The Mission: Impossible film franchise is the only one I can think of that has, more or less, enjoyed success over now four sequels spanning almost 20 years. The old saying "some things get better with age" would be an understatement here. Not only have these films continued to improve with each installment (after M:I-2), they have single-handedly reassured this reviewer's faith in blockbuster filmmaking. The latest entry, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, is no exception. Intense action sequences, an outstanding cast, and a narrative with a sense of dire urgency and high stakes make this now fifth mission the most exciting one yet. I think I've said that about the last two sequels as well. Seriously, how many 3's, 4's and 5's out there are this much better than their predecessors? Whatever it is Tom Cruise is having, I want some of it.
On this mission, which you should choose to accept, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team find themselves on the CIA's shit list for the mayhem wrought in all the previous films. With the American government working against them, the few IMF agents left commit to destroying "The Syndicate," a worldwide terrorist organization operating at total discretion with agents as equally skilled as they are. The big bad is Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), the Syndicate's driving force and Ethan's intellectual equal. Lane is trained to know how Hunt thinks and operates before he does, resulting in a cat-and-mouse caper of the highest order with each one trying to outfox the other. What sets the film apart from this cliché are the myriad twists and turns along the way. Lane always feels one step ahead, and even when Ethan has his back against the wall (which is when his character is the most interesting), nobody can be trusted.
Lane makes for one of the series' best villains for the reasons already mentioned but also because he never makes much show of force on screen. He constantly works quietly behind the scenes, orchestrating almost each and every detail of every chase, gunfight, and fistfight whether Hunt knows it or not. That's what makes Lane so dangerous. Most of the movie feels like the IMF have encountered their first-ever, truly "impossible" mission. This all builds to a rather un-spectacular climax by summer action movie terms, but it actually works as a satisfying payoff for the way these heroes and villains toy with each other the whole time.
Fans will enjoy seeing Cruise back in action with Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Benji (Simon Pegg). Add to the fray a pair of welcome newcomers: Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin). Hunley is the director of the CIA who is hellbent on bringing Hunt in to answer for his crimes. Ilsa is basically a female version of Ethan, and she is literally a knockout. The actress Ferguson is one of the most naturally beautiful women this reviewer has ever seen, but cross Ilsa and you're a dead man. Ilsa is the strongest female character this series has introduced thus far with her own set of unique problems, skills and subplots that make her just as interesting to watch, if not more so, than Ethan. The entire cast, including the newcomers, display tremendous chemistry. They're very convincing as a team.
As for the action sequences, this is unlike Terminator 5 in which every stunt is spoiled by the marketing. Knowing that Lane is likely, in some subtle way, behind everything and that all the set pieces factor into some grand scheme gives a certain weight to the eye candy that most action films lack. When Tom Cruise chases down goons on a motorcycle in Morocco [just one of his many practical stunts you'll see in the film], it feels like something is truly at stake for the characters rather than having a CGI-laden sequence amount to what feels like nothing more than burnt budget dollars. There are no Michael Bay-esque explosions, and save for an extended sequence in an underwater vault, just about every stunt looks and feels like authentic, old-fashioned stunt work.
Mission: Impossible 5 solidifies Cruise's status as this generation's consummate action star like Schwarzenegger and Heston before him. Say what you want about his personal life. The guy has consistently produced good-to-great action movies since he's been starring in them.
It doesn't top Fury Road's artistic or emotional payoff, but Rogue Nation asserts itself as a close second in the summer blockbuster race.
PROS:
-Standout performances from Cruise and Pegg
-Ilsa
-High personal stakes/sense of urgency
-Action with meaning & consequences
-Perfect blend of humor
CONS:
-Occasional gaps in logical progression
A
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