Tom Cruise is back with the fifth instalment of this thrilling franchise, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. This is what’s great about the Mission Impossible films; Tom Cruise. Even after turning 53 (let that sink in) he does his own stunts in all his films, and he gives his all every time. It’s why this franchise has survived not only for nearly 20 years, but got better with every film. Director Chris McQuarrie had the daunting task of following Ghost Protocol, which was brilliantly directed by Brad Bird, and he gave possibly the best one yet. This film was full of action and beautifully shot sequences.
With the IMF team disavowed by the CIA, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is out in the cold as a new threat known as The Syndicate emerges, a sinister group of rogue spies who’s intent is to destabilise the global economy through terror attacks. Ethan goes covert with his team; Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Luther (Ving Rhames), travelling across the world to track down The Syndicate. Joining forces with them is Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), an ass-kicking renegade British agent who’s loyalties lean between Hunt and the Rogue Nation.
Tom Cruise’s devotion is conveyed through the brilliance of the film, and unsurprisingly so, as he’s one of the most committed actors working today, not just in regards to his physical aspects of his films and performing death-defying stunts, but he always gives a stalwart performance every time he takes, and this one was no different. He nails the humour, drama and of course the action. In Ghost Protocol, he climbed the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, and now he’s hanging off the side of an airborne plane. Older yet bolder, nothing can stop the daredevil that is Tom Cruise. He also does his own stunts during the thrilling motorcycle chase which was probably one of the best high-speed motorcycle chases ever on screen; it was so exhilarating.
Simon Pegg is brilliant as Benji- he allows them to have comic relief without compromising the tension in the espionage moments and the thrills in the action scenes exemplifying that he’s a viable part of this franchise. Jeremy Renner has his moments to shine, and it’s pleasing to see Ving Rhames back as Luther and has more screen time, as he only had a cameo in Ghost Protocol. He’s an original key member so it was nice to see his character’s and Hunt’s chemistry again. Alec Baldwin is also in this film as CIA chief Alan Hunley and he delivers as well.
Newcomer Rebecca Ferguson is the one to watch, she is just a total bad-ass. She plays an integral role in most of Cruise’s stunts. Ferguson is talented, sexy and lethal, flaunting her combat skills more than her beauty. She proves her mettle as a future action star by delivering a memorable breakthrough performance.
Now with all the previous Mission Impossible films, the biggest issue this series has had is crafting a compelling villain, Mission Impossible 3 had the best one with the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ghost Protocol’s villain was weak and that was the worst aspect of that great movie. This film’s villain played by Sean Harris is very chilling, had motivation and was well acted. He wasn’t an incredible villain which is fine as it works for this movie as you’ll understand along with Hunt why he has to be stopped. Director McQuarrie did an impressive job in making the fifth film in this franchise, which is always a worry as, a total success. He raises the stakes and creates nail-biting tension. The action sequences from Cruise, literally, hanging off a plane to a Mexican style stand-off at the Vienna Opera to an underwater heist, and then transitioning to a high-octane motorcycle chase. It gets intense and keeps the audience excited throughout.
Mission Impossible Rogue Nation is a blend of the previous films but just even more action-packed and just better; and worth saying that it’s the best in the franchise. This film is an expertly crafted spectacle with stunning action set pieces, great performances and balanced blend of humour and suspense. This franchise is about missions being impossible, the real impossibility is that these films exceed expectations and just get better and better. Audience’s adrenaline would be rushed in every breathtaking stunt sequence and it’ll be worth every penny.
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