Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
★★★½ — Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
Doug Liman arrived at this project off the back of the one-two punch of Swingers (1996) and The Bourne Identity (2002), making him a credible choice for a studio action-comedy with a $110 million budget and considerable commercial ambitions. The original screenplay came from Simon Kinberg, then relatively early in a career that would later take him deep into X-Men territory, and the film was developed at Regency Enterprises with Summit Entertainment co-producing. Shot partly on location in Los Angeles (standing in for a generic American suburb with varying success) and in parts of Europe, production was reportedly troubled, running well over schedule. What dominated the press coverage at the time, of course, was the off-screen relationship that formed between Pitt and Jolie during filming, both of them arriving attached to other people, which gave the film's release in the summer of 2005 a tabloid charge that no marketing budget could have bought.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) is a slick, stylish action-comedy that works because it leans into its central gimmick with confidence: what if your spouse wasn’t just hiding their job… but also a gun? Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sizzle with chemistry as a married couple who discover they’re both secretly assassins hired to kill each other. The premise is pure Hollywood fantasy, but Doug Liman directs it with a grounded edge, less cartoonish than you’d expect, more about the tension in a relationship gone lethally toxic. The action is top-notch: inventive, well-choreographed, and packed with dark humour. The infamous kitchen fight (where pots, pans, knives, and dishwashers become weapons) is a standout, blending intimacy and violence in a way only this film could. And the car chase through suburban streets is fast, chaotic, and thrilling without relying on CGI overload. It’s one of those rare films where the spectacle actually serves the story, every explosion feels like a metaphor for marital breakdown. Pitt and Jolie have undeniable heat and their performances are playful, sharp, and just serious enough to sell the absurdity. Sure, the plot thins out by the third act, and the satire of marriage-as-war gets repetitive. But as a high-concept popcorn flick it delivers. Smartly dumb, beautifully shot, and way more fun than it has any right to be. Not a classic, but a defining 2000s action-romance. Explosions, therapy, and machine guns.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2005 | Watched: 2025-10-10
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Disney Plus · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
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Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Doug Liman: Jumper (2008)
More with Brad Pitt: Babel (2006) · Burn After Reading (2008) · Twelve Monkeys (1995) · World War Z (2013)
More from Switzerland: Daredevil (2003) · A Cat in Paris (2010) · Le Franc (1994) · The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun (1999)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
