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When the original Mission: Impossible opened back in 1996, IMF lead agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) found himself alone and disavowed, his whole team strategically eliminated by someone they were supposed to trust. Makes sense that as a result, Hunt would go out of his way to protect his teammates at all costs, even if it is "one life over millions"; and that is precisely the predicament in which he finds himself in this sixth installment of the popular franchise.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout has Hunt and his team trying to locate a trio of plutonium cores that were lost in a botched handoff, all because Ethan chose to protect his friends. Because of this, he's tacked on with CIA agent Augustus Walker (Henry Cavill) to make sure that everything runs smoothly. But since this is "mission impossible", things won't necessarily go their way as they are once again put in the path of captured anarchist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), who might still have a couple of tricks under his sleeve.
All this and more just serve to put Ethan and his team in all kinds of predicaments. Driving away from assassins and mercenaries through the streets of Paris, hiding from dirty agents in a London safe house, defusing nuclear bombs in Kashmir. But if there's one constant all through is Hunt's determination to protect those that he cares for, maybe as a way to atone for those that he couldn't protect back in 1996.
This is something that has become a staple in the franchise since Mission: Impossible III; the attempts to turn Ethan into a burdened human being as opposed to an "uber-cool" superhero. This is not James Bond, but rather a real person that feels and suffers for those around him, and Cruise does a great job portraying that emotional weight. Even though you see him running and jumping and surviving insurmountable odds, you never stop believing he is a vulnerable human being.
Back for the ride once again are Luther Stickell, Benji Dunn, and Ilsa Faust (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson), but it is Hunt's pairing with Walker that electrifies the screen with friction, tension, doubts, and why not? some light humor. Cavill definitely owns the role as he plays Walker as an uptight, imposing, and ambigous partner, all in one super-package.
This was my second time watching the film, mostly for a guest appearance at a friend's podcast, but I didn't mind it at all. As a matter of fact, I think I enjoyed it and appreciated it more this time around. From the great performances and chemistry of the cast, to the insane action setpieces, it's always a delight to know that even though the world is at risk, Ethan Hunt is out there to make the terrible choices we can't.
Grade:
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT
(2018, McQuarrie)
A film with a title that starts with the letters M or N
(2018, McQuarrie)
A film with a title that starts with the letters M or N
"You had a terrible choice to make in Berlin: one life over millions. And now the world is at risk."
When the original Mission: Impossible opened back in 1996, IMF lead agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) found himself alone and disavowed, his whole team strategically eliminated by someone they were supposed to trust. Makes sense that as a result, Hunt would go out of his way to protect his teammates at all costs, even if it is "one life over millions"; and that is precisely the predicament in which he finds himself in this sixth installment of the popular franchise.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout has Hunt and his team trying to locate a trio of plutonium cores that were lost in a botched handoff, all because Ethan chose to protect his friends. Because of this, he's tacked on with CIA agent Augustus Walker (Henry Cavill) to make sure that everything runs smoothly. But since this is "mission impossible", things won't necessarily go their way as they are once again put in the path of captured anarchist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), who might still have a couple of tricks under his sleeve.
All this and more just serve to put Ethan and his team in all kinds of predicaments. Driving away from assassins and mercenaries through the streets of Paris, hiding from dirty agents in a London safe house, defusing nuclear bombs in Kashmir. But if there's one constant all through is Hunt's determination to protect those that he cares for, maybe as a way to atone for those that he couldn't protect back in 1996.
This is something that has become a staple in the franchise since Mission: Impossible III; the attempts to turn Ethan into a burdened human being as opposed to an "uber-cool" superhero. This is not James Bond, but rather a real person that feels and suffers for those around him, and Cruise does a great job portraying that emotional weight. Even though you see him running and jumping and surviving insurmountable odds, you never stop believing he is a vulnerable human being.
Back for the ride once again are Luther Stickell, Benji Dunn, and Ilsa Faust (Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson), but it is Hunt's pairing with Walker that electrifies the screen with friction, tension, doubts, and why not? some light humor. Cavill definitely owns the role as he plays Walker as an uptight, imposing, and ambigous partner, all in one super-package.
This was my second time watching the film, mostly for a guest appearance at a friend's podcast, but I didn't mind it at all. As a matter of fact, I think I enjoyed it and appreciated it more this time around. From the great performances and chemistry of the cast, to the insane action setpieces, it's always a delight to know that even though the world is at risk, Ethan Hunt is out there to make the terrible choices we can't.
Grade: