Great fun!

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2005)

Summer is finally upon us it seems as blockbuster season is now kicking in. We have had Star Wars and now it's the Brad and Angelina movie. The name of the film escapes me, because this has been referred to as "That film." by so many media resources, in and out of the movie industry. The plot, such as it is borrows heavily from True Lies and War Of The Roses and has a bizarre melding of the two. What it does though is include the fun factor of those two excellent pieces of Saturday night fodder. Brad and Angie play a husband and wife, who lead double lives. By day a now bored married couple and at night gallivanting off in varied locations scrubbing out scum for their respective agencies. When out on conflicting missions they find out that the other is in fact also an assassin. Furthermore they are under instruction to kill each other. Now both Mrs and Mr have to face up to the question; do they love the other? Of course the end up trying to kill each other but when they get down to it they realise they love each other, blah-blahdy-blah! Then of course they team up against their organisations who have sold them out. This is essentially an excuse for lots of action and witty banter, and for a Sunday evening after hard days work, it's exactly the sort of undemanding brainless action flick you need. While other action blockbusters can tend to feel soulless and churned out by the Hollywood machine, this film has some class to it, thanks to indie director Doug Liman, who doesn't make this film too Hollywood. It's a fun movie, pure and simple.
As for the cast, well Brad and Angie have great chemistry and that also makes this a grade-up from the usual gun fests. Like Arn and Jamie Lee or Michael and Kathleen, they spark well off each other. Pitt proves himself a capable action man while keeping his everyman likability. Vince Vaughn also pops up in a funny bit part as Pitt's buddy and business associate in the whacking game. The rest of the cast have very little to do to be honest, it's essentially a three man show, and one of that three man team is a woman, the rather gorgeous Angelina Jolie. MY GOD! Jolie is a real walking advertisement for hand cream for the hairy handed adolescent in all of us. She is astonishing beautiful, and I'll tell you what else, she could kick Brad Pitt's butt from here to Bangkok with her hands behind her back, she is an ass kicking machine. This is Angelina's movie, she's a dynamo, a sex goddess, as well as being as good actress of course.
Elsewhere John Powell provides a simple and effective score while the film looks great too. The film is also full to the brim with cracking action. You have gun fights, fist fights, car chase and masses of fiery explosions, the film is pure eye candy on every level. The audience can gorge themselves on carnage while in the separate demographics, the ladies have Pitt to drool over while us guys can sit there transfixed by Jolie. Angelina kept my gaze locked upon her. God knows what Pitt was doing while the two shared the shot because I would have been concentrating on Jolie.
All in all this is a good fun movie, simple, yet exciting. ***1/2