Mr and Mrs Smith
Adventure
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As the film opens, John and Jane are on the same assignment from two different employers; to take down that-annoying-one-from-The-OC (a policy I'm wholeheartedly in support of across the entire OC cast, incidentally) and return to base with yet another successful hit under their belts. Naturally, it's not long before they realise the truth of one another's identities and they're sent head-to-head by their respective employers. But it's more than a case of taking down the one you love the most; it's an opportunity for them to work out the issues of their marriage. Only instead of soft foam mallets to hit each other with, they're using rocket launchers and Desert Eagles.
The comedy comes, almost exclusively, from the tension of their marriage problems, so it never feels like Mr. & Mrs. Smith is trying to make some jumped-up metaphorical point. The result is that we're rewarded with something quite rare from films involving guns, one-liners and A-List celebrities; genuine enjoyment.
It's not a perfect film, though. Bourne Identity director, Doug Liman, borrows a little too heavily from his sequel replacement on that franchise, Paul Greengrass, when it comes to shaking the camera unnecessarily as often as possible, and it proves an irritating distraction. During one scene early on in the film, Jolie is in bed while Pitt stares out of a window. His shot is as steady as anything while hers shakes so much that it makes you wonder just what she's got under the sheets. It's like they're plucked from two different movies, and one has to wonder if Liman didn't just sacrifice the Steadicam now-and-then to see what all the fuss was about. A minor complaint in the bigger picture, but it'd have been nice to see some much-needed restraint exercised.
Pitt and Jolie are wonderfully cast and brilliantly engaging, and this is very much their show. Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody and Kerry Washington might as well have stayed at home for the little time they're on-screen - only Washington's character is actually bearable anyway - they're little more than padding. They're best off sidelined, though, as it's the titular duo we're here to see and we're not to be disappointed.
The off-screen shenanigans reported on set best remain the stuff of tabloid rumour, but one thing's for sure - Pitt and Jolie make the perfect on-screen couple. Mr. & Mrs. Smith is smart, zesty, original and sexy and it well deserves a place on your must-see list this summer.
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