A Fine Sequel, If Rather Uneven

Rating: Null/10 (25 May 2000)

Mission: Impossible 2 follows the rules of any good summer action flick; there's plenty of stunts, explosions, and gunplay, all wonderfully directed and choreographed by the man who elevates cinematic violence to an art form, director John Woo. Too bad it's all crowded into the last hour of the movie. Indeed M:I-2, which, apart from characters Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and Luther (Rhames) seems to be connected to the first film in name only, tries to cram so much action into the last 60 minutes, the first half seems rather dull in comparison. The effect is akin to waiting an hour for food, and eating all of it so fast due to hunger that you don't get a chance to enjoy it. M:I-2 would have been more engrossing if the action was spaced out better. Aside from this, M:I-2 is a totally watchable, fairly entertaining action vehicle. The plot lacks the wonderful espionage motif of the first M:I, but suits the more action-oriented nature of the film . Of course, John Woo's action sequences are top notch, though they are somewhat generic compared to the more imaginative action pieces in the original (nothing in M:I-2 measures up the spectacular TGV / Chunnel sequence in the original; IMHO one of the best action sequences ever put to film). Overall, a good action film that could have benefited from tweaks in its structure