Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. A Review.

                                                     (Art From: http://www.harrymovieart.com/)

The term franchise is thrown around a lot in the film industry, it comes from a business term where a familiar formula is expanded upon by adding new managers in new locations. Mission impossible is perhaps the franchise-iest franchise of them all, with each film in the series retaining the same formula (stunts, masks, and Tom Cruise) but having a different flavour thanks to a different director. Christopher McQuarrie takes the reigns for the 5th installment, with the IMF shut down and Ethan Hunt on the..errr..hunt for a shadowy organisation called “the Syndicate”.

Cruise is on top action hero form as Hunt, a man driven to incredible lengths to get the job done, the ‘manifestation of destiny’ as Alec Baldwin’s CIA chief dubs him. Hunt has never been a particularly well defined hero, that is in part due to different directors interpreting him in different ways, and so Cruise’s performance is defined not so much by character but by action. Action he certainly delivers on, the much publicised plane stunt is breathtaking, and the film has a few more surprises up it’s sleeve. There is an old-fashioned thrill to action set pieces that were done in-camera, which are even more impressive when one of the world’s biggest movie stars was doing as much as possible himself.

While Hunt remains something of an enigma, his colleagues bring character to the film. Rebecca Ferguson, a relative newcomer to mainstream cinema, is a revaluation as Ilsa Faust - a mysterious agent with an unclear agenda. She seems to have gone to the Black Widow school of ass-kicking, proving more than a match for Cruise on multiple occasions, and if Tom ever retires from the franchise, it could be in far worse hands than Ferguson. Jeremy Renner, whose character William Brandt was seemingly set up as a Cruise replacement in MI:4, is entertaining here as Mcquarie’s script plays him as a by-the-book jobsworth uncomfortable with Hunt’s reckless methods, and he is most effective when paired with Ving Rhames’ Luther - a character more than comfortable with the legal grey area. While Alec Baldwin chews scenery, Sean Harris’ villain fails to make much of an impression, which is a shame because he was incredibly threatening in the excellent ’71 (check out my review here). While Ferguson steals the film, credit must be given to Simon Pegg, who has turned a comic relief role into the beating heart of the franchise. The cast all have good chemistry with one another without having to use the F word every 2 minutes (looking at you Family Fast and Furious),  though it would be nice to see the core team carry over into the next instalment. 

Christopher McQuarrie, a regular Cruise collaborator, took on both writing and directing roles for Rogue Nation. He shows a sure hand with the action sequences, which rank up there with the series’ best, and also manages to ratchet up the tension during key sequences including a wonderfully orchestrated night at the opera. McQuarrie’s script is less effective than his direction, either it was developed to link together a series of setpieces, or a series of set pieces were inserted and distorted the narrative, either way the plot ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous. The script, while never dull or offensive, doesn’t fully explore potentially interesting themes such as the motivation behind the Syndicate, or the fallout of Hunt being declared a rogue agent by his government for perhaps the third time in the series.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation might be little more than an excuse for some super-spy thrills, which is exactly how it was marketed and exactly what audience want. It is a film that is meant to be enjoyed throughout, a film which knows the appropriate moments for tension, comic relief, and even the odd wink at the camera. It is a film that has an old-fashioned charm, but is also a testament to modern film-making - with the released date being moved forward by nearly 5 months before shooting had even finished!  Ultimately a worthy addition to a film franchise that has already run for longer than the television series which spawned it, and should continue to entertain us with impossible missions for years to come.

WHO: Rebecca Ferguson is captivating, a more likely replacement for Cruise than Renner. 

WHAT: The plane sequence. Bringing a new meaning to the mile high club!

WHY: For some pure popcorn entertainment. 

WHEN: After a Mission Impossible Marathon, complete the set!