Just when I thought the plague of sequels that are the fourth, fifth and even seventh installments of their film series shattered my hopes for innovations in action movies, Tom Cruise comes along and restores my faith in smart movie making.
Successfully mixing different sub genres of movies together is very difficult. When the movie is an espionage/spy thriller and a globetrotting action adventure with comedic elements sprinkled over every scene, it’s especially difficult.
Surprisingly, the fifth Mission: Impossible movie that still has spoilers in the opening credits, still does incredibly dangerous and over-the-top super spy action and still stars a Tom Cruise who looks exactly like he did in the first one is really great.
After another mission succeeds through luck instead of preparedness, the IMF is now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise) is out in the cold. Over the past couple years, a new threat—called the Syndicate—soon emerges and throws Ethan for loop as they continue to stay one step ahead of America’s best secret agent.
The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order through an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team, comprised of Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, for one final mission as the now unofficial IMF.
In the process of learning and attempting to stop Solomon Lane, leader of the Syndicate, Ethan joins forces with Ilsa Faust (played by Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation Ethan’s determined to take down.
Cruise has always been the star of the Mission: Impossible movies, not only in front of the camera but behind the scenes as well. As a producer since the first movie in the series—his first time producing instead of only acting—Cruise is in control of what happens as much as the director, which may be why he gets away with doing his own stunts. Seriously, how at the age of 53 does Cruise continue to jump from large heights, beat up younger and taller bad guys and even hang outside of an airplane as it takes off into the sky?
Although most of the cast is relatively new with only Cruise and Rhames appearing in every installment, the team members interact with each other as if they’ve been together since the beginning. Each one fills the role of cliché spy-movie character, but because each one is given believable details and, for lack of a better word, character as the story progresses, none of them seem like 2-dimensional cookie cutouts.
Simon Pegg reprises his role of Benji from the third and fourth movies, and he is just as fun and funny here as in the British spoof movie trilogy he wrote and starred in. As the tech wizard of the team, Benji doesn’t seem like a super spy who’s active in the field, which makes all his moments in the car chases and hyper-tense standoff scenes even more enjoyable and Pegg’s performance even better.
Jeremy Renner has repeatedly proven how versatile he can be, giving his all to every role. As the man in the Pentagon running IMF for Ethan Hunt, Renner’s character is complicated. He has to deal with those in charge of operations at the highest level while still staying loyal to Hunt. But he isn’t only a suit talking to senators and generals. When the mission calls for it, Renner takes the first plane to Morocco and is there to help Hunt however he can.
The real surprising star of the movie, however, is Rebecca Ferguson as British agent Ilsa. Unfortunately, action movies aren’t known for making awesome female leads who can hold their own against the guys. But here she takes on Ethan Hunt twice and comes out on top. And when they must join forces to stop Solomon Lane and the Syndicate, Hunt doesn’t hold her hand the whole time. In fact, ageless wonder Tom Cruise has a difficult time keeping up with her, and she doesn’t rub it in. There is a mutual respect between them and it’s refreshing to see.
The Mission: Impossible movies have never been about the emotion and the drama of the characters, though it is there in small doses. Instead, the action and story carry the characters all over the world and drops them in the most interesting scenarios to get out of alive. With the same old formula here again, you’d think the fifth installment would be the sad slow death to an old dried-out series.
Instead, “Mission: Impossible – Rouge Nation” is one of the best in the series and the best action/adventure movie of the year. It knows exactly what it is and does that the very best it can. It’s smart, fun, thrilling, tense and hilarious throughout. See it soon before Ethan Hunt swoops in and takes it away.
Quigley Films Unlimited 