Perhaps the biggest stunt that the Mission: Impossible franchise has pulled off is that it has gotten better with each subsequent film. You would think that a film series that is now six movies deep would start showing its age but this franchise has shown a rare vitality that makes it seem fresher than it did when it began back in 1996. One could argue that The Fast and Furious franchise has also accomplished this feat but Mission: Impossible is way more polished and has an air of prestige that the Furious franchise lacks.
The resurgence of the Mission: Impossible films began with its fourth installment, Ghost Protocol. I think the third film is also more solid than people give it credit for but Ghost Protocol was a game changer. It breathed new life into the franchise and made it a contender as one of the best action franchises in the game. This continued with the follow-up, Rogue Nation and as we enter Mission: Impossible – Fallout, we see the franchise still at the top of its game. If not for Avengers: Infinity War, I’d call this the best movie of the summer and certainly gives it a run for its money as the most entertaining. The action is top notch, the film is never boring and at the heart of it, all is the dedication of its star, Tom Cruise. I’d argue that no one is more committed to the craft of filmmaking the way he is. He isn’t just an actor, you can tell his heavily involved in all aspects of the production. His dedication to the franchise is pretty infectious and at 56 years old, the man shows no signs of slowing down. Mission: Impossible – Fallout cements him as one of the best action stars working in film today.
This movie’s main plot involves a suitcase containing three globes of plutonium that Ethan (Tom Cruise) loses early in the proceedings when faced with the decision to either save one of his friends or protect the nuclear material. According to director Hunley (Alec Baldwin), he chooses wisely. CIA Director, Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett), however, doesn’t agree and sends her “fixer” August Walker (Henry Cavill) on Ethan’s next mission to ensure that the job gets done. The plutonium is wanted by The Apostles, who are the remnants of The Syndicate, which was effectively dismantled at the end of Rogue Nation. Ethan finds a “broker” named White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) who is willing to obtain the plutonium for a price: captured Syndicate mastermind Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), who is currently in custody. Ethan has to arrange his escape without killing too many people. Things get complicated, of course, because Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) has been recruited by MI6 to kill Lane in order to regain her standing with Britain’s spy agency. This brings her back into contact with Ethan and Lane.
This is likely the closest that Tom Cruise will get to being in a Bond film and director Christopher McQuarrie, who also helmed Rogue Nation, brings the style of this film closer to the one used in the latest Bond efforts. The style is sleek and Ethan Hunt gets his fair share of gadgets to play around with during his spy game. Alec Baldwin’s Huntley is essentially Ethan’s “M” and the series continues to retain certain elements of its TV forebear, including the iconic theme music and the tape-recorded mission message. (“Your mission, should you choose to accept it…”). I always felt that, despite its flaws, the first film has been the best in regards to having a distinct style that sets it apart from the other films but Fallout also achieves this feat. The film doesn’t look like every action film on the market.
Speaking of Christopher McQuarrie, he makes a strong case that he should be at the helm of these films moving forward. He has a confident hand when it comes to the action and there are plenty of action sequences that raise the pulse. One features a lengthy rooftop chase (a sequence that resulted in Cruise breaking his ankle, which halted production for 8 weeks) and another focuses on a helicopter showdown. This is only a couple of several action sequences that dominate the film and with each one, McQuarrie has a sure eye behind the camera and he makes sure that the performers, usually Cruise himself, appear to be doing all the stunts we see. Tom Cruise is notorious for doing his own stunts and the way McQuarrie films them, he makes sure that we know Cruise is doing most, if not all, of the action. This is the third time he has directed the actor (he helmed the previous Mission film and Jack Reacher) but he has also written a lot of Tom Cruise’s vehicles, including Edge of Tomorrow & Valkyrie. He clearly knows how Cruise works and their working relationship results in true magic on screen.
The film does a good job of melding a heavy, yet focused, narrative with all of the action. There is a bit of exposition but the film isn’t bogged down by it. Like almost any spy thriller, a lot of it may not make a ton of sense after you exit the theater, but at the moment you buy it. At 2 hours and 27 minutes, the film could’ve easily dragged but you never feel the length.
While Cruise gets a lion’s share of the credit for the film’s success, he’s admirably backed up by a series of supporting players that leave an impression. Ving Rhames has been in this with Cruise since the first film and it was nice to see him with a lot to do in this latest installment. Simon Pegg has been a fixture since the third film and he brings some much-needed levity that feels natural and unforced. Rebecca Ferguson returns after debuting in Rogue Nation and while the romance between her and Cruise is understated, their chemistry is palpable enough that we sense some kind of attraction. Michelle Monaghan is back to provide us with a bit of closure for her character from Mission: Impossible III and it’s an inclusion that doesn’t feel forced, which is a good thing. Newcomers include Angela Bassett, who brings class to just anything she does, and Henry Cavill, who honestly steals several scenes that he appears in. I’ve never thought he was a bad actor by any means but he’s a long way from Superman here and that’s a good thing. He has intensity and charisma, which is showcased in just about every scene he’s in. The bathroom fight involving his character, Cruise and a character named Lark (Liang Yang) represents one of the best hand to hand fights I’ve seen in an action scene and that’s because all involved sell us on its authenticity, particularly Cavill.
Reliable seems to be the best way to describe the Mission: Impossible films. This latest movie, the sixth in the series, offers everything its predecessors have done, except amped up to almost Fast and Furious levels. It’s a strong, engaging spy thriller with plenty of action and a confidence that allows some of its old-school action tropes, to feel fresh and new again. There’s no reason why there shouldn’t be more installments. Cruise isn’t yet too old to credibly play Ethan and there are additional stories to tell. Having weathered the choppy waters of its initial start, Mission: Impossible has hit a groove and if the fallout from this latest movie is another one, I don’t think many people will complain. I know I sure won’t.
