Action Packed Spy Thriller

Rating: 9/10 (15 June 2007)

This comment is being written on my 4th viewing of Mission Impossible II. As a fan of the spy genre, I must say that this film is a very good one. It is packed with Director John Woo's signature action sequences and is lead by a good performance from Tom Cruise.
Say what you will about Cruise's off-screen antics, the guy packs a punch as CIA operative Ethan Hunt. The Mission Impossible trilogy is one of the best series in the spy genre.
The first time I watched this film, I was amazed by Woo's awesome action direction and the hard rocking music score by Hans Zimmer. The second time I watched this movie, I was more critical of the plot, which seemingly had a few holes. On my subsequent viewings, however, I think the plot is sound, it just takes a few times watching the movie to understand it completely. Most of the Mission Impossible films have complex story lines; MI2 is no exception.
At some point, I hope this movie is released as an unedited DVD so that the film's original 3 and 1/2 hour running could be viewed as an option to the theatrical release. As I understand it, many plot holes are filled with the longer version.
If you don't mind complex thrillers and you enjoy heavy action, then this movie is for you. If you are not a Tom Cruise fan, probably won't like this film since he pays homage to his past movies (the opening seen with the sunglasses sticks out). I give this movie a Rating of 9 stars out of 10...but keep in mind I enjoy Cruise as an actor and the spy genre is my favorite in film.