classic action with lightening twists of humour and humanity

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2014)

Highly enjoyable flick, with a bundle of action interleaved with some lightening humour and some angst-ridden character motivation. Personally, I thought it the best of the MI film series to date (followed by 3, 1, and of course 2 last). Belief had to be lightly dangled rather than completely suspended.
An MI team with a pleasingly diverse background and character is backed up by a very well-crafted and engaging supporting cast (the assassin, arms-dealer, Russian crook, Russian cop). Anish Kapoor and his party is something of a forgivable comic turn. The villain perhaps does not get enough development or screen time; in almost all sequences he seems to be trying to make a rapid getaway (you probably see more of his coat than his face).
Mercifully the only appearance of masks was when one went wrong! OK, a prosthetic arm had a major role, and that nose definitely looked fake.