Film review: Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

I came, I saw, and I reviewed.


Mr. & Mrs. Smith, AKA the film that struck up quite some controversy (which had absolutely nothing to do with the film - but there's nu such thing as bad publicity, right?), and which could have saved a small African country with the money spent on salary for the two stars alone. Then again, it's Brad Pitt, it's Angelina Jolie, it's Doug Liman, it's things being blown up in every single way imaginable - a good night out, methinks.

And it is. This film is a summer blockbuster, and it knows that all too well. It doesn't take itself seriously in any way, and it is just that which makes this film so damn enjoyable.


Summary (like you need one): John and Jane have been married for five or six years and pretty much live the American ideal; they live in a big house, they both drive nice cars and both have very good careers. Sure, they have problems in their marriage, but outwardly they look great and they are getting counselling for the lack of spark anyway. The real problems probably come from the fact that, unbeknownst to one another, he is not really a building contractor and she is not really a computer expert; they are both professional killers working for different, competing companies.

Cue mayhem.

The premise is so high concept, that you could drop a penny off of it and kill a person, but at the same time it's the perfect vehicle for all-out action, a hint of romance, subtle and not so subtle comedy, and bucketloads of sensuality and sex-appeal.


Lets start with the cast. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in the titular roles simply simmer, sizzle and ooze sex - the chemistry bounces off the silver screen, both when they're getting marriage counseling, and when they're trying to kill eachother. They keep the quips coming, never take it seriously at any point and manage to make knife wounds, bruises and wounds sexy and cool. This film is one big, elaborate joke, and the both of 'em seem to get it. Add to that the The O.C. wunderkind Adam Brody, and you've got yourself an unfeasibly attractive and crowd-gathering cast. Adam Brody, by the way, has the two best lines in the film ("Oh, look, more desert." & "Who ARE you people?").

The man assigned with the task of harnassing this nuclear explosion of sex-appeal is Doug Liman, the man behind Swingers, Go and, most notably, The Bourne Identity. In Smith, Liman is clearly extending his Bourne-ish action kicks; Smith deals with spies, lies, and firepower, openly drawing combustible parallels between marriage and contract killing. The scope of Liman's set-pieces is huge; one minute John and Jane are having a simple shoot-out in the privacy of their own home, and the next John is picking up a rocket launcher the size of a beer keg and taking shots at his wife. By tying all these absurd but hilariously exciting set-pieces together, Liman shows once again that he is a more than capable director.


Stand out moment: In the film's final action sequence, as they 'dodge bullets' once again, Liman plays the song from their first meeting, to which they danced. By doing this, Liman links that dance, shortly after their initial meeting, to this alternative, voilent ballet at the end. This last scene is shot in slow motion, and each balletic movement shows that in the centre of this storm, the dance between two people who have found each other's rhythm again never really ended.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith is a clever, stylish and dark comedy built out of equal parts star power, high concept cleverness and cartoon violence. Whether your fix is gunfire and breaking necks or enchanted moments and steamy sex appeal, you will be satisfied. Sure, it has its flaws (mainly due to the paper-thin plot and frankly ludicrous premise), but Pitt and Jolie's powerful chemistry more than make up for it, as they burn their way through this film so stylishly.

A 74 out of 100.

Cheers