Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

The real gift of Tom Cruise as an actor is that he makes it so effortless for you to forget all of your personal thoughts of him or his beliefs, and just focus on being entertained.  I will admit, in real life, Cruise kind of irritates me when I see him in interviews, or when I hear his views on certain subjects.  It's a personal thing.  And yet, in every Mission: Impossible film, I completely forget about all that, and find myself completely drawn in both to his performance and the movie he's in.  Rogue Nation is no different, and is the best pure action summer entertainment we've had this year since Mad Max.

In the 19 years since the film franchise began, the series has evolved beyond merely being based on a classic TV show, and has taken on a life of its own.  Cruise has grown into the character of Ethan Hunt, mixing the right amount of adrenaline-fueled action with self-knowing humor.  I think it has also helped that each installment has had a different director, who is able to bring their own unique style to the franchise.  This time, the writer-director is Christopher McQuarrie, who previously worked with Cruise on Jack Reacher, but is perhaps best known for writing the classic thriller, The Usual Suspects.  He shows a wonderful ability on how to keep things moving.  His action sequences are frantic and impressive, but never feel overwhelming.  But more than that, he knows how to tell a compelling and complex story without falling into the trap of convolution too often. (There are some instances, but they probably could not be avoided.) The Mission: Impossible film series is that rare franchise that has only improved with time.

This time, Ethan Hunt finds himself on the trail of an evil offshoot of the secret IMF agency known only as The Syndicate, which is composed mostly of former agents who have gone missing or are suspected to be dead.  Their leader is a steely British agent (Sean Harris), whose scheme seems to go directly into the government.  While Hunt is spanning the world on the trail, back in the U.S., the IMF agency finds itself under suspicion of C.I.A. head Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin), who demands that the IMF be dissolved, and become part of his agency.  Naturally, Ethan does not follow orders, and continues on his own personal trail after The Syndicate.  He is soon joined by fellow IMF agents Benji (Simon Pegg, providing good comic relief here), Luther (Ving Rhames, who has been with the series since the beginning) and relative newcomer William Brandt (Jeremy Renner).  Along the way, he is also joined up by the beautiful and strong Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), who may or may not be a double agent, and constantly causes Ethan to question which side she is on.

If there was any doubt early on as to why the studio was releasing the latest entry in such a reliable franchise so close to August (a time usually reserved for lesser summer movies), it fades away the moment we see the opening action sequence, which has already been shown partly in the trailer, where Cruise actually hangs onto the outside of a plane during takeoff without the aid of CG or a stunt double.  It's quite similar to the opening of a Bond movie, which usually has a spectacular stunt right before the opening credits kick off.  What's amazing is that even with that amazing kick off, that's not even the best action sequence Rogue Nation has to offer.  There's an amazing (and surprisingly funny) car and motorcycle chase, as well as a tense and well executed sequence set backstage at an opera.  And it would be a crime to reveal anything about the sequence built around a massive tank of water, so I'll leave that for you to enjoy for yourself.

When you stop and think about it, this really does act like a very strong entry in the earlier Bond films (before Daniel Craig took over) that emphasized over the top action, gadgets and special effects.  It never gets too silly, but it knows how to have fun at its own expense.  Even the female lead, Ilsa, seems to be written right out of the Bond-girl playbook.  She's strong willed and even stronger in a fight.  But, unlike most Bond girls, she does have to be called upon to save Hunt's life once in a while when he gets in over his head.  But, I enjoyed this aspect.  I also enjoyed how the film worked Pegg's character, Benji, into the plot and the role that he plays in Ethan's mission.  This is a very well thought out summer movie, where the action never eclipses the characters, while still keeping a frantic pace throughout. 

Rogue Nation doesn't quite top the last entry, Ghost Protocol, as my favorite in the series.  But, it does come pretty close, and has more than enough individual strengths to make it a strong late summer contender.  It's rare for me to be wishing for a sixth film in a series, but this time around, I definitely am.

See the movie times in your area or buy the DVD at Amazon.com!

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