10 first half, 8 second half

Rating: 9/10 (14 November 2009)

Script = super, super sleek Chemistry of characters and actors = perfect 10 Originality of story = 10. Writers knew how to walk that incredibly narrow line between being over-the-top versus instilling real feeling in the characters' sense of danger while simultaneously wondering whether to hold their marriage together
Vince Vaughn = perfect 10 for charm and wit and charisma
I watched this the first time on DVD rented from the library. As I always do, I watch with the subtitles on, so I don't miss a word. When the movie ran again last night on cable TV, I could not hear a lot of the lines. So, audio balance was not good in a number of spots.
Also, after the Smiths join forces at the "end of Act 1", then the basic humorous plot of the story falls out - that of them both being spies, married to each other, and trying to kill each other. Hence, the 8 for "Act 2". On the other hand, I am not sure how much longer the screenwriters would have been able to drag that particular plot point. The pacing for the entire movie is, also, a 10 out of 10.