I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. . . Tom Cruise is the reincarnation of several silent film stars. Think Buster Keaton – the man willing to jump, fall, slide and put his life on the line for his beloved fans (the front of a house almost crushing him – miraculously finding his way through the upstairs window thanks to a perfectly placed nail on the ground). . . or Harold Lloyd, dangling from a breaking clock eight stories high. . . also Douglas Fairbanks Sr., who we see falling down a ship’s sail with only his dagger jammed into the fabric to control the drop. . . as well as the countless gags performed by the magical Charlie Chaplin.
With Mission: Impossible – Fallout being released today (the sixth film in the jaw dropping franchise, I thought it would be a prudent idea to revisit the 2015 fifth feature, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation). Opening with a death-defying stunt which has Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) dangling from the exterior of a plane taking off, it is a perfect example of what I am taking about above. Completely real, you are actually seeing the actor take off (it took eight tries to get everything perfect), and, each time they reached an incredible five thousand feet. He had to wear special contact lenses, as a speck of dust in the eye would have blinded him, whilst also helping him keep his eyes open.
A spectacle driven film with a quality plot, Christopher McQuarrie, the talented scribe of The Usual Suspects, writes and directs, finding that magical place between modern spy-action and the epic, suave classic usually only found in the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Hunt, part of the IMF (or Impossible Mission Force), finds himself constantly on the losing end of a shadowy group called The Syndicate. . . led by a creepy unknown named Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). They are the antithesis of the IMF, a manipulative group looking to change the world for the worse, wreaking cultural, political and global havoc one well-planned manoeuvre at a time.
Though Hunt escapes their forceful grasp, thanks partially to a woman named Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) – we are never quite sure if she is on the right side of things or not, the spy is distraught to learn from superior William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) that the IMF has been shuttered. . . mostly thanks to the pressure of CIA higher-up Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin).
This leads Hunt to go rogue, attempting to root out the manipulative supergroup while dodging the CIA – as he is on the top of their list. . . they are looking to parade him around as proof of the IMF’s blatant disregard for rules, regulations and anything else that is put in place to limit a government Force.
One of the film’s major set pieces is a night at the opera, a Vienna set sequence that is much like the event in question. McQuarrie frames the action with a deft theatrical touch, suspense, action and impressive comedy flowing to the music of Turandot, specifically its iconic song, “Nessun Dorma”. Paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1956 film The Man Who Knew Too Much, Hunt must outwit the impressive Ilsa, as well as two other assassins, his only help coming from his old ally and friend Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), who he has roped into the dangerous mission. It hits every beat and note, much like the music, its flowing cadence that of movie magic.
Of course, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames – the only other person to be involved in every Mission as well as Cruise) also pops by, always there to help his dearest friend. Yet, including Brandt, it is four against The Syndicate, who pluck their agents from other covert organizations, each time covering their identity through deadly subterfuge (making it seem like they have been lost in action, in reality, they have simply switched allegiance to this gang of cleverly calculated, chaotic and anarchistic criminals). Will Hunt and his team be able to outsmart chess-like master Lane, or have they finally met their match?
Combining impressive action, surprising comedy, and tons of suspenseful thrills, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is an example of a big budget sequel done right. Utterly realistic, because, in essence, what you see on screen is real, even Pegg gets in on the action, tagging along with Cruise in the impressive car chase. Adrenalin-fuelled motorcycle stunts, knife and gun fights, as well as brainy spy craft also appear throughout.
What really elevates the picture though, are the performances. Cruise is at his best, perhaps finally meeting his equal in Ferguson – a woman who can match him blow for blow, you would be mistaken if you thought her long legs in a flowing yellow gown were simply eye candy for the male audience. She is utterly impressive, the Swede should be immediately compared to another famous icon from the country who also played an Ilsa – Ingrid Bergman. It is not an accident that Hunt and his team track the woman to, you guessed it, Casablanca, as, in many ways, McQuarrie pays tribute to the classic romance channelled so perfectly by Bogart and Bergman with Cruise and Ferguson. . . this Ilsa a souped-up action heroine version of the earlier iteration. And, let us not forget Pegg, a nice touch of comedy and never-wavering friendship, while Renner is able to carry over a splotch of suspicion found in his debut in Ghost Protocol; Baldwin is at his cocky, smarmy best, while Harris gives an air of unmatched menace, a more controlled danger compared to his frightening, drug-addled turn as a dealer in the superb British film Harry Brown (back in 2009). . . lastly, Rhames brings that loyal swagger to the group, a sharp man working at his own pace.
Filmizon.com’s Nikolai Adams with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation composer Joe Kraemer at the inaugural St. Lawrence International Film Festival (2015)
Lastly, Joe Kraemer does a superlative job with the score, finding original ways to build suspense and tease out the iconic composition, capturing the mystery, thrills and action found throughout. A nice touch finds him utilizing “Nessun Dorma” as Ilsa’s theme, a quasi-love instrumental that captures the classic tone of their flirtatious action relationship.
A high-octane action extravaganza, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is one of the best of a franchise reaching back more than twenty years. Smart, funny and thrilling, it is an entertaining spectacle from beginning to end. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to think outside the box and track down this engaging film. . . it is well worth accepting.