Tom
Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (and a standout cast) strike
gold again with Mission Impossible:Fallout, a superb action thriller, the best of the series.
Ethan
Hunt (Cruise) and his Impossible Missions Force of Benji (Simon Pegg) and
Luther (Ving Rhames) desperately search for stolen plutonium. With a monitoring
CIA watchdog, Walker (Henry Cavill), the trail leads to a mysterious female and
an old nemesis with a plot to detonate nuclear bombs with a horrifying purpose.
Who can the team trust as Hunt and his
team race to prevent catastrophe?
The
film effortlessly globe hops from Belfast to Berlin to Paris and beyond while
jumping from extended chases to the tense climax. Briskly paced editing, beautiful camerawork,
and an effective update of the classic TV theme highlight several superb action sequences including a high altitude halo jump, a
hair raising motorcycle chase, a crazy helicopter duel, and a brutal restroom beat
down any of which could cap off one film; here, it is an embarrassment of riches.
It really makes a difference that Cruise,
the movie star, does his own incredible stunts for the sake of realism.
Featuring
their usual bag of tricks and effective disguises, the team works together
especially at the end with some special help. There are references to the previous films that resonate emotionally, particularly
in the grand finale and surprise appearances from the past that increase the
personal stakes for Hunt, a man of conscience and fierce loyalty to his
team no matter what the odds.
Although
this Mission may be “impossible’ to
top, it shows there is still a lot of life in this franchise. It’s a real crowd pleaser (at 148 minutes) and
an example of stellar, movie making entertainment in the best sense.
**** of
**** stars
No comments:
Post a Comment