Review #1,374: 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (2011)

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol continues the series' trend of introducing a new director with each new instalment, hoping that a pair of fresh eyes will prevent the franchise from growing stagnant. A few eyebrows were raised when it was announced that J.J. Abrams' successor would be none other than Brad Bird, director of such animated classics The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, with what would be his first live-action picture. However, it becomes clear early on that Bird is more than up for the task, with his background in colourful animated efforts (including one of cinema's all-time best superhero adventures) perhaps inspiring him to make something all the more physical. This fourth entry is the most action-packed yet, and carries a hell of a punch, with one jaw-dropping set-piece in particular blowing any stunts from the previous films completely out of the water.

IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is spending time locked away in a Moscow prison, keeping tabs on Bogdan (Miraj Grbic), a fellow inmate who may posses vital information on a man known as 'Cobalt'. With Cobalt now in possession of a file containing Russian nuclear launch codes, time is running out, so agents Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and the recently-promoted Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) break him out in order to infiltrate the Kremlin and gather information on their mysterious target. During the mission however, a bomb is detonated, leaving the Kremlin in ruins and Hunt and his team, who are the main suspects, disavowed by their government. Despite IMF's reputation lying in tatters, the agency Secretary (Tom Wilkinson) tasks Hunt with continuing his hunt for Cobalt, who has been revealed to be Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a nuclear strategist who feels that an extinction event is long overdue.

If there is a major flaw in Ghost Protocol, it's Nyqvist's villain. While Philip Seymour Hoffman was brought in last time to truly jangle the nerves, Hendricks isn't given enough screen-time or a clear enough motivation to make much of an impression, despite being played by a damn fine actor. This does, however, open more space for the team itself, who are eventually joined by intelligence analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner). Their mission takes them across the globe, and eventually to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, where of course Hunt must scale the highest building in the world in the most vertigo-inducing sequence ever captured on film. With Hunt wielding only a pair of high-tech suction gloves to save him from certain death, Bird uses every camera angle and editing technique to make it a moment to dread for anybody with a fear of heights. Once again, Tom Cruise does all of his own stunts, demonstrating why he one of the most respected actors around, despite the inherent craziness of his personal life. It's basically none stop action surrounding the flimsiest of McGuffins, but when the fights and stunts are choreographed so spectacularly, it's easy to forgive the picture's flaws and simply go with it.


Directed by: Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Léa Seydoux
Country: USA/United Arab Emirates/Czech Republic/Russia/India/Canada

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #858: 'A Most Violent Year' (2014)

Set in New York during 1981, the year in which the city recorded its highest crime rate, A Most Violent Year evokes the American cinema of the 1970's - brutally unsentimental and strictly character-driven. There are no sweeping shots of Times Square or children playing in water squirting from a busted fire hydrant; this is snowy and industrial, and slower and more thoughtful than it's rather shoddy title suggests. It's also bolstered by some impressive performances, with lead Oscar Isaac continuing his recent star-making yet modest run of late, again proving that he is Lon Chaney's natural successor to the 'man of a thousand faces' tag with another chameleon-esque performance.

Yet the slow pace and brooding intensity doesn't quite deliver towards the end, offering a predictable and easy resolution compared to the memorable finale I was expecting. Isaac plays immigrant Abel Morales, who is Abel in both name and execution, riding high on the top of a newly-built oil company while his murky competitors snarl at his success. With corruption infesting the entire city from every corner, Assistant District Attorney Lawrence (David Oyelowo) is breathing down his neck, only Abel is trying his best to keep on the straight and narrow. The father of his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain), belonged to a different generation, one that succeeded through violence and intimidation, exactly the kind of reputation Abel is trying to shake.

In a bit to surpass his competitors, Abel and his lawyer Andrew Walsh (Albert Brooks) strike a deal with a group of Jewish Hasidim to purchase land that will allow him to ship in his product directly from the dock. He is given a week to honour the contract and pay a hefty sum, and the land is his. Only his competitors have different ideas, and Abel suspects one, or all, of them are behind the recent truck hijackings that have left his drivers, namely fellow immigrant Julian (Elyes Gabel), shook up. The union are soon on his back to arm his employees so they may have a better chance at defending themselves, but Abel wants no blood on his hands. With pressure coming from the D.A., his rivals, the Teamsters and his wife, Abel must survive the week before his empire crumbles.

With its dialogue-heavy meetings in barber shops and warehouses and the sight of Isaac in a huge camel-hair coat, comparisons to classics gangster films, notably The Godfather (1972), are obvious. But this is a study of business, and the film comes alive with a hushed conversation more than it does with its sporadic bursts of violence. Technically, it's tightly-controlled and immaculate, with director J.C. Chandor wisely choosing not to score the film with 80's synth and give everyone a mullet, but instead preferring a more lived-in feel. However, too often does the story seem unbelievable and contradictory for such a polished film, faltering at the pay-off when the build-up suggested something special. If I gave half-stars in my review ratings then this would certainly earn itself one, but it will have to settle for 3 out of 5 for now.


Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Albert Brooks, Elyes Gabel
Country: USA/United Arab Emirates

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #325: 'Contagion' (2011)

Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) arrives back in America after a trip to Hong Kong displaying symptoms of a serious illness. Her husband Mitch (Matt Damon) rushes her to hospital after she suffers a violent fit, only for her to die there. Puzzled about the virus, doctors quarantine Mitch and alert Dr. Cheever (Laurence Fishburne) of the CDC. Cheever sets about growing the virus to find a potential cure, and sends Dr. Mears (Kate Winslet), an Epidemic Intelligence Officer, to begin the investigation. Internet blogger Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) runs with the virus and apparently cures himself from the disease by taking forsythia, an alternative medicine, and therefore causes a mad panic for the drug. While Dr. Orantes (Marion Cotillard), an epidemiologist, travels to Hong Kong to discover the root of the virus.

Similar to director Steven Soderbergh's film career, Contagion is a mixed bag. The first two thirds of this film are quite exceptional - exciting, intelligent, and often fascinating. Yet it burns itself out towards the end, as the distribution of the vaccine becomes the central focus, and the film loses its edge. But at the same time, the film's dedication to realism is admirable, even though it does affect the films quality. The ultra-talented and multi-Academy Award nominated/winning cast are exceptional, with Jude Law's slimy, dentally-challenged journalist, and Winslet exhausted yet dedicated investigator proving the stand-outs. I usually hate Jude Law, but he is at his best when he plays arseholes - Closer (2004), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), I Heart Huckabees (2004) - and he is at his most despicable here.

Law's character is at the centre of one of the film's themes about mass hysteria and panic, as he uses the power of the Internet to send the country into a spiral of looting and violence. It's an interesting commentary on how small the world has become with the introduction of blogging and social networking, and how this can be abused for personal gain. Krumwiede has no scientific fact or support behind him, just a webcam and a computer, and the results are quite terrifying.

Soderbergh wanted to make this as realistic as possible, and Contagion received praise from scientific institutions for its accuracy. Similar to his excellent 2000 film Traffic, Soderbergh explores the subject from the ground floor upwards. From Damon's struggling father trying desperately to shield his daughter from the virus, way up to Fishburne's CDC agent fighting against it on a global level. Watching it unfold, and seeing the political and social implications that stems from it is quite fascinating. But when that final third arrives, story threads become stale, and Soderbergh seems to lose interest in certain characters (Cotillard suffers the most), and the film fizzles out. Disappointing, but the film's thrilling beginning and middle certainly make the film worth a watch.


Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow
Country: USA/United Arab Emirates

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie