off, but few megastars seem as willing to hold onto their megastar status as he is, perhaps all too aware of the current generation’s inability to produce others like him.  While it’s true the running time may stretch on a bit too long, it’s a solid action-packed, funny ride while it lasts, and definitely one of the summer’s most enjoyable.  Mission accomplished.