A ticking clock. A helicopter. A motorcycle. A hero in peril. These are all elements of a traditional action blockbuster. Though Mission: Impossible – Fallout – directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise, and released on July 27, 2018 – contains all of these elements, it is far removed from the traditional action film. Indeed, its cinematic quality and appeal are infinitely greater than the everyday blockbuster, and its near-perfect 97 percent rating on aggregate review site, Rotten Tomatoes, speaks to its unparalleled luster and its high level of pure entertainment.
In its entirety, Fallout is a steady crescendo filled to the brim with exhilarating stunts, rapid chase scenes, and shiver-inducing suspense. One of Fallout‘s greatest qualities is that it often lets the action speak for itself, omitting any unnecessary dialogue and allowing the viewer to decipher the events taking place. Ultimately, though, it is the man leading those events who is the most remarkable.
Tom Cruise is at his absolute best in his sixth outing as Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent, Ethan Hunt, performing death-defying stunts with unbelievable ease and poise, and making the maneuvers seem as common as cereal for breakfast. Cruise’s dangerous sequences include a high-speed motorcycle chase around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which can be viewed here; a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jump that required 105 separate jumps to film in real life, all which Cruise completed without a stuntman; multiple jumps between buildings in London – one in which Cruise broke his ankle in real life, but still managed to complete the take (see this clip, viewer discretion advised 🙂 ); and a climactic helicopter chase that is among the best action sequences ever put to film. Though these exploits push Cruise to his physical limits, they are to the viewer as a bone is to a dog: utter thrill and delight.
Tom Cruise: airborne or born for the air?
Fallout distinguishes itself from other action movies – and from all films, for that matter – in its synthesis and seamless intertwining of emotional depth, societal implication, and edge-of-your-seat excitement. Michelle Monaghan returns from Mission Impossible: III and Ghost Protocol (2006 and 2011, respectively) as Ethan’s estranged wife, Julia, but though her secondary role is quite moving, it is the primary supporting cast that steals the show. Ving Rhames returns as Ethan Hunt’s longtime partner, the irreplaceable, low-voiced Luther Stickel, and Simon Pegg reprises his role as the charismatic Benji Dunn, a tech-savvy source of perfectly measured comic relief that is never blown out of proportion. Alec Baldwin also turns in a very respectable showing as IMF Director Alan Hunley, serving as the older, wise superior to Cruise’s Hunt. McQuarrie also includes two symbolic references to the 2015 Paris terror attacks that each involve a wounded police officer on the ground waiting to be shot. These references are vivid and poignant, and they serve their purpose quite well in grounding Fallout in the real world.
From a casting standpoint, it is Rebecca Ferguson, returning as MI6 agent, Ilsa Faust, from Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), who shines brightest and delivers the most resonant and sentimental performance. Since her first appearance in Rogue Nation, Ferguson and Cruise have complemented each other perfectly, interacting with complete chemistry and never missing a beat. The blooming romance between the two, though never explicit, is, as in Rogue Nation, stylishly and elegantly depicted, especially in a meeting between Ethan and Ilsa at the picturesque Colonnes de Buren architectural site in Paris.
In order to thrive, a film with great heroes must also possess villains who are equally well-portrayed. Henry Cavill, whom most viewers would recognize as Superman, plays Ethan’s complex, mustache-sporting, and deceptive foe with menace and fortitude. Sean Harris also reprises his Rogue Nation role as Solomon Lane, and McQuarrie’s choices as both director and screenwriter are such that they pair Cruise and Cavill, and Ferguson and Harris, as exact counterparts in both actor and character. This equivalence only intensifies the battle and further lures the viewer in, culminating in an explosive showdown involving the imminent detonation of not one, but two nuclear bombs.
Composer Lorne Balfe accompanies Fallout with a profound, ambient soundtrack that fits in quite nicely. Balfe’s recurring use and remix of the Mission: Impossible theme, originally from the late-’60s television show, is expertly inserted and innately captivating, greatly enhancing the film’s visual entertainment through audio.
Ultimately, McQuarrie turns in a masterpiece, depicting the fictional world of IMF espionage in a grounded, realistic manner, even though Cruise’s superhuman aerial stunts are far from grounded! Fallout also delves deeper into Ethan Hunt’s emotions and alludes to previous Mission: Impossible films through scenes such as the iconic rock-climbing segment from Mission: Impossible II (2000, see below). This homage, which is brilliantly replicated at Fallout‘s climax – in contrast with the opening of Mission: Impossible II – is truly awesome and satisfying, and it caps off a wild but meticulously organized thrill ride that is successful in all aspects.
*Beginning with this review, I am instilling a rating system out of four stars. Mission: Impossible – Fallout earns a perfect four out of four stars.
Image Credits (in order of appearance):
1.) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4912910/
2.) See below –
Go Behind-the-Scenes of Mission: Impossible – Fallout’s HALO Jump Stunt
4.) http://time.com/5349500/mission-impossible-fallout/
5.) http://www.icollector.com/Mission-Impossible-II-Ethan-Hunt-s-Chalk-Bag-Tom-Cruise_i15604008