By the time a film franchise gets to the fifth installment, that franchise is usually done. The makers have used just about every trick to get the audience into the theater. Unless we’re talking about a reboot or a re-imagining, the filmmakers seem to throw a bunch of scenes together and hope it will make a decent whole. Mission Impossible is one of those series that has bucked the trend. The creative team has found a way to give the audience one of the biggest cinematic thrill rides of the year.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation opens with a James Bond style action sequence. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the crew have to stop a group of terrorists who have giant pallet of bio-hazard weapons. As Benji (Simon Pegg) tries to hack into the plane, Ethan hangs on for dear life. It is thrilling sequence that ends a bit faster than one would hope. Then there is a jump to the main story. Brandt (Jeremy Renner) is in front of the government trying to justify his division called the IMF. Huntley (Alec Baldwin) runs the CIA and wants to de-fund the organization and bring in all the agents. That sends Ethan very deep undercover.
Ethan and the rest of the IMF crew believe that there is a group called The Syndicate that has been causing mayhem over the years. The terror group have become bolder and taken larger targets but leaves no traces. It seems that The Syndicate is the exact opposite of the IMF and are just as highly trained. The two are equal in instruction and skills. Added to the mix is a mysterious assassin who makes a fascinating ‘full’ entrance at the Vienna Opera House, a scene that is all legs. In an action sequence that reminds us of Quantum of Solace there is a giant cat and mouse game in the rafters backstage.
The commercials for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation keeps pushing the stunt where Tom Cruise hangs off the side of the plane. The scene happens at the beginning and is over before most of the audience is settled in their seats. It is a very impressive feat and yes, there is no doubt that Tom Cruise is on the side of the fuselage. But the film is much more than an impressive stunt. Without giving much away, it is a giant game of espionage and Cold War-like terror wrapped in action sequence after action sequence. The only problem lies within some of the action sequences. The camerawork by Robert Elswit was a bit too busy and the editing by Eddie Hamilton a bit too swift for my taste. I’d like to see them slow it down just a bit to get a fuller sense of action.
The film is another showcase for Tom Cruise and as always, he does not disappoint. Being the biggest movie star in the world is a hard burden to carry, but Cruise makes it look easy. He is intense in the action sequences and lighthearted in the calmer moments, having to periodically kick and punch with the best of them while still keeping his composure.
This outing is directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the writer of The Usual Suspects and the director or The Way of the Gun and Jack Reacher. The latter is rumored to be the next to have a sequel in the series of Tom Cruise films. Here, he models his work after the greatest of all genres, the James Bond film. And with that formula one can do little wrong. There are those who will complain that Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is nothing more than a derivative of 007. Those people are missing the point. The idea behind this film is to deliver thrills and spills. It is a pure entertainment, and on that level it succeeds.
