"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" keeps the franchise fresh and fun.

Rating: 9/10 (31 July 2015)

"Ethan Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny." It's a great line – and it aptly sums up the central character in the "Mission: Impossible" films. Spoken by one of Hunt's frenemies in "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" (PG-13, 2:11), the line makes the point that Hunt is smart, skilled, determined and, yes, lucky enough that anything he determines will, one way or another, come to pass. It's true. And it's a good thing that he's on our side kind of. The "sides" are often hard to define in the murky world of international intrigue. It's a world in which Hunt thrives. He and his IMF (Impossible Missions Force) work in the shadows, where only the world's most dangerous people and our government's most knowledgeable people can shine a light. But even then This film features the IMF's most challenging mission yet (some would even say "impossible") – fighting government bureaucracy. The story opens with the already famous scene of Hunt (Tom Cruise) absolutely refusing to let a plane full of nerve gas take off without him. His most recent cohorts in this fantastic film franchise, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) use their digital expertise to remotely open the plane's door before it's too late for Ethan. Meanwhile, the fourth Beatle, William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), is clashing with CIA chief Alan Hunley (Adam Baldwin) before a highly secretive congressional committee meeting that is meant to decide the fate of the controversial IMF.
Hunt finds out that the IMF has been dissolved just as he is pursuing what is possibly the IMF's most dangerous opponent to date. "The Syndicate" (an organization which first appeared in the 1960s' TV series on which the movies are based) is a clandestine organization of former international spies who are out to wreak havoc and remake the world as they see fit. The problem is that even Hunley dismisses claims that this organization actually exists. He has ordered Hunt brought in, and is leaning on Brandt and Benji to help him, just as Hunt is reaching out to his old IMF buddies for help pursuing the Syndicate. Guess who Benji, Brandt (and Luther) end up helping.
Hunt also has a new helper maybe. When this film's "big bad", Syndicate honcho Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), captures Hunt, a mystery woman named Isla Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) helps him escape. But why? Hunt doesn't know and neither do we. Even the most espionage-savvy moviegoer will probably go back and forth throughout the film regarding who Isla is working for and what her true motives are. And while you're trying to figure that out, the organization non grata IMF will be crashing cars, racing motorcycles, kicking ass, taking names and operating in dangerous underwater environments in overseas locales such as Morocco, Vienna and London. As the members of the now defunct IMF go rogue and end up proving their unique importance, the rogue nation known as the Syndicate is also fighting for its existence – and to greatly expand its nefarious worldwide influence.
"Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" manages to keep things fresh and fun, even after four films and 19 years. The action is top-drawer (as the British agents in the story might say), from its fight and chase scenes to its seemingly impossible situations and (especially) that opening sequence in which Cruise, without use of a stunt double, actually hangs off the side of an actual plane that is actually taking off. (Wow!) Christopher McQuarrie's script and directing keep things moving, allowing us only a few brief quiet moments and a handful of funny moments to give us a break from the adrenaline pumping through our bodies for most of the film.
The plot and the actors keep us guessing about their characters' motivations and plans. Even the inevitable moment when one agent peels off a mask comes as surprise. I wish the nature and desires of the Syndicate were explained a little better, but its ominous shadow is thrillingly omnipresent and Harris makes one truly menacing villain. This installment of the franchise is every bit as good as the previous one and number six is already in development. In the meantime, "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" gets an "A".