Tom Cruise has managed to show that he is like fine wine and only gets better with age. And frankly, so does his franchise Mission Impossible. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation lands on screens and is undoubtedly the best in the series, even besting the astounding Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol by a hair.
The Christopher McQuarrie written and directed story begins with an action sequence that was teased in this Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation behind-the-scenes clip. Cruise, ever one to do his own stunts, clings to the outside door of a military plane as it takes off into the sky. Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) lies in a field adjacent to the landing strip, desperately trying to open said door from his computer. As they say, we’re off!
That taste of action superiority is nothing new to a Mission Impossible series that has seen Cruise scale the tallest buildings in the world and much more. But, there is something truly extraordinary about the stunts and suspenseful set pieces in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation that sets this film apart — not just from the rest of the series, but from every other action movie that comes along this summer (except for maybe Mad Max: Fury Road).
Despite saving the world on countless occasions (and even once more in that opening scene in this film), Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is a wanted man in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. He is deep undercover (or in hiding?) as his IMF team’s methods are called into question at a Senate hearing with his teammate William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) supporting him and CIA Director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) calling for the dissolving of the storied spy sub-agency.
Meanwhile, Hunt is hot on the trail of The Syndicate, a rogue organization that is the “anti-IMF” and seeks to sponsor terrorism and completely destroy all peace loving institutions the world over. Hunley doesn’t believe the organization exists and as the audience can see… it is a menace to say the least.
With the IMF disbanded, Cruise must act alone, but he has his friends who will help him no matter how badly the cards are down. First and foremost is Dunn, and a huge welcome return to the series is Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell. The wildcard here is a British agent who may or may not be a turned spook working for The Syndicate, Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). She and Hunt are kindred spirits, but he and the audience too, cannot quite figure her out. And that is fantastic spy movie filmmaking.
We love a spy movie that keeps us guessing. Audiences have seen it all over the years and it’s hard to get mysteries and intrigue by these seasoned moviegoers. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation does just that. Through its two hours and 10 minute running time, the viewer is never solidly sure what alliances are solid (even within the IMF!), who works for whom and how this tangled web of mystery will work itself out.
Kudos to McQuarrie. He worked with Cruise on Jack Reacher and it’s clear the pair have quite a fantastic creative partnership that in this case has translated to some explosively fantastic cinema. The audience will literally be on the edge of their seats throughout this film and on many occasions, hands will be brought to cover eyes out of sheer fear that our heroes won’t make it through the perilous situations that McQuarrie puts them in.
The supporting cast is fantastic, as usual. Making an announcement of talent (even more so after her turn in White Queen) is Ferguson. She manages to join some elite company in spy thriller movie history with her turn as Faust, whose name could also not be more impeccable.
And Pegg’s talents for the humorous side of things is not limited this time out, making this fifth Mission Impossible film also the most hilarious. Even Cruise is allowed to emit some laughs which is a fantastic relief to all the intense stress the suspense puts on its audience.
The man of the movie, of course, is Cruise. He not only does his own stunts, but as executive producer, has overseen a spy movie that has become an instant classic. The superstar has hinted that the next Mission Impossible may come sooner than later, and that is the best news of all. If this series keeps getting better with age, like its star, one can only imagine the greatness it soars to heading into the future.
Grade: A