“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” (PG-13)
Tom Cruise raises the stakes to even more dizzying heights in “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” the sixth film in the actor’s thrilling “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Featuring Cruise’s usual brand of marquee stunts, intense action sequences and a sprawling story line loaded with twists and turns, the film ranks among the series’ best, and is only hampered by its nearly 2 1/2 hour run time.
Unlike previous installments in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, “Fallout” has direct ties to its previous installment (“Rogue Nation”), where the chief villain, Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) and undercover MI: 6 Agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) remain a core part of the narrative. The film begins with a thwarted attempt by IMF (Impossible Mission Force) Agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) to recover three plutonium cores which could annihilate three major cities, leading him on a dangerous mission to unearth the mysterious identity of the person behind the planned attacks.
AUDIO: Click to hear Tim’s review of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show.”
However, due to the botched recovery of the plutonium in the first place, CIA Director Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) requires Hunt to add CIA operative August Walker (Henry Cavill) to the team, which still includes computer hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and tech expert Benji Dunn (the always amusing Simon Pegg). Complicating matters, though, is Walker’s differences in philosophy, as well as the reemergence of Faust, whose identity and purpose in the matter remains ambiguous. Pivotal to the recovery of the plutonium, though, is the now-imprisoned Lane — who still very much remains a vital part of the crime organization The Syndicate — and he’s hell-bent on making Ethan witness the destruction he’s planning on causing with the nuclear material.
- Interview: Rebecca Ferguson Talks “M:I – Rogue Nation”
- Interview: Christopher McQuarrie Talks “M:I – Rogue Nation”
While Cruise continues to push the envelope with mind-blowing stunt work throughout the film (he trained for a year to do a 25,000-foot HALO jump out of a plane — and did a reported 109 takes to get it just right — and put a year and a half in learning to fly a helicopter), equally as impressive is the thrills that emerge from tried-and-true devices like foot pursuits and motorcycle chases throughout Paris and London. It’s great to see that Cruise and his frequent collaborator, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, still find ways to not only make these sequences exciting, but have them rival the all-time great chase sequences like Gene Hackman’s frantic romp through New York City in “The French Connection.”
Better yet, despite the gloriously-staged action, “Fallout” never loses track of the story, even if its stretched to the point of ridiculousness (a 15-minute timer that’s running on a bomb that needs to be diffused seems to go on forever, hence the film’s overlong run-time). Thanks to some well-plotted twists, perhaps the greatest feat of “Fallout” is that it staves off any hint of predictability, apart, maybe from its ultimate outcome.
VIDEO: Click to see Tim’s review of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” with Adrienne Broaddus on KARE-TV.
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is how it continues to improve as the it grows. True, “Fallout” probably falls short of the greatness of the fourth film, “Ghost Protocol” and last one, “Rogue Nation,” but it’s still a top-notch thriller. Even though Cruise broke his ankle leaping from one building to the next during filming (the footage of which remains in the film), there’s clearly no sign of the actor slowing down. And with the perfect team of McQuarrie and the film’s supporting players in place, it will be interesting what impossible mission the adrenaline-fueled actor takes on next.
Lammometer: 8 (out of 10)
AUDIO: Click to hear Tim’s review of “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” with Paul Douglas and Jordana Green on WCCO’s Radio’s “Paul and Joranda.”
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
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