An All-Time Action Great
Brian De Palma's 1996 film adaption of Mission: Impossible was Tom Cruise's first film as a producer, and in that role he's carried the franchise forward with the goal of having distinct filmmakers bring their own creative stamps to each successive entry. After De Palma, John Woo accepted the second Mission, J.J. Abrams launched his feature directorial career with the third, and Brad Bird made the jump from animation to live-action with the fourth. The fifth film, 2015's Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, had Cruise bring along his frequent collaborator, writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, who now makes Mission history as the first director to return to the fray with Mission: Impossible - Fallout.
With this latest entry, the Mission franchise comes full circle with a gritty and grounded sixth film reminiscent of the first that is still bigger and better than all that have preceded it. And that's no mean feat, as this is one of the rare series that more or less improves with each installment, as well as one-upping each previous film's stunts. In 1996 the showcase stunt was Cruise dangling in a secure CIA vault with floor sensors; in 2011 it was climbing the exterior of the tallest building in the world; so, of course, in 2018 Cruise HALO jumps out of a C-17 at 25,000 feet. And it's done in a single take, with weather and the Parisian cityscape below being the only apparent digital alterations. It's just one of many moments in this film that left me with a giddy smile of disbelief.
Though this franchise has consistently hit high-notes, what McQuarrie and Cruise have achieved with Fallout is a transcendent action experience. It's not quite as light-footed as Brad Bird's Ghost Protocol, nor as much of a stylish, romantic throwback as Rogue Nation, but it's nonetheless a gripping, thrilling experience for every second of its long 148 minute running time. McQuarrie, taking his lead from the tradition of swapping Mission directors, brings a tangibly different style to Fallout that helps this film stand on its own despite its direct connection to Rogue Nation.
The story of Fallout finds Cruise's Ethan Hunt on the trail of stolen plutonium that may find its way into the hands of an anonymous madman bent on creating a great cleansing to lead to a rebuilding of the world order. Between Hunt, the madman and the plutonium is Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), the anarchist leader of the terrorism-for-hire organization The Syndicate, whom Hunt captured at the end of Rogue Nation. This series of events brings that film's fantastic former MI6 operative, Ilsa Faust (the equally fantastic Rebecca Ferguson), back into the mix, as well as Ethan's usual cohorts, Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg) and the Secretary of the IMF (Alec Baldwin). Joining the crew is Henry Cavill's August Walker, a seasoned CIA operative sent along with Hunt to ensure the mission's success after an early failure.
The plot of this film is somewhat of a remix of previous Mission plots, but McQuarrie, who wrote The Usual Suspects, peppers the whole endeavor with plenty of fake-outs and reveals that keep you on your toes throughout. The character scenes are so delicious in their conception and execution—few things delight me more than a Mission: Impossible mask reveal—that they're just as thrilling as the action, only in a different way. An excellent series of scenes before the main title had me wondering if the film had already peaked, and that was before any of the action set-pieces. It's just that satisfyingly clever of an opening.
When the sly writing isn't putting a smile on your face, you'll be at the edge of your seat for every brutal punch, tire-screeching escape and helicopter chase. There's a brawl in a stark-white men's room between Cruise, Cavill and their target that feels as visceral as any jump from a military jet. Every bit of movement in this film, from the actors and the camera—which captures cinematographer Rob Hardy's beautiful, grainy work—is fine-tuned and motivated to deliver the maximum amount of story and action, all perfectly in step with composer Lorne Balfe's propulsive score, which is reminiscent of Hans Zimmer's work on the Dark Knight films.
Christopher Nolan's take on Batman is felt as an influence in Fallout, but only in its serious, and seriously epic, nature. This is no imitation. This is a Mission that needs to be more than accepted; it needs to be seen as big and as loud as possible (the HALO jump and helicopter sequences were filmed for IMAX). The best Mission: Impossible stunts are always stunning, in no small part because Cruise puts himself in harm's way to entertain us, but with Fallout we get the first Mission that is awe-inspiring in nearly every frame.