Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is directed by Christopher McQuarrie and stars Tom Cruise once again as quintessential action hero Ethan Hunt. In this film, we pick up with Hunt as he is trying to uncover the existence of "The Syndicate" or a "Rogue Nation" intent on causing multiple terrorist attacks across the world. Meanwhile, Hunt's organisation the "IMF" is officially shut down by the director of the CIA, played by Alec Baldwin. With the help of the few friends he has, it is up to Hunt to uncover the mystery of "The Syndicate" during a film which is a relentless, fast-paced action thrill ride helmed excellently by Christopher McQuarrie.
It has always been the Mission Impossible way to get in a new director for each new instalment. As a result, each film feels fresh and different from the last. This is a sleek and gorgeous looking movie with incredible action sequences and stunts performed not just by committed stunt men, but by the headline actors willing to stand up to the physical challenge of the stunts they were tasked to perform. McQuarrie's fast paced direction accomplishes effective thrills in all 3 acts. His helming of the various action set pieces was refreshing to witness. He utilises wide takes and elegant tracking shots which allow you to actually see what is happening as opposed to the epileptic quick-cut, shaky-cam bullshit currently plaguing Hollywood action films.
Because of the convincing stunt work, accomplished direction and swift cinematography, Rogue Nation has a lot of incredible action sequences to watch and enjoy. There is one scene whereby Ethan has to dive into a large body of water, hold his breath for a good few minutes and successfully replace a security mainframe. It's a very suspenseful scene which is filmed excellently, plus was so effective due to the high stakes Rogue Nation accomplishes. My palms were sweating and I was gripping my seat. There is also a bike chase sequence which might be my favourite of the entire film which really got my blood pumping and my adrenaline rushing. So many action films nowadays forget that the main goal of the film should be to pump up the audience and get their heart beating. Rogue Nation understands exactly that, and works so well because of this.
It's easy to make fun of Tom Cruise but as an action movie star he is one of, if not absolutely, the best in Hollywood. He's not only heavily committed when it comes to performing his own death-defying stunts (most notably the one from the trailer) but an excellent physical actor. The character of Ethan Hunt, while being a top field agent, is not invincible by any means. In Rogue Nation, we see him physically and in some ways psychologically challenged by the Syndicate organisation. He may be an iconic action hero, but he isn't a superhero. He's a vulnerable man who cares for his team and always does what is right, and is relatable as a result.
The supporting cast is very good as well. The addition of Rebecca Ferguson to the movie was a fantastic move by the casting directors as she is utterly magnetic as Ilsa Faust. She holds up well in the movie's action sequences but is also a very compelling character simply because she is so hard to lock down as a person. You're never quite sure where her true motivations and allegiances lie for a good portion of the film, leaving you guessing throughout. She's also not just in the film to be the love interest like a Bond girl, she's an interesting character. Aren't the best and most intriguing characters the ones who are complex and difficult to see through? I think so, and Ferguson effortlessly shared the limelight alongside Cruise in a break-out performance.
Simon Pegg is good in the film but not in the way you might first assume. He's a great comedic actor and his style is utilised well in a naturally funny screenplay (written by director McQuarrie). But, Rogue Nation also showcased the talent of Pegg as a dramatic actor as well. Jeremy Renner is good here as is Mission Impossible regular Ving Rhames. I really liked the direction they took with Renner's character, something I feel a lot of reviews won't touch upon. His ideals sometimes clash with Ethan's which makes for some interesting minor conflicts between the 2. It would be easy for the movie to make the IMF team a cooperative, well-oiled machine where it all runs smoothly. Instead, they go for the more realistic route whereby not everyone agrees with each other 100% of the time.
While the film may be a fast-paced action film for the most part, there are a few scenes located before the action finale which seemed to extend the runtime by about 10 minutes or so. That is only a minor nit-pick of mine. However, my one main issue with Rogue Nation is the villain. I won't spoil who he is, but he's a little underwhelming. He lacked a compelling reason and motivation for his actions. The character and the actor who played him were both perfectly functional but that was it. For me, I wanted something more from his character. If I had gotten that, I'd be calling this the best action movie to come out in half a decade.
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation despite its villain problem excels as a thriller and stands out as a modern day action flick. The stunts are performed brilliantly, it's shot fantastically, the characters are all handed brilliantly to boot. This is the sort of stuff I want to be seeing when I pay money to watch an action movie. While some action movies fail at a fundamental level, Rogue Nation succeeds because it gets the fundamentals so spot on:
Rating - A-
Thanks for reading,
Matt
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