Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Directed by: Doug Liman
Premise: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt play a troubled couple who are assassins for opposing firms.
What Works: The movie is a lot of fun. Like Die Hard the film successfully mixes laughs and action. Director Liman uses some of the same cinematic tricks he brought to the very serious Bourne Identity to give the look of the film an energy that keeps it going even when the film is relatively domestic. Like the Jason Bourne films, the action scenes are tempered by a sense of realism that keeps them from getting over the top the way they have in many other action films. Jolie and Pitt work very well together in their ultimate battle of the sexes and do a great job with both the physical part of the roles and with the subtle character moments between the couple.
What Doesn’t: The third act is a bit too conventional. It becomes a sort of Bonnie and Clyde adventure and the enemies that Pitt and Jolie have to fight off together are unbelievably bad shots.
Bottom Line: Mr. and Mrs. Smith is a must for fans of Jolie, Pitt, and action films. Despite its conventional ending there is enough fresh material here to make the film a great deal of fun and a very satisfying action picture.
Episode: #55 (June 12, 2005)