How weird is it that with every Mission: Impossible movie I find myself filled with excitement and anticipation despite never really remembering much plot details about the previous installment? Even with the most minor Marvel or Fast and Furious film, I’ll have some memory of the basic conflict, and plot threads from the previous entries. The M:I series is a unique beast in that regard, tapping into the sort of adrenaline rush that comes with walking out of a movie with your friends and going on and on about that one part where the action hero did this really amazing stunt, or that unbelievable chase scene, and making that the crux of every movie in the franchise.
I might not remember much about what the story of Rogue Nation, but you bet I remember Tom Cruise hanging on for dear life on that plane, I remember him holding his breath for an insane amount of time, and of course, I remember the awesome motorcycle chase. Plot may not be these movie’s strong suit, but they also recognize that’s not their purpose. What we love is seeing a filmmaker come in and essentially put their stamp on the franchise by crafting numerous, elaborate, and practical action sequences that are the kind of stuff the big screen was made for.
With the latest installment, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, things continue as expected, but there are aspects of it that make it unique for this particular series. But before we get to that, the basic story follows Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) having to work with CIA assassin, August Walker (Henry Cavill) after a mission results in Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) escaping custody. Now, Ethan and his team are on a race against time to find Solomon and stop him from detonating nuclear bombs before it’s too late.
As with any Mission: Impossible movie, the actual details that keep the plot moving are a bit mechanical, bordering on the contrived, but it’s serviceable as a vehicle for Tom Cruise to pull off insane action sequences, and that is where this movie shines. Even by franchise standards, the stunt work and planning that went into each set piece here is incredible, putting so many modern Hollywood action movies to shame. Christopher McQuarrie might not be the most overtly stylish filmmaker out there, but his classical form which puts extra emphasis on clarity and minimal flourish within these sequences feels like the work of someone who has been doing this for decades.
The film moves at a rapid pace, making the near two-and-a-half hour runtime go by like a breeze. It’s a relentless ride that builds with razor sharp tension. You get the feeling you’re going on one hell of a ride when even the production logos at the beginning of the film are sped up so we can get the action going. But even with that, it doesn’t just let Ethan perform near superhuman feats without establishing the personal stakes, through his team members, Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), as well as his wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan), who brings a quiet soulfulness to the action-packed climax with just a few fleeting lines and melancholic glances. And it’s also worth noting that franchise newcomers, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby are all a delightful addition.
Like I said before, while the film easily feels like another great installment, it also stands out in various ways. It’s the first time a director has returned, it’s the first direct sequel, and it also manages to pay homage and make direct connections to other films in the series. If you’re very familiar with all the films, then these will be great moments that adds to the overall experience, but if you come at this not knowing anything, they never feel like a distraction or inside-jokey.
I don’t want to get into too much detail about Mission: Impossible – Fallout because that would eventually end up with me just redundantly gushing about how face-meltingly entertaining it is, and the copious amounts of ass-kicking that Tom Cruise does in here in one of the most relentlessly physical performances that I’ve ever seen. For something that is constructed in a way that is so precise, swift, and elegant, it packs the kind of visceral punch that leaves you breathless and exiting the theater like you just got off a rollercoaster. It’s undoubtedly a masterpiece of stunt coordination and action filmmaking with Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie working at the top of their game. Not bad at all for the sixth installment of a blockbuster franchise.
This whole thing reminds me of a quote by screenwriter, Ernest Lehman, when describing the process in writing North By Northwest after he and Alfred Hitchcock hit writer’s’ block in their attempts at adapting The Wreck of the Mary Deare in 1957. They decided to move on to a different project to get their creative juices flowing, and Lehman said he wanted to write “the Hitchcock picture to end all Hitchcock pictures,” and thus, North By Northwest soon came to fruition. That’s what Fallout feels like, it’s the Mission: Impossible movies to end all Mission: Impossible movies. I do not envy whoever has to top this in the next film.