Say what you will about Tom Cruise’s loony, off-screen behavior – the guy remains a star in front of the camera. Like many Cruise characters, the spy he plays here has a nice balance of confidence and charm. In real life, these qualities can curdle into smarm, but in action fluff such as Knight and Day they work perfectly. Cruise’s Roy Miller is an AWOL secret agent who is astonishingly calm no matter what the life-threatening situation. Holding polite conversation while clinging to the hood of a speeding car, he makes James Bond look like Michael Cera on a first date. Roy spends most of his time talking to June Havens (Cameron Diaz), a fellow air traveler. June sneaks into the plane’s bathroom to primp for some more flirtation with Roy – Diaz hits some funny notes while giving herself a pep talk – and comes out to find everyone else on the plane dead, including the pilots. Roy is still there, a drink in hand, and it’s entirely to Cruise’s credit that we understand why June is more intrigued than scared. From versatile director James Mangold.
