Who's wearing THAT mask?!

Rating: Null/10 (5 September 2000)

Not satisfied of completing the first 'Mission Impossible", agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) gets engaged for yet another impossible task - that of recovering a lethal virus from the bad guys before they let it loose in downtown Sydney.
This second Mission Impossible has an altogether different feel from the first one. The plot in the first MI movie was a bit too complicated for many people's likings. This time round, the plot is as simple and as straight forward as they get. Unlike the first movie, there are no hidden sub-plots, no mysteries to solve, and it is not overly-demanding on the average person's brain cells.
The stolen virus in question, which resembles a deadly form of influenza and manifests itself within 20 hours of contact is snatched by Sean Ambrose, an ex-collegue of Hunt. In order to recover the stolen virus, Hunt recruits Nyah (Thandie Newton), a professional thief "without a conscience" in order to try and use her allure on Sean and recover the deadly potion. The obbligatory whizz-kid and heli pilot are also called into action, however their presence in the movie is very limited. TOO limited, in fact.
Alas, the film's greatest flaw is that it concentrates too much around Tom Cruise. The rest of the cast remains in the shadows for most of the film. Also, the oh-so-important team work factor between the MI squad members seems missing.
That said, the film boasts some really spectacular shots and sceneary of the Australian countryside, James-Bond style gadgets and special effects plus the usual mask dilemma....is that really THAT person or is it his enemy wearing a super-sophisticated mask? Watch out for a couple of masked surprises, especially towards the end of the movie!!!