_"I'm the guy. I'm a guy."_

I feel like this film lacked something or other that would've made it better; _This Means War_ comes to mind; maybe I'm thinking of comedy: there was a lot of that in _This Means War_. I think if this film somehow had the same or similar effect as that film, it would've done _a lot_. I guess I'm referring to the vibe. The vibe of _This Means War_ was memorable, to say the least, and had this film possessed that same vibe, more or less, that would've been so impactful.

Interestingly enough, even though this didn't cause _This Means War_ to come to mind, two elements shared similarities with that film. Cameron Diaz, specifically how she delivered a line or two: and how she played the character at times, was similar to Reese Witherspoon in that film. And the scene in the airplane lavatory with June talking to herself/pumping herself up while chaos ensues outside was like the scene in that film where Reese's character is doing the same thing in a restaurant's bedroom while the same thing is happening outside. I thought those similarities were interesting.

That said, I'm not saying this was a bad film. It was entertaining. Both the action and the comedy were, perhaps surprisingly, good. The fight choreography was good, and of course, Tom Cruise elevated it on top of doing most of the stuff his character does. And some of the comedic moments, like the running gag of being drugged (and it, coming full circle in the end) and the first half of the film, specifical instances with Roy and the way Tom played the character, along with his charisma, were quite entertaining. But I think that, even in the realm of these kinds of movies, there was still room for it to be even better: and it wasn't, which is fine.

The story was nonsensical; no surprise there, and it was, essentially, irrelevant. The biggest draw, and arguably the film's point, was the duo of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, including the action-comedy element. I thought Cameron's performance was a little rough around the edges at times; nothing too immersion-breaking. Once her character mellowed out and became more serious, Cameron's performance was better. And I thought Tom was the stand-out, to no one's surprise. This performance of his is one of my favorites yet, which is probably surprising to those reading this. His charisma is undeniable, and he did comedy quite well.

He should do a film like this again, or one with a comedy element at some point: maybe even a sequel to this one, which could be good; he can't do _Mission Impossible_ films forever. I'm sure people are interested to see what direction he'll take his career afterward; if that's even what he'll do: he may retire.

One of the other things that I liked was the chemistry between him and Cameron. The way Roy interacted with June was, in his words, _sublime_. Some may think there hardly was any chemistry, but I found myself caring about the relationship between their characters. And the ending was surprisingly effective.

The rest of the cast (Peter Sarsgaard, Viola Davis, Paul Dano) was surprisingly stacked, none of whom I've seen in anything yet, besides this film, shockingly. Paul was the one that surprised me when I saw his name during the opening credits. They didn't stand out much, although I guess Peter and Paul delivered their performances well. And Jordi Mollà's acting in his character's first scene with June was entertaining; the scene overall was. I was also surprised by Gal Gadot's cameo, which probably wasn't much of that since she, likely, wasn't that/as popular back then.

The direction was good, especially for the action sequences. Bad directing can ruin good choreography, so I'm glad that the directing was well-done. The cinematography by Phedon Papamichael was pretty decent as well; it was at its best (along with the lightning) in the scene where Roy and June are in the car, the one transported. And the score by John Powell was different in a good way; it was unlike any score I've ever heard. It didn't sound that familiar to the _Bourne_ films or _Mr. & Mrs. Smith_, which were composed by him, but my recollection could be hazy.

Overall, this was a fun film to watch. I think the vibe could've been more potent, positively elevating the film further, but the film was still watchable. The first act, and most of the second act, were the best, while the final one wasn't as good, although the ending was better and surprisingly impactful. The only issue I have with this film is that it doesn't feel that memorable. _This Means War_ was: and still is. It's disappointing that this film isn't that memorable, but I still had enough fun watching it.