Now six movies into this action franchise, actor Tom Cruise appears to show no signs of slowing down. Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the latest chapter and one that offers the performer the opportunity to hang from a helicopter in flight as well as trade fisticuffs with varied assassins and killers. Honestly, this one’s a bit too long for its own good and the dialogue is fairly dry and exposition-filled, but the action is so impressive that one can still enjoy it as popcorn fun.
Following the events of the previous film, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his ludicrously named Impossible Missions Force (Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames) are given a new assignment with connections to his previous task. Now that rogue MI6 agent Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) is in custody, his old team of killers have become “terrorists for hire” to the highest bidder. When the IMF loses plutonium in a sting gone wrong, Hunt vows to track down the responsible party and stop the detonation of several nuclear weapons by these villains. If that isn’t stressful enough, he has to deal with CIA agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) shadowing him as well as British agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), still determined to eliminate Lane if he breaks free.
It’s pretty silly and the dialogue is all very perfunctory. There are a couple of chuckles during some bickering between team members, but much of the conversation this time out is somber and simply involves explaining plot details. Lane plays a significant part in the proceedings again and remains the central villain, but isn’t given a whole lot to say. In fact, I’m sure he isn’t given more than a few minutes of dialogue in the entire movie. He certainly acts the tough guy, but one wishes he had sharper, more stinging words for his foes that could make the character stand out more.
Regardless, the main reason that audiences are watching this is because of the action and the movie emphatically delivers in this regard. Standout sequences include an impressively shot skydive in which a character involved in the stunt blacks out (one wonders if this was truly the best way to arrive at their location, but it’s still fun to watch), as well as a great car/motorcycle chase through the busy streets of Paris that sees Hunt and his pursuers race past many of the city’s famous sights.
The finale is even more elaborate and involves the lead performing numerous stunts while climbing onto, flying and fighting around a chopper. It’s truly striking and remarkably dynamic. So much so that one is willing to forgive the protracted climax, which is over-the-top and goes on for so long that it veers dangerously close to parody. It’s all supposed to be occurring over a 15 minute period, but it certainly seemed closer to 30 minutes of screen time, with characters diving around, almost dying and then picking themselves up to fight again and again. Regardless, one has to give the film credit for going to such extreme lengths to entertain.
As mentioned, one wishes the dialog was a bit sharper and the movie itself shorter (the longer it is, the more time viewers have to think about the absurdity of the events being depicted). Another little caveat is that it appears as if star/producer Cruise sees this as the second chapter in a trilogy of sorts. As such, not everything is completely resolved as the credits roll. Still, for those seeking adventure and thrills, Mission: Impossible – Fallout succeeds… as long as its characters are throwing haymakers and jumping out of rapidly moving modes of transport.