Saddled with an overused premise, and a horrendous title, there's still some glimmers of fun in The Cold Light of Day. When vacationing businessman Will Shaw (Henry Cavill) is forced to rescue his kidnapped family, he's consequently thrown into a world of espionage and trigger-happy spies. All routine stuff, but director Mabrouk El Merchri (who previously helmed the comedy-crime mockumentary JCVD) makes Shaw a character that's foolishly out of his depth. Cavill gets shot, falls off balconies, collides with cars and is beaten up like a living cartoon. He's Jason Bourne, but without any of the skills or luck. A better movie would play up this Inspector Clouseau element, but sadly Cavill is mostly left alone to play earnest action hero. Next time, a little less high-stakes spy drama and a lot more people getting hit in the face, please.
