Taking the audience to the cliff of absurdity... and dropping them mercilessly

Rating: 7/10 (20 December 2011)

This is a really fun, entertaining & enjoyable movie if you know what to expect. The overall plot puts us in the mood of a classic noir-type spy romance (think Bogie-Bacall), but it's done with a modern, glossy look and over-the-top theatrics that instantly make you wonder "WTF am I watching?" The 2 heroes can defy gravity, accept it. Guns never run out of bullets, or if they do, there's always a fully loaded gun conveniently lying on the ground. Accept it. Entire armies of commandos appear out of nowhere to tear up a city block and there's no sight of a police officer anywhere. Accept it. Our heroes can take a beating better than Mike Tyson on crack, and they only get a tiny droplet of blood on their foreheads. Accept it.
If you can accept all that stuff, then you can sit back, relax & enjoy the show. The whole movie borders on the edge of campy, and I don't know about you, but I think that's how all action flicks should be because movie action IS campy! If you want a realistic spy thriller, watch "The Day of the Jackal" (1973) or "The Spy Who Came In from the Cold" (1965) which are both excellent films by the way. But if you want to be taken to a pseudo-fantasy world & entertained, then go for this.
The pacing is fast & the action is practically nonstop. But what made me really enjoy this film are the toned-down scenes between Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. Now there's a textbook illustration of a passive-aggressive relationship. Their dialogue is so painfully awkward & strained (and hilarious) that it provides a perfect counterbalance to the blazing car chases & rains of bullets. A few of their lines will go into my vault of funniest movie lines ever, such as "How often do you have sex? - I don't understand the question", "Mom, we are on high alert here! I almost killed you right then!", "Broken eye socket" and "I said I saw your dad on Fantasy Island!" (They probably don't make much sense out of context, but watch the movie and maybe you'll die laughing too.) Also worth noting is the hilarious show-stealing performance by Vince Vaughn as Eddie, the crazy spy friend who lives with his mom. Be sure to watch the deleted scenes on the DVD for more of him (I can't understand why they would cut it).
This is a pure fun flick that's perfect for a date, with your family, or just by yourself after a long day. Other films with the same flair (quirky love-hate relationships) include the spy-rom-com "Duplicity" (2009), the fantasy-rom-com "Camille" (2008), and I'll throw in the classic Bogie/Hepburn film "African Queen" (1951) ...all of which are charming, refreshing & thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.