Woo, come back...

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2003)

Tom Cruise and John Woo do not mix. The former is too full of himself and spends too much time "grinning like an idiot every 15 minutes" (except in Rain Man) whereas the latter is more concerned about style and pomp. These are colliding worlds. Enter "Mission: Impossible 2" the second, and sadly not the last, in this franchise. I knew there was something wrong when they structured the story AROUND the action scenes instead of vice-versa. My biggest complaint is that this is not a "Mission: Impossible" movie, this is a James Bond/Matrix/John Woo movie. Very little of the conservativeness of the original remains (if any).
John Woo's directing goes back to his trademarks, but does not retain his original style. Whereas "A Better Tomorrow" and "The Killer" were incredible action experiences throughout, this winds up to be a waste of an hour and then trying to make up for it. Even the villains aren't up to par. Whatever happened to supervillain Castor Troy? I for one got sick of Tom Cruise's pomp and wished that someone would just run him over with an 18-wheeler in the motorcycle chase. Imagine how much pain the audience would've been spared.
Overall, lacks in all departments, particularly direction. Come back, Woo, return to your bloody roots! 1 out of 5 stars.