Mr. and Mrs. Smith | Review

Liman takes the action genre to a different, yet predictable direction.

Just the kind of dreamed up crossbreed that major Hollywood studio’s excel at, Doug Liman’s second foray in the high-octane, bullet-riddled, action flick genre will benefit globally from the hyped campaign surrounding its pair of starring newsstand faces. Sure to be a hit with the legions of action fans and Angelina admirers, Mr. and Mrs. Smith will allow the summer crowd to officially get their rocks off, while others will ask once again how big names and big budget fail to deliver the total package.

Crafted as a War of the Roses type, Scott Kinberg scripts a tale of the dysfunctional marriage, of alter egos added to a “who” doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger denouement. Sex-kitten Angelina Jolie sporting her Tomb Raider skills and flaunting her skin-revealing closet ultimately steels the thunder from an actor in Brad Pitt whose most memorable characters have been ones using their fists and not the ones firing off guns. The two are a fine pairing indeed, the film best works with the different variations of foreplay best synergized in full-out destruction of the place they call home.

With the steamy first half-hour, Liman offers a mindless, popcorn-styled narrative with a well-executed on-screen chemistry from a pair of good-looking faces, but once the interesting chess-match seizes to exist and the snappy remarks of a bitter couple close to divorce get muffled by the high-tech plot diversion, Sadly, once the film uses up more rounds of ammo and embarks on the freeway frenzy the strength and stamina that was assembled in the closed locations gets pushed aside by the makings by yet another formulaic action piece.

On many levels Mr. and Mrs. Smith looks good, decked out Jolie and the accompanying well-groomed Pitt win the James Bond couple of the year award. The stylized, visual effects especially in the slow-motioned department store blow-out is a great visual treat but its seems to stick out for the wrong reasons. It recaptures the comedy/action hybrid premise that was interesting in the film’s first half but is hardly visible to the backdrop of a middle and final act.

Rating 1.5 stars