Movie Review: “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (PG-13)
Tom Cruise is one of the hardest working performers in show business, and what this 56-year-old performer does in the name of our entertainment, particularly in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, is nothing short of astonishing. His string of death-defying stunts continue in “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” the sixth and arguably best installment of an increasingly popular franchise that’s seemingly hotter now then when it began way back in 1996. In fact, this franchise is even more popular than the hit ’60s TV series that inspired it.
In this latest “Mission: Impossible” adventure, Ethan Hunt is back, and this time, he’s dealing with the fallout of previous missions. His latest adventure finds him joining familiar allies and facing new foes, all in an effort bring the villainous Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) to justice.
“Fallout” marks the first time in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise that the same writer and director has been brought in to helm a second installment, and upon watching Christopher McQuarrie’s work here, it’s easy to see why producer and star Cruise wanted him back. Simply put, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” sits just behind “The Raid 2” and “Fury Road” as the best pure action movie of the past decade. It features car chases, motorcycle chases, helicopter chases, extreme hand-to-hand combat (including the best bathroom brawl committed to film since “True Lies”), and Cruise doing the kinds of insane stunts that no man in his mid-50s should even be thinking about, let alone doing! And McQuarrie is at the forefront of it all, winking at the likes of “James Bond,” “Indiana Jones,” “The Fugitive,” “Cliffhanger,” and the superhero genre in general — most notably “The Dark Knight” — all while staying true to the spirit of “Mission: Impossible” itself.
But it isn’t just the mostly practical stunt work and nail-biting set pieces themselves that make “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” such a towering achievement. It’s the execution of these sequences, the meticulous eye to detail, and the geography of these set pieces. McQuarrie has fashioned a master class in pure action escapism, and you can actually see everything that’s going on! None of this stuff feels muddled. It’s all crystal clear in terms of the way these sequences are shot and cut, and that’s a testament to McQuarrie’s talent as a filmmaker.
Of course, it always helps when you have a superstar like the incomparable Tom Cruise as the heart and soul of your movie. While “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” also features “The Man of Steel” star Henry Cavill as shifty assassin August Walker, make no mistake — it is Cruise who emerges as the real Superman. He’s a superhero in every sense of the word here. He leaps from buildings, dangles from helicopters, scales walls, and freefalls from planes. But beyond that, Cruise pulls us in as viewers to the point that no matter how crazy and over-the-top the action, no matter how intricate the plot, we’re willing to follow Ethan Hunt virtually anywhere. What’s more, unlike James Bond and Jack Bauer, Hunt is more of a team player, and while his goal is always to save the world entire, he’s every bit as committed in protecting the one.
Cruise has been nominated for an Oscar three times in his career: for his brilliant turn as Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s “Born on the 4th of July,” for his infectiously likable performance as the title character in Cameron Crowe’s winning romance “Jerry Maguire,” and for his fierce portrayal as misogynistic Frank “T.J.” Mackey in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Magnolia.” While action movies are often ignored on the awards circuit, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” is a movie that should break this trend. Cruise does it all and then some, even going so far as to badly injure himself during a terrifying jump in the name of our entertainment, and while some would be quick to argue that his ridiculously large paycheck should be all the incentive he needs, Cruise is more than worthy of award recognition for his breathtaking work in this movie. Furthermore, it’s motion picture experiences like “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” that go a long way to suggest that it’s high time that the Oscars add a Best Stunt Choreography category.
And while Cruise is clearly the lead in this picture, he is complemented by a more than capable roster of outstanding ensemble players including Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley, Vanessa Kirby, and creepy Sean Harris as notorious baddie Solomon Lane. Not only are these supporting performances fantastic right across the board but McQuarrie the writer gives each of these players ample moments to shine, and that’s no easy task given the number of characters this movie has to offer up. The only downside here is that we get virtually no real explanation as to what has become of Jeremy Renner’s William Brandt, a “Ghost Protocol”/”Rogue Nation” character who at one time appeared to be the future face of the franchise. Sadly, Hawkeye is nowhere to be found in “Mission: Impossible — Fallout.” Not that this hurts the overall all tenor of the movie, mind you.
In terms of story, there’s a lot going on in “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” and rather than dropping a ton of information throughout, this movie unloads the majority of its exposition in the first act, allowing for the relentless action, twists, and double-crosses to take hold for the rest of the movie. Yes, there are moments in which characters act in a less-than-professional manner, and yes, the dream sequences are a bit obvious and a little hammy, but no matter. This is an intense, awe-inspiring action flick from start to finish, and the pacing is something to behold. You’d think that at a whopping 2 1/2 hours this movie would drag in the midsection. Nope. What’s more, for a movie called “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” this film is far less grim and a lot more hopeful and straight-up fun than one might expect, and that itself is refreshing. Don’t get me wrong. There’s mayhem and violence, but “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” isn’t interested in pummeling you with a death a minute.
Simply put, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” is here to save your summer. It is far and away the most entertaining tent-pole release of the season and high among the best movies of the year. Furthermore, this is the first flick I’ve seen in quite some time that I wanted to watch again immediately after it came to a close. In fact, I plan on going to see this bad boy on Imax as soon as possible! All of that said, one can only hope that this is the end of the road for this durable franchise, because it would be great to see Team “Mission: Impossible” go out on top!
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