Some guys are movie stars. Some guys are actors. Tom Cruise remains among the rare breed who’s both, and he’s operating above and beyond the top of his game in
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
While the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) has been an entertainment staple since its first television appearance in 1966, it was director Brian De Palma’s feature film released on the 30th anniversary of the show’s debut that launched a brand new feature film franchise into box office orbit with Tom Cruise at the helm as super-agent Ethan Hunt.
I enjoy the first film but find it a little pretentious with all its double-agent shenanigans, particularly in its callous “gotcha!” handling of the Jim Phelps character (played in the film by Jon Voight but originated by the late, great Peter Graves on the series). The 2000 sequel by director John Woo was so visually stylized that it almost fell into self-parody, running the old “You think this character is one person but it’s really another person wearing a mask” gag so far into the ground that it’s still lodged somewhere near the Earth’s core. The sequel also let go of the team aspect (and, in a bit of superhero movie trivia, cost co-star Dougray Scott had to drop the role of Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s first X-Men film when reshoots clashed with the mutant movie’s schedule), focusing nearly all of its energy on Ethan.
But then came 2006’s Mission: Impossible III, which injected the series (and Ethan) with a whole new purpose and energy. Director J.J. Abrams (who’s a graduate with honors of the Spielberg school of big ideas and big heart) didn’t just restore the team angle. He made it about family, too, pitting Ethan and his mission mates against a vile international arms dealer (played with malevolent glee by an absolutely terrifying Philip Seymour Hoffman) who made things personal by kidnapping Ethan’s new wife, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), and using her as bait to send Ethan on a wild goose chase for a mysterious piece of doomsday tech.
The film ended with the world saved and Ethan and Julia in wedded bliss.
So why does Ghost Protocol begin with Ethan having been rotting for years in a Russian prison?
We don’t have time to find out immediately, because IMF gadget master Benji Dunn (played by Simon Pegg in a well-deserved leading role here after stealing the few scenes he was in in M:I III) and Agent Jane Carter (Paula Patton, whose God-given software is hotter than the highest-tech hardware) arrive to bust him out after another fellow agent’s package interception goes the worst kind of belly-up in Budapest.
But there’s no time for Ethan to savor his freedom. Taking a page from Ra’s Al Ghul’s “The Movement Back to Harmony Will Be Unstoppable This Time” playbook, a rogue Russian nuclear strategist known only as “Cobalt” has decided the only way for society to survive and thrive is rebirth via a good old-fashioned nuclear cleansing. And to cover the tracks of the nuclear launch key he’s stolen, Cobalt blows up the Kremlin – which is where Ethan and his team happen to be on a mission of their own. Guess where the blame for the Kremlin bombing falls.
Labeled as terrorists and disavowed by the United States government, Ethan, Benji, and Jane are on their own to stop the world from drowning in atomic rocket rain. A turn of events I won’t spoil saddles them with an analyst named Brandt (Jeremy Renner), who, in typical Mission: Impossible fashion, may be more than he seems – with a secret you won’t believe.
The chase takes them from Dubai to Mumbai, with the stakes higher than ever before.
And it’s glorious.
Director Brad Bird (The Iron Giant, The Incredibles among countless other beloved animation credits) delivers a stunning live-action big-budget debut, crafting a film that’s more fun, fast-paced, and fulfilling than any of its franchise predecessors (even though I’ll always swear by III as one of the most underrated action movies of all time).
With the team disavowed, they have zero access to updates or support for the last small cache of IMF gadgetry to which they have access, meaning the very tools they’re counting on to save their lives (and the world!) are likely to fizzle out at any moment. This makes the action scenes feel even more dangerous, creating opportunities for Hail Mary moments that are clever, suspenseful, and sometimes even downright hilarious. Just when you think a particular situation can’t get any more harrowing, Bird finds ways to push the danger two steps farther, creating thrills that will push you so far past the edge of your seat that you just might fall off of it.
The showcase scene here, of course, involves Ethan running up, down, and around the stiletto spires of Khalifa Tower in Dubai, which is currently the world’s tallest structure. It’s thrilling. It’s crazy. And Cruise really did it. Nearly infinite IMAX resolution makes you feel like you’re going to fall right off the top of the world with him, adding authentic levels of daring to a series of stunts that action movie purists will be talking about for years to come.
Bird films all of the action in a way that’s steady, clear, and cool. He’d rather let his actors sell the scope and danger of the situation, and his cast never lets him down.
Let’s start with Jeremy Renner, who owes his career to me. Years ago, when I reviewed S.WA.T. for a kick-ass British action movie magazine called Impact, I took specific note of Renner’s performance and told the world to keep an eye on this guy. And by the world, I mean the six people who read my review, but please allow me this one delusion, okay? Suffice it to say, Renner comes across as a cerebral Steve McQueen, and he’s outrageously cool in this movie. Next year we’ll see him as Hawkeye in The Avengers and inheriting the Bourne identity from Matt Damon in The Bourne Legacy, and his work here is all the proof we need that he’s entirely worthy of the big opportunities coming his way.
Paula Patton made me believe why Denzel Washington would stop time in Deja Vu, and her gutsy, inspiring performance as a teacher in Precious gave her a chance to stretch her drama chops. Here she proves herself a capable action star, with a sexy, smoldering intensity that leaves a big impression.
Simon Pegg maintains a mountain of nerd cred because he’s not just pretending to be one of us, and he’s easily one of the best parts of this movie. There’s nothing more painfully obvious than a character who exists solely for comic relief, but Benji is written as an integral part of the team. Pegg is responsible for most of the film’s biggest laughs, but he’s also right in the middle of most of its biggest thrills. He’s an absolute joy to watch and essential for any future sequels.
The international cast is equally brilliant. Léa Seydoux (Inglorious Basterds, Robin Hood), who comes across a sexier French Scarlet Johannson, plays a wily assassin, with Swedish actor Michael Nyqvist (of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series) filling the shoes of the villainous Cobalt. Tom Wilkinson (who needs no introduction to Batman film fans) and Josh Holloway impress with smaller roles, and Bollywood superstar Anil Kapoor is show-stoppingly hilarious as an Indian business man who fancies himself an international playboy. Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov (Behind Enemy Lines) is awesome as a Russian agent tracking Ethan for the Kremlin bombing.
And that brings us to Tom Cruise, who not only gives above and beyond his all but also inspires the absolute best from everyone around him. Four M:I films in and he’s still diving in with pure physical and emotional dedication, performing fights and stunts at age 49 that would leave actors half his age begging for a stuntman. Cruise is the real deal. Believe it.
Ghost Protocol drops all the pretenses that made the first two films feel silly at times, focusing instead on team dynamics and the more familial feel we got from M:I III. The “saving the world” storyline does make it feel a little less personal than III, but it’s also kind of liberating in the fact that this one’s all about the mission -- and it’s a mission that feels impossible indeed.
Smartly conceived and cleverly executed, the action here is huge and innovative. There’s also an added sense of excitement from the fact that many of the gadgets on display use technologies not that far removed from the do-it-all cell phones we all use on a daily basis, adding a fun little injection of “possible” into the impossible proceedings. But just as awesome as the high-tech stuff are the low-tech tricks that come from Ethan’s (and his teams) human wits.
(And those wondering what really happened to Julia Hunt will be vindicated by the film’s bittersweet satisfying ending.)
Ghost Protocol is my favorite action movie this year. So if you’re only buying a ticket to see THE DARK KNIGHT RISES PROLOGUE, I urge you to stay and give this film a spin. I promise it’s worth your time. It was absolutely worth mine. And do try to see it in IMAX! It’s worth the extra dollars to see these amazing stunts in the way they were filmed. – John Bierly
