Stylish and spectacular... with some unnecessary cheese

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2006)

Agent Ethan Hunt is assigned to retrieve a deadly virus and make sure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. The main suspect who is attempting to use the virus for deadly purpose is Sean Ambrose, a former agent that once worked with Hunt, who has his own team of agents and mercenaries.
With John Woo at the helm, the film is much more based on action than suspense and intrigue of the first. There is a decent espionage story, however it is not very original, but Woo manages to play it all out in a stylish and very entertaining fashion. Featuring more spectacular set pieces and outrageous stunts than the first, which then all culminates in an typically explosive Woo climax. Tom Cruise is good as the cool and calculating Ethan Hunt who, once again, packs plenty of cool. The highlight, though, is Dougray Scott as the villain - it is a simple and shallow role, but Scott plays it out to fit the film's comic book feel damned near perfectly.
The down point is the ridiculously cheesy romantic element of the film. Thankfully, it only appears in a few scenes, but one of them (a shootout in a virus lab) is pivotal so that might ask you to stretch your ability to forgive for scenes like that. Ironically though, in that scene things end up like should - a good character commits self-sacrifice to save another good character who can foil the bad guys' plan - but it's how that scene gets there that is so dumb.
Though, it shouldn't be that hard to let that slide as it is quickly overshadowed by much more engaging and enjoyable action scenes - including an awesome motorcycle chase - which is what exactly what an action movie like this needs. 8/10
Rated PG-13: violence and intense action