The film that the original "Mission Impossible" should have been

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2000)

Director John Woo is the epitome of an action film director. His action scenes are choreographed like dances--Bullet Ballet, if you will. He's also known for effective use of slow-motion photography, and all of his films have a very stylish look. His best films were made in Hong Kong--rent "Hard Boiled", "The Killer", or "A Better Tomorrow 1 & 2" to see what I mean. None of his Hollywood films have lived up to that standard, but "MI:2" stands alongside "Face/Off" as his best American work to date.
The original "Mission Impossible" made a ton of money, but the plot also made a ton of people say "huh?". The nearly incomprehensible story took the steam out of the action, the cool score, and the even cooler gadgets. (Although I did find the 'chopper in the tunnel' finale a little too ludicrous.) Thankfully, "MI:2" has simplified the story, and improved upon the score and the gadgets. And the action sequences are visually more impressive and much more exciting. In "MI:2", a fast-acting, lethal virus has fallen into the hands of villain Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) needs the help of a beautiful thief (Thandie Newton) and his computer genius buddy (Ving Rhames) to get it back. That's it--that's the plot. Not 25 lines. Just one sentence!! Perfect for an action film. In fact, rumor has it that the story was finished only after they decided on the action sequences. I'd believe it--this isn't exactly an epic story a la "Doctor Zhivago" or "Ben Hur".
Let's start with the action sequences. They're amazing. Woo is certainly the master of creating action scenes with the added benefit of great style. His use of slow-motion enhances the frenetic fights and chases, and there are many fights and chases. To me, the original "MI" lacked the full-out action that I expected from the Impossible Mission Force. "MI:2" did not leave me wanting. It's certainly the most exciting film I've seen this year. Many bullets fly, cars and motorcycles chase each other, there is hand-to-hand combat, and several different objects find ways to explode. The motorcycle chase finale is on par with the boat chase in "Face/Off", and the final fight seems to take up the last 25 minutes of the film as it transitions from one locale to another. An extra bonus: you'll recognize Cruise in most of the scenes--he did a large amount of his own stuntwork. An early climbing sequence (you've seen some of it in the theatrical trailer) is especially impressive in this regard.
Cruise is an underrated actor, but maybe that's changing since his well-deserved Oscar nomination for "Magnolia". I count this as Cruise's first all-out action film, so it didn't require too many of those skills. But I'm sure it was quite a workout. Several of his films have had action sequences, but he's not flying a jet ("Top Gun") or driving a race car ("Days of Thunder") in "MI:2". And he's really quite good. His role in "MI" was more dramatic than aerobic, playing the cold and impersonal Agent Hunt. Cruise actually gets to show emotions this time, making Hunt a much more enjoyable character. He also does the main thing I wanted to see him do in "MI"--kick a lot of butt. He's like an American James Bond: charming, intelligent, and ruthlessly lethal when necessary. Newton's character is similar to the best of the Bond girls: she's sexy, has attitude, and brings something to the table other than just screaming "help me". Newton debuted to great reviews in 1991's "Flirting", but this should be the film that gets her widely known (except for the 25 people who saw "Beloved" in 1998). Unfortunately, I really didn't sense a lot of chemistry between her and Cruise, and her role pretty much disappeared in the final quarter of the film. Rhames is excellent as always. He's been good every time I've seen him--a filmography that includes "Bringing out the Dead", "Entrapment", "Out of Sight", "Con Air", "Rosewood", and "Pulp Fiction". This movie also has some humor, with most of the good lines going to Rhames and a helicopter pilot who might remind you of Murdock on "The A-Team". One thing I'll say for Woo's American films--he's always had a showy role for the villain. (Lance Henrikson in "Hard Target", John Travolta in "Broken Arrow", and Nicolas Cage/Travolta in "Face/Off"). And "MI:2" is no exception--Scott (probably best known as Drew Barrymore's Prince in "Ever After") really chews the scenery as the villanous Ambrose.
I've made a few James Bond references because this film has all the elements of a good Bond film. Dastardly villain threatens the world, and it's up to the daring secret agent to save the day and the girl who's in the clutches of said villain. He must defeat the 'bad guys' through fights and chases in exotic locales, helped by numerous gadgets and a few trusty allies. In fact, "MI:2" reminds me of "Thunderball" (1965), one of my favorite Bond films.
With all that praise, why does it get 3.25 stars instead of 3.5 or 4? For a few (fairly minor) reasons. I've already mentioned the lack of chemistry between Cruise and Newton--they're certainly easy on the eyes, but the relationship wasn't really believable. They 'met cute', and their interactions never grew more interesting after the first 15 minutes. Also, the first 45 minutes were plagued with way too many slow-motion shots of people walking. That's it--just walking. I can understand it for action sequences, but just watching Cruise or Newton walk through a room or down the street? It actually got a bit annoying. Anthony Hopkins appears very briefly as Hunt's boss, but their interaction didn't interest me as much as the usual "M sending 007 off on the mission" scene at the beginning of the Bond films. The first 45 minutes are worth 2.5 stars, but it ends big--raising the overall film to 3.25 stars.
Buy your popcorn and prepare for a real thrill ride, and I don't think you'll be disappointed by "MI:2". Note: make sure you see it in a theater with a huge screen and high-tech sound so you get the most of the impressive sounds and visuals.