Review #1,423: 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (2018)

Over the course of twenty-odd years, Tom Cruise has clung to the side of an aeroplane as it soared into the sky, had a knife held millimetres away from his eyeball, and ran down the side of the world's tallest building, all for the sake of the Mission: Impossible series, a franchise that no-one would have dreamt would still be packing cinema screens two decades later when it began back in 1996. Cruise's enthusiasm for putting himself at genuine risk of death has seen these movies continuously trying to outdo each other, and the sixth in the series, Christopher McQuarrie's Fallout, is not only the most ambitious in scale and clinical in its execution, but may also just be one of the finest action pictures ever made. I never believed the sight of Cruise running across the outside of the 119th floor of Dubai's Burj Khalifa would ever be topped, but Fallout delivers not one but two superior set-pieces, and that's not even mentioning the rooftop-hopping that saw Cruise break his leg and carry on with the scene. 

Ethan Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force team are tasked this time with intercepting three plutonium cores in Berlin before they fall into the hands on an organisation called The Apostles, a terrorist group made up of survivors from The Syndicate. Joined by Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), the team fail in their mission when Hunt refuses to let one his own die. As the terrorists make off with the plutonium to sell to a mysterious buyer called John Lark, Hunt receives a dressing-down from CIA director Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett), who is furious at their failure to secure the weapons of mass destruction. She forces Hunt to take on CIA operative August Walker (Henry Cavill) as a shadow, and the odd couple head off to Paris to track down Alanna (Vanessa Kirby), an arms dealer they believe has connections to Lark. Double-crosses and high-speed chases ensue, as well as Tom Cruise's trademark run, as all paths start to lead back to Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), the formidable villain from last time.

Christopher McQuarrie is the only director to have returned for a second stab at the Mission: Impossible gig, and the choice seems odd given how lacklustre Rogue Nation proved to be. But whatever he failed to grasp last time around he confidently nails here. McQuarrie and Cruise pull out all the stops, executing everything from a terrifying night-time sky-dive to a helicopter chase that sees Cruise plummet from the chopper's rails to the cargo swinging 40 feet below like veteran masters of the genre. The sheer risk and danger of some of the stunts pulled off here is gobsmacking, and Cruise can now comfortably sit alongside the likes of Jackie Chan as one of the greatest action stars ever. Cruise isn't the only star of course: Cavill particularly impresses as the deadpan slugger with a moustache so impressive it manage to cock up Justice League's re-shoots. Rhames and Pegg, who are both given larger roles than usual, can now banter like colleagues who have worked with each other for four movies, and reliable support is given by the likes of Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin and Michelle Monaghan. At two and a half hours, it can be argued that there's at least one climax too many, but I doubt anyone will be checking their watches. 

Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, Michelle Monaghan

Country: USA/China/France/Norway

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,376: 'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)

One of the aspects of the Mission: Impossible franchise that really helps separate it from the conveyor belt of action/spy/thriller movies that hit our cinema screens and streaming services every year is the idea of introducing a new director for each new entry. Such an approach helps prevent fatigue from Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and whatever team he assembles, and gives each film its own feel without disrupting the flow of the series. Brian De Palma riddled his movie with unbearable moments of tension, while John Woo favoured slow-motion gunplay. J.J. Abrams introduced a darker tone to the proceedings, only for Brad Bird to lighten the tone while packing more of a physical punch. They aren't all great, but you can at least recognise a style. Christopher McQuarrie was the choice to envision part five, and with him he brings a bland, by-the-numbers style that infected his previous movie, the Tom Cruise vehicle Jack Reacher.

What also has helped this series to survive over the years are set-pieces built around real stunts and genuine danger. In this regard, Rogue Nation doesn't disappoint, although it clearly blows its load far too early. If you've seen the trailer, you'll know the film's signature jaw-dropping moment involves Tom Cruise clinging to the side of a plane as it takes off, the ground behind him shrinking rapidly with each passing second. Simon Pegg's Benji Dunn frantically bashes an iPad while Jeremy Renner's returning William Brandt barks panicked directions over loud-speaker, and it's all edited to guarantee maximum thrills. In fact, the entire first half of the film manages to maintain this exciting pace, delivering a high speed motorcycle chase and a stealthy mission in the Vienna Opera House. Plot has never been the strong suit of this franchise, and things grind to a halt when McQuarrie decides to slow things down for the finale. A plot involving the kidnapping of 'the British Prime Minister' (played by Tom Hollander) and a shadowy organisation called The Syndicate are plot devices straight out of James Bond, and it often feels like Rogue Nation is simply trying to be America's version of Britain's most popular fictional spy.

McQuarrie does have some aces hidden up his sleeve however, and the biggest of these is Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, a fellow spy working within the Syndicate for her own dubious reasons. While her character shares no chemistry with her lead co-star, she makes a fantastic impression in the action stakes as she repeatedly crosses paths with Hunt, and hordes of bad guys, in the field. Cruise does share great chemistry with Simon Pegg however, and although the Shaun of the Dead star is little more than comic relief and the guy who can push a few buttons on his laptop and open any door in the world, his screen time with Cruise helps to humanise Hunt, which is important in a universe looking to turn its hero into an unstoppable super agent. It's a perfectly passable two hours, but will likely fade from memory mere seconds after the credits have rolled. Unlike the lit fuse during the opening credits, Rogue Nation fails to explode into life, fizzling out when the film starts to think that this series can be anything more than a bunch of people chasing a McGuffin and having to retrieve a few things in spectacular fashion along the way. Woo's effort remains the worst in the series, but Rogue Nation lacks an identity. While the first hour is certainly fun, it often feels like McQuarrie is auditioning for a different franchise altogether.


Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hollander
Country: China/Hong Kong/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #879: ''71' (2014)

There have been precious few movies focusing on the Troubles in Northern Ireland - the conflict between the Nationalists and Loyalists that spread itself sporadically over four decades. The one film that comes immediately to mind is Paul Greengrass's deeply upsetting and infuriating Bloody Sunday (2002), and '71 shares much in common aesthetically. The grainy shaky-cam is omnipresent, and the violence is quick, ugly and brutal. Yet while Greengrass opted to let the true-life story tell itself and avoided making any overt political statements (though it's understandably clear where his sympathy lies), '71 makes a point of showing the many factions fighting and politicking with each other - often scheming within their own parties.

New army recruit Gary Hook (Jack O'Connell) says goodbye to his younger brother, who resides in care, before his battalion is shipped off to a particularly volatile area of Belfast in 1971. Whilst providing back-up during a neighbourhood search for firearms, Gary is separated from his squad after a crowd gathers and tempers start to ignite. Left beaten and bloodied after seeing one of his friends shot dead at close range by a group of Catholic Nationalists, Gary flees and must navigate his way through the streets armed only with a knife. As news of his disappearance spreads throughout the Loyalists, Nationalists and a shady MRF unit led by the creepy Captain Browning (Sean Harris), Gary finds his life in mortal danger from all sides, but finds help in the unlikeliest of places.

'71 is faced with the dangerous possibility of forging fictional entertainment out of a terrible, and relatively recent event, and coming out of it all looking rather insensitive. However, director Yann Demange, making an incredibly mature debut feature, is wise enough to cover the Troubles from all sides. Apart from a select few - including father and daughter Eamon and Brigid (played by Richard Dormer and Charlie Murphy) who take pity on Gary and tend to his many wounds - nobody comes out of it all looking particularly good. Every side has their own agenda, and it usually results in violence. And amidst all the chaos there's Gary, a young lad bewildered by his new surroundings and too inexperienced to properly handle the situation, finding himself become a political pawn as he fights for his life.

As a nail-biter, it's positively riveting. There's a moment that will make you jump out of your seat, but the action is never exploitative. When our leading man finds himself on his knees with a gun to the back of his head, his body convulses with shock and fear, elevating him from your typical movie hero to a real human being. O'Connell, though his character doesn't have much time between attempted assassinations and screaming in pain to say much, continues to impress following his breakthrough in 2013 with Starred Up. It's an extremely physical performance, and O'Connell is shockingly good at looking in genuine pain. Although it sometimes goes a bit overboard - the burning cars at the end of every street and the ever-present roaming aggressors make it seem like an Irish Dawn of the Dead meets Escape from New York - '71 will leave you exhausted, exhilarated and possibly more educated.


Directed by: Yann Demange
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris, Charlie Murphy, Richard Dormer
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie