Knight and Day is an inspiring film.

Actually, that’s a complete lie.  It’s not interesting, it’s not surprising and it’s certainly not thought-provoking. But if you wanted those things then why would you go to a Tom Cruise action movie?

It’d be easy to rehash the plot here but with the aid of a few clues, you’ll probably work it out yourself. Rogue secret agent (Cruise) meets ordinary civilian (Cameron Diaz). There’s a mission to complete, a child genius to protect and a love story to unravel. No surprises there.

Still, it’s not all bad. The trick to enjoying this film lies in managing your expectations. If you missed the posters clearly labelling this a no-brainer or somehow thought Cruise and Diaz are known for playing soul-searchers, you’re in trouble. If on the other hand you wanted more action scenes than you can shake a stick at, it’s your lucky day!

One of the film’s saving graces is the fact it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Cruise’s seamless transitions from helicopter to jet boat to motorbike are so outrageously unrealistic, you can’t help but laugh. Diaz, of course, spends a lot of time smiling and telling everyone how confused she is. Add to all this Cruise fighting an endless supply of FBI cannon fodder and Diaz learning to use a machine gun: you’ve got yourself an action movie.

It won’t win any awards for originality but it’s pretty unlikely ‘fresh and original’ is what the producers had in mind. Rather, the fact that Knight and Day is anything but new seems to be the key to its success; two high profile actors playing their typecast roles in a tried and true formula.

It won’t get your neurons firing but with a bit of luck, it might get your heart racing. At the very least, you’re guaranteed to get a good laugh out of it.

Sarah Green is a Master of Global Communications student at La Trobe University and a member of the upstart editorial team.