MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT: A Breathtaking Mix of Thrill Ride and Compelling Espionage Narrative.

   Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Produced by: Jake Myers, J.J. Abrams, Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

Written by: McQuarrie

Production Company: Paramount Pictures

Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Wes Bentley, Frederick Schmidt

Runtime: 147 minutes

                                                                 

SYNOPSIS: 

In Fallout, the Impossible Mission Forces (IMF) once again assigns Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his trusted crew to secure some deadly plutonium cores. During their daring mission, the shadows of the CIA and the anti-IMF organization the Syndicate also loom closer to them, both of whom have ulterior, even sinister motives behind their interest in Hunt’s operation and the plutonium itself. 

REVIEW: 

The Mission Impossible franchise is no stranger to characters appearing in multiple installments. Obviously, there is the action hero and major draw Tom Cruise as IMF agent Ethan Hunt and his trusted sidekick Ving Rhames as computer hacker Luther Stickell, making their sixth appearance in the Mission Impossible franchise, and so far, the only characters to have appeared in each and every one of them (yes, Ving Rhames’ uncredited cameo in Ghost Protocol (2011) does count). Let’s not forget another computer hacker in Hunt’s crew, with Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn. Benji’s rise from the man working behind the desk to a field agent right in the thick of the action highlights how much of an ever-present figure the character has been in the line-up since his super-sub debut in M: I III (2006). Yet, Fallout might just smash that record in terms of the number of people returning from the previous installments. A frequent collaborator with Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie now holds the rare distinction of being the first writer-director to helm more than one Mission Impossible film.  Save for Jeremy Renner’s character William Brandt, pretty much all the characters present in Rogue Nation (2015), from the IMF personnel (Rebecca Ferguson & Alec Baldwin) down to the big bad (Sean Harris) return for Fallout. 

As a result, the series’ sixth installment is by far its most serialized entry in terms of how the story connects to other Mission Impossible films, particularly with Rogue Nation. McQuarrie brought a more episodic style of storytelling to the table with the addition of the anti-IMF organization Syndicate to the narrative, and through Rogue Nation, it widened the scope of the franchise’s spy universe in ways unimaginable. Fallout pretty much continues Rogue Nation’s world-building work by carrying over plot points and character arcs established in previous iteration, and stretching them to the point where it does feel like a Rogue Nation part two rather than the series’ standard standalone feature. Right off the bat, the film reintroduces some of the characters from Rogue Nation, like the big bad Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) and double agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) as IMF captive and fugitive on the run respectively. Syndicate here is already a pervasive threat to the IMF, extending its influence from smaller-ranked arms dealers to even higher-ranked rival intelligence. But how do we get to this point? It is not as if the characters’ fates and the whole Syndicate subplot are left unresolved in Rogue Nation, but Fallout may just require the audience’s knowledge of the aforementioned elements in order for it all to make sense on a storytelling and emotional standpoint, which can be both the film’s plus and minus.

Still, Fallout needs no knowledge of previous installments to appreciate the grounded characterization of its action hero Ethan Hunt. Yes, this action hero is the same man who scaled the Burj Khalifa and clung onto the wing of a moving airplane for dear life. Yet here, just like in all the Mission Impossible installments (excluding M: I II (2000)), Ethan is also a man who has to constantly deal with tough emotional choices. The film often puts the main hero in split-second situations where he has to choose between his teammates or the mission. How each choice he makes affects Ethan emotionally helps humanize our hero as a character. Beyond Ethan’s emotional journey, McQuarrie also gives some of its supporting characters a bit more emotional weight, particularly with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Ilsa is such an interesting character in Rogue Nation because of her unpredictable, femme fatale personality. As much as she’s the good guy, she operates like a lone wolf, siding neither with the good guy nor the bad guy. Fallout explores the character’s lone wolf working ways and how that comes into conflict with the IMF, particularly concerning one of her former employers Lane.  She is also an outcast, who has grown distrustful to anyone but Ethan. The film establishes this special, quasi-teacher-student relationship between Ethan and Ilsa, which reminds the audience how much of a human these super spies are despite their extraordinary skills. 

Despite the different stylistic approach each director brings to the Mission Impossible franchise, each entry does abide to a pretty cookie cutter formula. As convoluted as a Mission Impossible movie may get story-wise, they will almost always feature these elements: the expository “your mission, should you choose to accept it” speech in the opening, doomsday devices, rogue agents, arms dealers and the one mask reveal after another. Yes, it can get repetitive, especially into its sixth entry, but somehow, the screenplay’s twisty execution of such familiar elements in Fallout manages to find ways to fool the audience. There is a sense that these familiar elements will eventually come, but the film continuously pulls the rug under us. What Fallout accomplishes in terms of staging the mask reveal sequence for instance is so smartly done that we can’t help but grin at how much we’re still duped by essentially the most basic card trick. 

Fallout’s main selling point pretty much reads: “Tom Cruise does crazy stunts”. To that end, the film does not disappoint. The Mission Impossible franchise continues to push the boundaries in terms of action sequences. It’s Cruise’s commitment on performing the stunts himself for the action sequences that gives the film a sense of spectacle. It’s startling that an actor, who is 56 nearing 60, is still willing to put his life on the line with one daredevil stunt after another. There is this one sequence of Cruise’s Hunt and Henry Cavill’s August Walker sky diving which is purely breathtaking on a choreography and filmmaking perspective, in the sense of how it captures the natural atmosphere of a person actually being airborne. Let’s not forget the infamous footage of him breaking his foot via jumping from one building to the other in the London sequence. Thankfully, it made the final cut, albeit only in the aftermath, yet what’s amazing about it is how he just shook the injury off and kept on running. 

Tom Cruise aside, the supporting cast is as engaging to watch. Ving Rhames remains Hunt’s irreplaceable sidekick from day one as computer hacker Luther Stickell. Luther already has such a playful chemistry with Ethan Hunt that cannot be replicated with the other IMF members, but in McQuarrie’s Mission Impossible films, the character has evolved into a much more caring, father figure, a person who is always concerned about him and who understands Ethan on an emotional standpoint. Simon Pegg is unsurprisingly funny here, but perhaps surprising is how involved he is in the thick of the action. Pegg’s Benji Dunn is equally as sharp in brain as he is with his sense of humor, and in Fallout, he proves himself to also be a capable action star. There is one sequence right in the end which defies logic in just how efficient a comedic actor can be in an action sequence. Pegg’s commitment with the action is as commendable as Cruise’s.  

Rebecca Ferguson gives a solid emotional, physical performance as Ilsa Faust, undoubtedly the best female character in the M: I franchise. She’s as deadly efficient as any spy is when it comes to snapping people’s necks and gunning people down, but her character has more range to that which the actress tapped into really well. Sean Harris joins the late Philip Seymour Hoffman as being the best villain in the franchise as Syndicate anarchist Solomon Lane. He is chilling every time he’s on screen, with his methodical way of speaking and the mad scientist vibe, and even he is not too involved in the action, his presence is enough to create mental unrest amongst the protagonists. Last but not least, Henry Cavill and his legendary moustache is a great addition as CIA agent August Walker. Walker here is such a no-nonsense, laser focus character who is all about the mission. Most often, that puts him in conflict with Hunt. Still, Cavill is badass personified here, laying all the punches, with eyes to kill, evident from his brutal performance in the toilet scene. 

CONCLUSION: 

Mission Impossible: Fallout complements Tom Cruise’s daredevil stunts with an emotionally high-stakes story to make it the year’s best action movie, or even to a certain extent, the best Mission Impossible film in the franchise. Disclaimer though, Rogue Nation might be required viewing before watching Fallout. 

SCORE: 9.5/10.

RANKING: 

1. Fallout
2. Ghost Protocol
3. M: I III
4. Rogue Nation
5. Mission Impossible
6. M: I II