Exhilarating and hard-hitting.

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2015)

I don't care what Tom Cruise's religious beliefs are. I don't care if he acted like a pork chop on Oprah. I don't care if the tabloids love to hate him. The Cruiser is a one-of-a-kind megastar responsible for a consistently excellent output of work since the eighties. Back for his fifth impossible mission at the spritely age of 53, he's showing no signs of slowing down either. The ridiculous pre-credits aircraft stunt, where Cruise hangs on to the side of an Airbus A400 whilst it takes off, attests to that. There's also a thrilling car-and-motorbike sequence (bringing back memories of the awesome Bourne Supremacy car chase) that sees Cruise commit to most of the high-speed driving/riding himself. It's this willingness to go above and beyond, as well as a preference of practical effects over CGI, which imbues Rogue Nation with nail biting tension and non-stop exhilaration. Not as stylish as J.J. Abrams (M:I3) or Brad Bird (M:I4), writer-director Christopher McQuarrie brings a hard-hitting brutality to the screen instead, arguably delivering the most violent entry in the franchise. McQuarrie's script is suitably meaty too, giving the cast plenty to chew on when not performing death defying acts, pummelling each other without remorse or manoeuvring in an assassination showdown. Cruise is reliably sensational as top dog and newcomers Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris are fantastic as, respectively, the femme fatale and unrelenting villain, but Jeremy Renner looks bored and Simon Pegg overeggs it on occasion. With ballsy action scenes that pack a punch and a gritty story to keep you excited, this is definitely worth forking out your hard earned to experience on the big screen.