We all have secrets

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2012)

Pitt and Jolie star as an old married couple(and they really come across as one, and it's one of the better sources of humor(when it isn't kind of flat, as it is for the first bit) and what makes this memorable), who happen to both be assassins. They keep this from everyone else, including each other. One day, they're both hired for the same job, and they both ID their spouse. Their respective companies let them know they have 48 hours to kill off the other, before they will be dealt with by said employers. This leads to the most tense scene in the entire piece, where they are back in their dull, plain(if luxurious) suburban mansion(with nice neighbors, etc.), trying to gain or maintain control of the situation. Further developments should not be revealed here, but I will say that the middle portion of this is by far the best, the strongest. That is when the duo has been introduced, the scenario fully set up and when it just kicks loose and has fun with its clever concept(which works as an allegory, if it is somewhat disturbing to see how far these two go to kill each other, given that they are to be representative of a relationship that has lost its spontaneity) This is a pretty straightforward Hollywood popcorn flick, and other than first-mentioned aspect, it does little to distinguish itself(with the anticipated result of such). The action is phenomenal, with well-choreographed, energetic sequences such as shootouts(with various handguns, SMG's, shotguns, etc.; in fact, they get use out of many types of weaponry, also including knives, explosives, and rocket launchers), car chases and martial arts fights. This is remarkably well-paced(granted, this does take its time getting to the open and all-out battle between the two, however it is worth the wait and it isn't wasting time, rather building towards it), and never boring(even when we're seeing people who find stuff around them uninteresting). The plot does not hold up to scrutiny, what little there is of one, and the main conflict of it ends up unresolved, with this film limiting itself to focus on the lead pair. That is also evident in the additional characters barely being there(you could say the rest of the cast are cameos and extras), with Vince Vaughn being the only exception to that(and he plays himself so if you like him, you'll like his role). For this being a big spy thriller kind of thing, it doesn't have many exotic locations(I guess really just one, the nicely done bit where they meet, early on). They do throw in a lot of hi-tech gadgets and such. This has some cool surprises, and you don't see where it's going. The music is very fitting with the tone, with several love songs of different kinds. There is a lot of violence, though it is bloodless and not terribly brutal(if effective, it looks like it hurts), and a little direct sexuality(no nudity) and mild to moderate language. The DVD comes with two commentary tracks(one by writer Simon Kinberg and director Doug Liman, the other with producers Akiva Goldsman & Lucas Foster. Both are amusing and informational, they get into some technical stuff and discuss the elements of the movie), 3 deleted(more like extended they're OK) scenes(coming to 8 and a half minutes), a Making a Scene featurette(with a running time of 8 minutes, it's decent) and trailers for Fantastic Four, Guess Who, Fever Pitch, In Her Shoes, Into The Blue, one for this and a teaser for it. I recommend this to fans of the actors and other people responsible for creating it. 8/10