Bad Plot, But Some Great Action

Rating: 6/10 (21 August 2015)

Just like the first "Mission: Impossible" film was entirely different to the TV show it was based on, "Mission: Impossible II" is nothing like it's 1996 predecessor. The slow, tension building pace Palma used in the first film, has been replaced by John Woo's love of fast paced action and insane shootouts. Woo draws from the auteurist action movies he made in the east like "The Killer" in order to bring his own brand of high octane action to western filmmaking.
If anyone doubted how different Woo's style would be, he immediately distances his style from the first film in the first 5 minutes. Whilst "Mission: Impossible" had its agents receive missions in stylish way that resembled a Bond movie, with a cassette tape being delivered on a plane before detonating in a puff of smoke, that approach was apparently not extreme enough for the generation that made films like "Bad Boys" a hit. So instead the mission is delivered to Hunt as he climbs a cliff, with a helicopter firing down the assignment in a missile containing a pair of sunglasses, which he listens to before they explode in a ball of flame. It's completely pointless and serves no purpose to the plot. But it's still an awesome introduction to the film, and sets the tone for the ludicrous and enjoyable action to come.
To match ridiculous action sequences like this, the plot is similarly as ridiculous and over the top. This time Ethan's mission is to retrieve and destroy a genetically engineered disease called 'Chimera', before a group of terrorists led by formal IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) get a hold of it and release it to the public. To get close to him Ethan is told to recruit Sean's ex- girlfriend Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton) so she can seduce him. But of course as the typical American action hero, Hunt falls in love with her and thus must both stop the terrorists and save the girl.
Coincidentally, just like the first film had a heavy Hitchcock influence through its visual style and slow pacing, this film has a plot that is heavily inspired by Hitchcock's "Notorious". However unlike Notorious where there was a genuine connection between the two leads, here Cruise and Newton share no such chemistry. They hardly even spend any time together, having only a short amount of screen time with a little flirting, a short car race, and a single night of passion. But for the action movie formula, this is apparently enough to justify them being madly in love.
This wouldn't be a problem if this film did the same as the first "Mission: Impossible" and spent minimal time on character and story. But here a great portion of the film hinges on Cruise worrying for her and it doesn't work since no real connection is established between the pair. There's also several plot holes and continuity errors, with characters just showing up in random places with no explanation whatsoever. Although in the films defence, supposedly the original cut was intended to be over 3 hours long, but had to be cut down for a cinematic release which would explain most of these problems.
Regardless, it's easy to look past this weak plotting, because as always Woo's real strength relies on his action sequences. And as usual he's on top form. He transforms Cruise from the stealthy espionage spy he played in the first film, into an all American action hero similar to the likes of John Rambo.
Hunt fights through seemingly unbeatable odds, gunning down terrorists and blowing up cars, all whilst hardly gaining a single scratch because he's just that deadly. And of course Woo throws all his usual trademarks into the mix, like Cruise constantly dual wielding pistols, the gratuitous but cool slow motion and of course random doves being thrown into the climax.
But even for a director like Woo who made his name through over the top sequences like the one take hallway sequence in "Hard Boiled", this still feels a little overdone. For example, at one point in the film when Cruise is breaking into a terrorist hideout, a door blows up and a dove literally flies through the flames. Moments like this are so ridiculous that they end up feeling less like a genuine action movie and more like a flat out parody.
Even with these moments that go a little too far, it can't be denied that nobody does action quite the same as Woo does it. If his brand of insane violence didn't appeal in his previous work like "Face Off" or "A Better Tomorrow", it won't appeal here. But if you do enjoy his adrenaline fuelled style, then you'll likely enjoy it here. And whilst it may not be the strongest of the series, it's nonetheless another fun outing for the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.