A good ol' action flick, and an honorable spy thriller

Rating: 8/10 (18 August 2015)

Movie series usually follow one direction only: downhill, as the creative juice more or less quickly runs out of them. The MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchise has escaped this curse, with the series actually getting better and better as we move forward. The reason for this? Whereas franchises usually start out great and then lose their way, the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE series actually began hesitatingly and has only gradually found its footing over time, something most problematic films are not given the chance to do. Well, the first installment should perhaps be put in a different category altogether, because it feels sometimes more like a light, calorie-free (and very uneven) Brian De Palma film than a real MIF flick. The series really started feeling like the real thing with J.J. Abrams' 2006 outing, but even that movie was too uneven (horrible last act, criminally underused villain, underwhelming climax, cheesy ending and perhaps too indebted to ALIAS), to qualify as a good MISSION IMPOSSIBLE adventure. But at least the vibe was there, especially during the Rome operation, which really felt like the real thing (i.e. the brilliant, long-winded set-ups from the TV show). It fell to MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL to at last crack the formula and give audiences a great adventure that felt true to the spirit of MI all the way (starting with the nice addition of a TV series-like opening credits, a nice counterpoint to the traditional JAMES BOND credit sequences). Yet, though the Dubai segment was thrilling (not just the skyscraper climbing thing but also the set-up over the two floors of the hotel, something De Palma could have had a great kick out of) the last act (in Mumbai) was again a let-down (nothing more to reveal, only resolution - for half an hour!).
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION, in spite of its absurd title (what nation?!), again improves on the last volume, with a textured story full of twists and turns, from the very beginning (Ethan getting briefed on his new mission) to the very end. The story is also choke-full of set-ups, manipulations, betrayals, new layers of mystery every 15 mn or so, and cat-and-mouse games between at least 4 parties. No protracted last act that only serves as a let's-catch-the-bad-guy-and-save-the-world kind of resolution, but a segment (in London) that actually enriches the narrative, keeps the story moving and answers nagging questions that underlay the scenario - with a nice final twist. That, to me, is good screen writing. Sure, not everything makes sense (so, why were they after the Austrian PM? What in the world was the sensitive info doing in an underground facility in Morocco again?), but by and large it works.
What ROGUE NATION does is give the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchise an identity, setting it apart from the inescapable JAMES BOND series: this is not just about good action sequences (although they are pretty good, with few gravity-defying, over the top CGIed shots), exotic locales and sexy chicks (although, when the girl comes out of the pool you definitely have a BOND vibe), but also international intrigue and backroom dealings. This is what really defines the spy thriller: lies upon falsehoods upon fabrications, deceit and machinations, double and triple agents, shifting loyalties, the real-politik manoeuvrings of cynical governments, the feeling of a chess game being played among world powers. That's the feeling films like THE THIRD MAN (to a degree), THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD or the recent superb TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY conveyed. Not JAMES BOND fantasies or JACK RYAN-esque, Tom Clancy-inspired rubbish, but John Le Carré-fueled tales of deceit and intrigue. Sure, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE is still a very far cry from Le Carré (!!), *but* there's a vibe of international intrigue and layered mystery to it that strengthens the film, is all I'm sayin'.
Another nice touch is the fragility of Ethan Hunt (something GHOST PROTOCOL again introduced), who actually needs his team and is no superman. This is still a Tom Cruise vehicle, yes, but the film rightly insists Hunt is first and foremost a good brain before being a good hand, and somebody who actually can get manipulated himself and who would lose - and die - without his fellow agents. I also enjoyed seeing a female character that's actually not a damsel-in-distress waiting to fall in love with our hero, the lack of family-is-what-matters-most dreck that is so pervasive in the summer blockbuster realm (JURASSIC WORLD and ANT MAN, I'm looking at ya), or the absence of super-heroes and fantastical elements for that matter. ROGUE NATION's marketing emphasizes the realness of the stunts and action sequences (much like the new STAR WARS - yet another J.J. Abrams thing, who's producing this - is highlighting its own 'realness'), and with good reason.
Not everything is perfect here, granted, the series still has troubles coming up with a convincing, fleshed-out bad guy and motivation for his misdeeds (see the absurd McGuffin in the third episode), and I could really do without the silly "Vienna, Austria" or "London, England" thing ("Americans don't know nothing' " is what I keep hearing), but as far as blockbusters go this is convincing work.