A Future Classic With A Classic Pairing

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2005)

I loved, loved, LOVED this film. It was fun, witty, exciting and oh, so sexy! Director Liman delivered a fast-paced entertainment that had me grinning and laughing scene after scene. One of the things I love most about it is that it doesn't take itself seriously, so the viewer shouldn't, either. I was so surprised to see others commenting about how unbelievable it is, how implausible. Of course, it's unbelievable. But isn't that part of the "over-the-top" point of the film? From what I can tell, the film delivered almost all it promised along with a lot of surprises along the way. I also think it's a hilarious commentary on marriage and partnership and how hard it can be to lay yourself bare and share yourself and your life with another person totally. The message is delivered in an utterly outrageous way, but it's still there.
The Smiths entered their marriage for myriad reasons, primary perhaps for both in their minds being that they needed covers for their secret careers as assassins. Deep down, though, you could tell they really loved each other. When they find out that they've been living a lie for the past 5 (or 6) years, they are both hurt that they placed their trust in the other person and that trust was betrayed (ironic considering that they've both been doing an awful lot of lying) and to top it off, they've been ordered to kill each other by their agencies. They react to the hurt and betrayal (while carrying out their assignments) in the only way two volatile people with weapons training can. The result is the most beautiful demolition of a mini mansion ever conceived. I mean, really. The person that you are closest to can evoke the most passionate feelings in you that run the spectrum from deepest tenderness to flat out homicide. As much as you've wanted to hug and cuddle them, how many times have you also wanted to grab your significant other and choke him/her? This film takes it there and beyond. I think my favorite scene in the film was when the Smiths tossed away their firearms and went at it mano a mano and tried with all that was in them to stomp each other into the ground. I loved that! Mrs. Smith gives as good as she gets and I just cannot stretch my brain to fit Nicole Kidman (original Mrs. Smith) in this role that seemed to require so much physicality and attitude.
As to my feeling that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are a classic pairing, I don't think Mr. Pitt has burned up the screen this thoroughly with anyone besides George Clooney . . . and certainly not to this degree. Before this film, I wasn't what could be called a mad fan of either of them, but I liked them both. I am now ready to declare them the ultimate match of all the contemporary Hollywood stable has to offer. Not only are they both gorgeous, they're perfectly-matched in talent. I mean, you can toss two beautiful people together in a film and your results can vary (see Pitt and Julia Roberts in The Mexican), but this pairing was downright combustible. The script was good, but I think the film coasts by primarily because of the two leads. I really don't think it would have been this entertaining with Kidman. My first love will always be classic films and I'm so blown away by the pairing of Pitt and Jolie, I'm likening them in my mind to other classic pairings like Hayworth and Ford, Bogart and Bacall, Ladd and Lake, Hepburn and Tracy (okay, and Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas because I love them so much I just can't leave them out) - so natural, it just doesn't get any better. Pairings you will still be talking about for years to come.
Yes, there were holes in the story - it wasn't perfect. It would have been nice to have had the heads of both agencies revealed in the end for a face-to-face showdown and I personally found the way Mrs. Smith found out about Mr. Smith's day job to be a bit vague, but to me this is forgivable. It's not meant to be Hitchcock. I went with escapism and a bit of fun in mind and the film delivered that and more, so I'm happy. My personal definition of a "classic" is a film you can watch over and over again and never tire of the magic you get from it. I'll most likely see it one more time before it leaves the theatres and I'll be among the first in line when this DVD comes out just so that I can have it at home to watch over and over again.