Film

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Name: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
Released: 2005
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington

A married couple's dead marriage gets a jolt when they discover they're both professional assassins — and their latest contracts are on each other. It's slick, funny, and built almost entirely on the chemistry between its leads, less interested in spycraft than in turning domestic resentment into literal warfare. Big, glossy, date-night entertainment with a real mean streak underneath the banter.

TMDb rating

6.7

If you liked this

True Lies1994

The original husband-hides-a-secret-double-life-from-wife spy comedy, and it does the bait-and-switch marriage reveal with more Schwarzenegger and more explosions. Huge, dumb, brilliant fun.

But Its gender politics have aged badly, and the tone lurches between comedy and genuine menace more than you'd expect.

The Long Kiss Goodnight1996

Geena Davis as a suburban mom who turns out to be a lethal amnesiac assassin — vicious action, sharp banter, and a script from Shane Black at his most gleefully violent.

But Nastier and bloodier than Mr. & Mrs. Smith; this one doesn't soften its violence with romance.

Knight and Day2010no page yet

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz sprint through the same glossy spy-couple chaos, all charm and set pieces, with the added joke that only one of them knows what's actually happening.

But It's lighter and sillier than Smith, with less bite underneath the fun.

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Adam's Rib1949

This is the blueprint: a marriage turned into professional combat, decades before Smith dressed the same idea up in gunfights. Same premise — spouses forced to compete — minus the ammunition.

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play married lawyers who end up on opposite sides of the same court case, sparring in public while their marriage frays in private.

But No guns, no action — the danger here is entirely verbal, and the pace is old-Hollywood leisurely.

Grosse Pointe Blank1997

John Cusack's hitman goes to his high school reunion and falls back in love, turning assassin tropes into a wry meditation on commitment and normal adult life.

But Quieter and more indie in spirit — don't expect the scale or spectacle.

Date Night2010

A bored married couple gets mistaken for criminals and thrown into a night of chases and danger, with Steve Carell and Tina Fey playing the marital exasperation for real laughs.

But Far less lethal and sexy — this is suburban panic comedy, not assassin glamour.

Killers2010no page yet

Ashton Kutcher's dreamy husband turns out to be a retired hitman being hunted, and Katherine Heigl has to process her whole marriage was a lie while dodging bullets.

But Broader and blander than Smith, with less genuine spark between the leads.

This Means War2012no page yet

Two CIA agents wage covert war over the same woman, all gadgets and jealousy and slick action-comedy set pieces in the same shiny register as Smith.

But The romance is a love triangle instead of a marriage, so the emotional stakes feel lower.

RED2010no page yet

Retired black-ops veterans get pulled back into the game, delivering the same wink-wink violence-as-comedy tone with a terrific ensemble cast having visible fun.

But No central couple to root for — it's ensemble chaos rather than a two-hander.

Salt2010

Angelina Jolie again, this time solo and stripped of comedy, playing a CIA operative whose identity and loyalties keep collapsing under her.

But Played almost entirely straight — if you came for the banter, it isn't here.

The War of the Roses1989

Strip away the assassins and this is what's left: marriage itself as the weapon. Smith turns domestic warfare into literal warfare for fun; this film shows you the fun isn't really a joke.

A divorcing couple's fight over their house escalates from bitter to genuinely violent, played as pitch-black comedy with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner going for the throat.

But There's no espionage glamour or reconciliation arc here — it's uglier, funnier in a crueller way, and ends without mercy.

Nikita1990

Same engine — a lover who is secretly a killer, a relationship that can't survive the job — but played for grief instead of gags. It shows you what the premise costs when nobody's smiling.

Luc Besson's French thriller follows a young woman recruited and trained as a state assassin, trying to hold onto a real relationship while her handlers own her life.

But Subtitled, slower, and genuinely melancholy — this is the tragedy version of the joke Smith is telling.