Knight and Day,[4] (formerly titled Wichita[5] and Trouble Man[4]) is a 2010 Action Thriller film starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The film, directed by James Mangold, is Cruise and Diaz's second on-screen collaboration following the 2001 film Vanilla Sky.[6]
The film went through a period of "development hell"; which included a prior film director and multiple writers that worked on the script. Producers for Knight and Day went through multiple other actors for the lead roles before eventually settling on Cruise and Diaz. Adam Sandler, Chris Tucker, and Gerard Butler were considered by the film's producers for the male lead that later went to Cruise, and Eva Mendes was initially set for the role that Diaz later portrayed in the movie. The film's investors offset funding costs by paying Cruise a lower advance fee and neglecting to provide him with a share of the revenue until the financiers earn back their initial investment in the production.[7] Filming took place in several locations, mainly in several cities located in Massachusetts, while other scenes were filmed in Spain and parts of Austria.
Knight and Day was released in the United States on June 23, 2010. The film received mixed reviews from film critics; it garnered a "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based upon aggregated reviews,[8] and a rating of "mixed or average reviews" at Metacritic.[9] Knight and Day performed poorly at the box office in its debut,[10] proceeded to fall nine percent in ticket sales in its second day after being released,[11] and took third place behind films Toy Story 3 and the comedy Grown Ups in its first Friday after release.[12] At $20.5 million, the total U.S. weekend box office take for Knight and Day was the worst result for an action film starring Tom Cruise in 20 years
PLOT
Knight and Day follows the adventures of Roy Miller (Tom Cruise), a rogue spy and June Havens (Cameron Diaz), a car restorer, who accidentally run into each other at Wichita Airport. Havens is making her way back home to Boston from Wichita after picking up spare parts for her dad's classic GTO car, which she is restoring for her sister as a wedding gift. At the last minute, however, she is told that the airline is overbooked and so she will have to take a later flight. Then just before the plane is scheduled to take off she is informed that there is room for her to travel on this flight. Unbeknownst to Havens, FBI Special Agent Fitzgerald (Peter Saarsgard) is monitoring Miller's movements and, believing she is working with Miller, puts her back on the flight list. Once on board the flight Havens is completely taken with Miller who, whilst Havens is freshening up in the restroom, is attacked by the remaining passengers and crew. After she emerges from the restroom Havens kisses Miller who calmly informs her that everyone onboard is dead, including the pilots. Thinking that he is joking, Havens plays along until Miller enters the cockpit and amdist some turbulence she sees the dead bodies being thrown around the cabin. After crashing into a corn field Miller delivers Havens safely back home after drugging her and warning her not to discuss him or that night's events with anyone, especially with federal agents who, despite assurances to the contrary, will imprison or kill her.
Waking up at home the following morning, Havens struggles through the day trying on bridesmaid dresses for her sister, April's (Maggie Grace) wedding. Talking over what to do with their dad's GTO car Havens is shocked to learn that April wants to sell it. She walks out of the shop and is accosted by a group of intelligence agents who with assurances that she will be safe drive her away. She is shown some files pertaining to Miller and she begins to get apprehensive until Miller shows up and, through a long gunfight along the highway, kills several agents and reclaims her.
Havens, however, doesn't know who or what to believe and flees at the first opportunity. Seeking some comfort she contacts her former boyfriend, Rodney (Marc Blucas), who works as a firefighter. But, upon hearing her story he thinks she is merely stressed and is playing out some kind of fantasy until Miller arrives. He kidnaps Havens, handcuffing her and shoots Rodney in the leg, telling him this will all turn him into an overnight hero and virtually guarantee his promotion to lieutenant.
Miller explains that Havens is safer with him; and Havens agrees to follow him as they go to pick up Simon Feck (Paul Dano), a genius inventor who created a perpetual energy battery called the Zephyr. Miller arrives at his safe house where he left Feck, only to find him gone, and the two are ambushed by men belonging to Antonio (Jordi Mollà), a Spanish arms dealer. After Miller again drugs Havens, she drifts in and out of consciousness between their capture and escape from Antonio's men, and Miller brings her to an island that is off the grid, which Miller uses as a safehouse. After leaving Miller in frustration to wander the island, Havens accidentally leads Antonio's group straight to the hideaway by answering a cell call from her sister. They try to kill Miller and Havens with a remote drone.
Again knocking out Havens, Miller transports them to a train heading through the Alps, which Feck left as a message in code for Miller. Havens, missing a message from Miller, leaves to get dinner and encounters Danny (Rich Manley), a German assassin. Using tricks learned from Miller, Havens manages to survive, and Danny is eventually knocked out of a window by Miller and hit and killed by a train coming from the opposite direction.
Miller, after leaving Havens and Feck in a hotel in Salzburg, heads to a meeting with a mysterious beautiful woman with whom he is apparently willing to make a deal, and is followed by Havens, who is heartbroken to learn that Miller is apparently planning on selling the Zephyr to Antonio. After being picked up by the CIA and meeting the director of counter-intel, she uses a pen transmitter to notify them when Miller returns with the Zephyr, which is showing signs of overheating. After leading the CIA agents on a chase, Miller is apparently shot and falls into a canal.
Returning home, Havens heads to an address she remembered from Miller's iPhone, where she finds his parents and learns that his real name is Matthew Knight. They believe their son, a former Army sergeant and Eagle Scout, is dead; but they are fabulously wealthy from winning lotteries and sweepstakes they don't remember entering. Leaving a message that she has the Zephyr, she is captured by Antonio's men and taken back to Spain. She is drugged with truth serum before being rescued by Miller, who was tracking Fitzgerald, who was delivering Feck to Antonio.
Chasing Fitzgerald, Miller saves Feck from a bullet wound after handing over the Zephyr in a small satchel. Feck comments that the battery is unstable. The battery explodes, killing Fitzgerald; and Miller collapses from a gunshot wound. After waking in the hospital, Miller receives an apology from the director (Viola Davis), who tells him that Havens has returned home and claims that Miller can't be distracted. The Director also explains to Miller that the Agency will "Transfer you to a secure facility tomorrow, for your safety" hinting that he will either be imprisoned, or killed because of this incident. Miller is later given medication by a nurse, who turns out to be Havens. After Havens breaks Miller out of the hospital, he awakes as she drives away in the rebuilt classic car that belonged to Havens's father. After Miller asks what day it is, Havens kisses him and says it's someday. This is a reference from the start of the movie that they both have things they want to do someday, and Havens begins to drive towards Cape Horn. The last scene shows that Roy's mom was telling her husband that he bought two tickets to Cape Horn even though he did not. She did not know that he did not buy the ticket
Production Development
Before film director James Mangold signed on to Knight and Day, it was previously associated with director Tom Dey.[15] Over 12 writers contributed to the film, and the Writers Guild of America, West decided due to this large number of contributors, to only credit Patrick O'Neill – who had put in effort on the beginning layout of the script.[15] Despite delays and studio changes, producer Steve Pink pointed to the core concept of a "shifty protagonist" and the film's original script as reasons Knight and Day overcame obstacles to release. [16] Other writers who worked on the film's script included Scott Frank, Laeta Kalogridis, Ted Griffin, Dana Fox, and Simon Kinberg.[15]
Casting
The film changed lead cast members multiple times while the production was mired in a period known as "development hell".[16] Prior to the finalization of actors Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, comedian and actor Adam Sandler was offered to star in the film when it was titled Wichita, but declined explaining, "I just don't see me with a gun."[16] Wichita was developed under production at Revolution Studios; the film was later moved to Sony Pictures.[16] At Sony Pictures, actors Chris Tucker and Eva Mendes were slated to portray the two lead roles in the film; it was titled Trouble Man and intended as a romantic vehicle film for Tucker and Mendes.[15][16]
After Tucker and Mendes dropped out of the lead roles, Diaz signed on to the film with Sony Pictures, and actor Gerard Butler met with production staff regarding starring opposite Diaz.[16] Butler instead decided to take on the lead role in the film The Bounty Hunter, opposite actress Jennifer Aniston.[16] Tom Cruise considered accepting a role in the film; at the time he was auditioning for parts in five films including Salt, and The Tourist.[16] Cruise decided he wished to star in Knight and Day, and had a vision for the film which included modifying the male lead character with his own ideas.[16] Other actors cast in the film included Maggie Grace, Peter Sarsgaard, Marc Blucas, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, and Jordi Mollà
Financing
The film's production partners, New Regency and Dune Entertainment offset financing for the film by paying Tom Cruise a lower advance fee than he normally received.[7] Cruise previously garnered $20 million or higher in an advance fee, but the Los Angeles Times reported he only received $11 million for Knight and Day.[7] Cruise will also not receive "first dollar gross", which was customary for him.[7] This means that Cruise will not receive a share of the film's revenue, until Knight and Day funding investors have first gained back their investment in the production.[7] In total, production costs for the film exceeded $125 million.
Filming
Principal photography began in mid-September 2009 in Boston and Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Airport terminal scenes were filmed at Worcester Regional Airport. Filming also took place in Melrose, Danvers, and New Bedford, Massachusetts.[19] Spanish cities Cadiz and Seville, as well as Austrian city Salzburg, were also chosen as locations.[20]
Soundtrack
Black Eyed Peas recorded a theme song for the movie, titled, "Someday".[21] The soundtrack to Knight and Day was released on July 9, 2010.[22] In a review of the soundtrack for Almasry Alyoum, journalist Ahmed Ramadan commented, "The soundtrack, enjoyable and suiting to the film's action sequences, is one of the redeeming factors of Knight and Day, with its theme song 'Someday' by the Black Eyed Peas a cool, up-beat anthem."[23]
BOX OFFICE REVENUES-
Knight and Day 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 in revenue from ticket sales in the United States and Canada.[10][32] This was less than the film Toy Story 3, which earned $13 million at the box office on the same day.[10] Knight and Day did not place within the top 50 all-time Wednesday film openings.[10] 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.[33] It was the lowest-grossing opening day for Cruise in a leading role since his performance in the 1992 film Far and Away.[33] Cruise's last starring role prior to Knight and Day, in the 2008 film Valkyrie, generated $8.5 million on its opening day.[33] The previous film with Cameron Diaz and Cruise as the lead roles, Vanilla Sky, garnered $8.9 million on its opening day.[33] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times characterized the film's initial revenue results as "a box-office disappointment";[34] Lou Lumenick of New York Post commented, "Not great numbers";[35] journalist Roger Friedman noted for Hollywood News, "Bad reviews didn’t help. K&D has registered only 52% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even those reviews counted as positive weren’t so good. They were stretching.";[36] Nicole Sperling of Entertainment Weekly noted, "audiences just aren’t showing up the way Fox might have hoped";[37] and Ben Fritz of Los Angeles Times called the film's debut a "soft" opening,[38] and commented, "It wasn't a good first day or night at the box office for Knight and Day."[10]
REFRENCES--- http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/06/tom_cruise_knight_and_day.html http://www.hollywoodnews.com/2010/06/20/tom-cruise-new-so-so-review-sold-out-sneak-preview/
http://www.independentcritics.com/reviews/vanillasky.htm
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-cruise-20100619,0,6083180.story
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knight_and_day/
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/knightandday
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/06/cruisediaz-vehicle-knight-day-opens-to-soft-38-million-at-box-office-wednesday.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i14a7e72d3d44c14d254ebe5ada259a55
http://www.knightanddaymovie.com/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/entertainment/movies/01005000.topic
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/21/1692198/on-the-eve-of-knight-and-day-examining.html
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-cruise-20100619,0,6083180.story
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/knight_and_day/
http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/knightandday
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/06/cruisediaz-vehicle-knight-day-opens-to-soft-38-million-at-box-office-wednesday.html
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i14a7e72d3d44c14d254ebe5ada259a55
http://www.knightanddaymovie.com/
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/topic/entertainment/movies/01005000.topic
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/21/1692198/on-the-eve-of-knight-and-day-examining.html
