Directed by:
Christopher McQuarrieScreenplay:
Christopher McQuarrieCinematography:
Robert ElswitComposer:
Joe KraemerCast:
Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, America Olivo, Simon McBurney, Jingchu Zhang, Tom Hollander (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
With his elite organization shut down by the CIA, agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team (Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) race against time to stop the rise of a new global threat, The Syndicate, a dangerous network of rogue operatives turned traitors. To stop them, Ethan must join forces with an elusive, disavowed agent (Rebecca Ferguson) who may or may not be on his side as he faces his most impossible mission yet. (Paramount Pictures)
(more)Videos (18)
Reviews (13)
Although it is proper and solid filmmaking, the fifth installment is the only one in the entire series that is not innovative in any way, but safely recycles old and proven spy schemes and winks at both old classics from the 1970s and the first installment of this saga – back to basics accurately describes it. McQuarrie confirms his firm directorial control and his sense for dosing humor, action, and screenplay material. This entry probably features the most complex character of an action heroine in recent years (maybe since Sarah Connor in Terminator 2), equally fragile and determined, and going after what she wants, and she also looks very good – overall, she reminds me a lot of another legend, Bond Girl Carey Lowell from Licence to Kill. Maybe it lacks the overwhelming action from the third film, or the high-tech feeling from fourth, but as a whole, it works okay. The director knew well that that would not impress the audience today, after all those superhero movies, Bay films, and other digital garbage, and he didn’t attempt to do so, they simply went in a different direction. It's a shame about the low rating. I also had the feeling of slightly forced idolization of a legend, which I felt, for example, in Skyfall or the recent Batman movies, but I don't it think worked out that well here.
()
The strength of the Mission: Impossible franchise has always been the combination of clear constants and creative deviations between individual instalments. Iconic elements had already been established by the original television series (the disguises, assignment of missions with messages that self-destruct, the burning fuse), and the movies use these original attractions as identifying elements that can be altered or simply set aside. The individual films place greater emphasis on the distinctiveness of style and inventive action sequences, both of which are provided by the fluctuation of the directors. In this respect, the fifth film of the franchise is precisely crafted but, at first glance, it is seemingly the least distinctive of the M:I movies. Judging from his work as screenwriter, Christopher McQuarrie gets along very well with Tom Cruise and has precise command of the filmmaking craft, but he is not a filmmaker with a distinctive formalistic signature or a clear concept of action sequences. With the precise spatial arrangement of the action scenes and the inventive interconnection of those scenes with attractive settings, McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible picks up where Brad Bird left off. However, the distinctiveness of Rogue Nation and thus the benefit of having the screenwriter in the director’s chair are reflected in the dialogue, as well as in the interaction of the characters and their motivations. More than in the previous instalments, this time the story relies more on teamwork and thus loyalty, friendship and professional ethics, which form the foundation of the key narrative twists and are embodied in the fascinating, ambiguous character of Ilsa Faust. Ilsa draws attention to herself not only due to the charisma of the actress portraying her, Rebecca Ferguson, but also as the prototype of a new action heroine. Not only is she equal to the main protagonist in terms of ability and tenacity, thus forming a perfect professional team with him, but she also doesn’t slip into any traditional clichés and takes on some key privileges of her male colleagues (rescuing the hero, the final fight). In fact, she superbly balances between charm, toughness, exaggeration and fatefulness, flawlessly epitomising the entire film and its personality. ____ P.S. Who would have thought that an ambitious character actor would become the Hollywood equivalent of Jackie Chan (from the golden era of Hong Kong cinema)? And, what’s more, in an era when American cinema does not have any action stars, at least not the kind whose name is synonymous with or guarantees a certain type of attraction. Starting with the fourth Mission: Impossible, interviews with Cruise and making-of videos absolutely evoke Jackie Chan’s ethos. Like Chan, Cruise emphasises that the breakneck sequences and the permanent exposure of himself to real danger are done for the viewers and their sense of amazement. From Ghost Protocol to Rogue Nation, Cruise’s passion, determination and fanatical hard work deserve all the more recognition for forcing the competition to also back away from deceiving audiences with computer-generated sequences and camera flourishes, thus making Mission: Impossible the vanguard of a new era of spectacular action films.
()
(less)
(more)
I don't remember a spy blockbuster that was ever this tight. I was fascinated by the way in which McQuarrie primarily tells the story and works with the characters, keeping the action more incidental, as a means to move the plot along and not the purpose. At a time when all explosions and chases are compulsory attractions, Ethan Hunt's world ends up as a pulsating but not frantic action movie, which will probably be blamed for being boring and long-winded. However, the light "low-profile" fits it perfectly, even if it is crafted with bravura (the Turandot editing) or technically imaginative (the shooting down of two motorbikes by a car). Yet here, it's all about the protagonists, the minimally portrayed villain (compare to the underused Nyqvist from last time), the perfectly written and superbly acted female lead (I admit that the ambiguity kept me tense until the final denouement), and last but not least, Hunt himself, who has parked himself as an ordinary member of the team with a trio of chattering sidekicks on hand. I was excited right after the screening, but I didn't really know why. In hindsight, I see this as an outrageously complex and thoughtful film that will be hard to compete with this season, and if it scores at the box office, Cruise will definitely pull a distinct persona into the film world. I hope he succeeds.
()
Numero uno this year. This sequel to Mission: Impossible delivers exactly what you’d expect: a frantic, dynamic pace that will give the faint of heart a heart attack. The most well thought out story of all the installments, Tom Cruise in more excellent form than ever, surprising and unexpected twists, a solid villain with an interestingly snarky voice, and fantastic diverse action (the motorcycle chase is among the best of its kind). Just a good dose of intelligent thrills. 100%
()
If I leave aside the story, which is unnecessarily complicated and the only thing it seems to be saying it that Tom Cruise needs to be running somewhere constantly, I still have to admit that I haven’t seen a better action movie yet this year. And to be honest, I don’t know whether I will see a better one ever. The scenes in Vienna and in Morocco were absolutely great. The opera tune Nessun Dorma and bucketloads of suspense actually created one of the most emotional action scenes in the past few years. Simply put, it was a hell of a scene that made me stop breathing, coughing and blinking. On top of that, the crew that Tom put together to help him with his trouble lifts your mood any time it can. Especially Simon Pegg, who was literally on a roll in the first half of the movie. Jeremy Renner and Ving Rhames certainly didn’t disappoint either and that’s despite the fact they got a lot less screen time than they would have deserved. What else can I add… This year’s best action movie sure was fun to watch. If you think about the wannabe artists who keep knocking the camera left and right to add three cheap effects, you have to admit that such clear shots must satisfy even somebody who can’t speak.
()