Saturday, June 11, 2005

Mr. And Mrs. Smith


Did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie hook up while making a movie? Did Brad and Jennifer Aniston split because of Angelina? Are they together now? Who cares! What matters is that they made Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a summer movie that cares more about the characters' relationship than the action sequences, but that doesn't stop it from being one really entertaining film.

Pitt and Jolie play John and Jane Smith, who met in Bogota, Colombia 5 or 6 years ago, fell in love and have been together ever since. But they're having marriage trouble lately, though there's no cheating or anything like that, their problem is that they got bored, and there's no excitement anymore. They're in marriage counselor when the movie starts and while they try to explain the reason of the boredom, we learn how they met, and how their lives are now. They get up, get dressed, brush their teeth, have breakfast and the go separately to work, all of that without exchanging one single word of substance.
But things get interesting at work, as they don't go to do what the other think they do, and instead, they go to kill people for money, being some of the top assassins at their correspondent agencies. While he fakes being drunk and plays cards at the back of a restaurant to then kill the other players, she dresses up as a dominatrix, breaks her target's neck, and then jumps off the building's window to land on the sidewalk and very gracefully get in a cab.
For their next assignment, they both get the same target, and after inadvertently messing with each other's plans, they found out who their spouse really is, and that's when the action starts as their new targets become that person they been married to for the past 5 or 6 years, each other.
The actions rocks, with an awesome fight between John and Jane in their house right after they find out who they are. Then director Doug Liman gives us a very impressive chase scene with the Smiths driving a minivan. And for the final showdown, the Smiths are attacked at the same time inside a hardware store and the bullets and knives used here sum up for an incalculable amount.

But even with all that action, the movies works better the relation between the Smiths, who after learning of the other's real job, must deal with their feelings, deciding if there really is love in their relationship, knowing that they have kill each other now.
There one single conversation that's really great, in which John asks Jane if their first meeting was for real or a job. He goes first and confesses that he fell really in love, she's stronger than him and lies to him saying he was her target, though still the most beautiful target she'd ever seen, and then she cries. A truly nice and emotional touch that really gives class to the whole movie.

But the movie has some problems too, though very minor ones. An example is that we only get to see just one job performed by each of the Smiths. This a wasted opportunity to just let their imagination run wild and give us at least 3 of their jobs as assassins. Then the supporting characters which just a few and not very used. And it's worse because of the actors who play them, as Vince Vaughn and Adam Brody are wasted in their small roles as fellow agents. But all that is forgivable, as what really matters are the leads and their chemistry which is excellent.

Great action, a lot of comedic and very funny situations, with Brad Pitt in special giving a very entertaining performance, and that chemistry between the leads that really works well, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a great movie, summer or not.