Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley, Vanessa Kirby, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett
Mission: Impossible- Fallout, like its predecessors with the exception of part three, doesn't quite do it for me. Yes, it is polished with wall-to-wall action and stunts which become more complex and potentially deadlier with each passing film, but you can swap the James Bond films with the Mission: Impossible films and not be able to tell the difference. Mission: Impossible checks the boxes with stunts, fistfights, chases, and gadgets, but it is missing the fun; like a force field surrounds it which silly amusement can't penetrate. Six movies into the series, it still hasn't learned to lighten up.
Tom Cruise is once again back as Ethan Hunt, who is given a mission with the pointless "should you choose to accept it" caveat. As one character asks Hunt, "Have you ever chosen to not to accept a mission?" That character is Solomon Lane (Harris), who is now a prisoner after Hunt captured him in the last film. Not that I would remember that. Very few things about Rogue Nation have stuck with me. But, unlike the last few Mission: Impossible films, at least I think I can pass a test on this plot.
A group known as The Apostles wants to get its hands on some plutonium and unleash holy hell on the world. Hunt is tasked with stopping them and recruits his old team of Luther (Rhames) and Benji (Pegg) to assist him. The CIA wants Hunt to add the brutal, ruthless Walker (Cavill) to join the team, because according to Walker's boss: "Hunt is a scalpel. Walker is a hammer." Walker doesn't believe in taking prisoners. He thinks Hunt's way is soft. And his punches can knock your head off. But, instead of staging a possibly amusing contest between the two agents, Hunt takes charge and Walker stays in the background. Cavill is physically imposing, but somehow I wish the movie did more with him. His reason for being involved is far too obvious, and I kept hoping the movie would add more dimensions to him. He may as well have been wearing a t-shirt signaling his intentions.
The movies does allow Cruise to imbue Hunt with more humanity. We see he is not a guy who will sacrifice one for the sake of many, and this is not necessarily a detriment. But his methods are questioned: Is his way better? Or is someone like Walker's? The movie only delves into this argument superficially. One question I have about the Lane character is: Why doesn't someone just put a bullet in his head? Keeping him alive brings more harm than good. And for that matter, why doesn't Lane simply have someone put a bullet in Cruise's head? After two movies, you would think he would realize Ethan Hunt manages to stay alive. Lane is the walking, talking definition of insanity. The whole trying the same thing, but expecting different results kind.
The Mission: Impossible movies are undoubtedly chock full of strong production values. Cruise does most of his stunts (including one which broke his leg and sidelined filming for two months) and this adds realism to them. Rebecca Ferguson, who made such a splash in the last film, is underused here. She is beautiful, magnetic, and mysterious; not someone who shouldn't be front and center.
Mission: Impossible III remains the best film of the series, with an unusually ruthless Philip Seymour Hoffman as the villain. This latest entry only slightly improves on the previous two, which means I may at least be able to recall some of its elements when the next chapter is inevitably made.
No comments:
Post a Comment