“Killer” weekend at the movies

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” ruled the box office this weekend but is the film about professional assassins married to each other and keeping their jobs a secret from the other any good? And what about the French horror film “High Tension,” is it worthy of all the praise and buzz it is getting? The answer to both questions is sort of.

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” has all the ingredients of a bona fide summer blockbuster. It has big stars like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, some incredible action sequences courtesy of director Doug Liman, and a good sense of humor. It also has its flaws, like too many faceless goons coming after them for too long of a time and not enough background on who they work for and why they kill who they kill. I guess the same can be said for “The Longest Yard.” We never find out why many of the guys on Mean machine are in prison because it would be hard to root for rapists and murderers.

Pitt and Jolie are terrific together (and who really cares why?) and Vince Vaughn provides some great laughs as Pitt’s colleague who still lives at home with his mother. However, the main flaw in the film is that we know that neither he nor she will kill the other one, thereby robbing the film of any tension.

There is plenty of tension in “High Tension” and it remained for me, even though I knew the plot twist before sitting down to watch the film. The story deals with Alex and Marie, two college students heading to Alex’s family’s house in the country to study. A killer breaks in that night, wiping out Alex’s family and kidnapping Alex. Marie attempts to save her friend but will she be too late or end up getting killed herself?

Alexander Aja directed “High Tension” and did a terrific job building the suspense. Cecile de France does a great job as Marie and her determination in the face of terror truly carries the film. One problem with the movie is its indecision to be dubbed or subtitled. it switches back and forth intermittently and though the dialogue isn’t the film’s strong suit, it would have been better to pick one and stick with it.

Overall, both films deserve audiences this summer. “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is a fun way to spend a rainy summer afternoon and “High Tension” is one of the better horror movies I have seen in a long time.

• ** for both movies