Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Tom Cruise is back diving into death-defying acts as Ethan Hunt in this beautifully crafted fun ride that's everything a summer blockbuster should be
Six films deep and 22 years in, the Mission: Impossible film franchise – based on the television series of the same name – has yet to overstay its welcome. Latest instalment Fallout may well be the highpoint of the series (thus far) and is most certainly the gem of the summer.
Tom Cruise reprises his role as IMF special agent Ethan Hunt, still scaling impossibly high mountains and diving nimbly into high-speed chases, whether by foot or motorcycle, car or helicopter, among various other – truly stunning to behold – death-defying acts. Two years after the events of Rogue Nation, Hunt and his team – Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames), with new boss Hunley (Alec Baldwin) – are tasked with keeping nuclear weapons out of the hands of John Lark, an elusive terrorist with ties to Hunt’s old enemy Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). The mission is foiled early on, and CIA director Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett, with not nearly enough to do) steps in, sending along smug agent August Walker (a particularly well-cast Henry Cavill) to ensure the weapons are recovered, with or without Hunt.
Director Christopher McQuarrie returns after helming the well-received Rogue Nation, and deftly guides the audience through a decidedly ambitious plot with several satisfying callbacks along the way: British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) returns to complicate the mission; so, too, Hunt’s ex-wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan), who becomes an unexpectedly affecting presence. There’s a lot of exciting and gracefully shot action sequences here, but a lot of heart, too, and this, in part, is what distinguishes Hunt from the James Bonds and the Jack Ryans of the movie world: how much he relies on his team, not just professionally, but emotionally. They are his strength; they are what make him so – delightfully – reckless for they make him vulnerable to men like Lane and Lark who exploit Hunt’s compassion.
Ultimately, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is everything a summer blockbuster should be: a beautifully crafted fun ride, and a series that rewards new and loyal fans alike.
Released by Paramount