Good, But It's Watered-Down Woo

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2001)

`Mission: Impossible 2', on the surface, is a very good  not great  action movie. Yes, it's kind of formulaic, but truly original action films are hard to come by. `M:I2' covers all its bases, keeps the plot holes to a minimum, and avoids using too many of the standard cliches that litter the action genre. It's a popcorn movie, pure and simple, and in terms of pure entertainment, it delivers fairly well.
I say that `on the surface' it's very good because . . . man, what a waste of director John Woo's talents. This film had the potential to be absolutely mind-blowing in terms of action, effects, and fights, and instead, well, it's just good. People unfamiliar with John Woo's Hong Kong films (`The Killer', `Hardboiled', `A Better Tomorrow', and so on) might think the action sequences of `M:I2' stand out as spectacular  and if they do, great, because then they're enjoying the flick  but for the most part, `M:I2' pales in comparison to Woo's Hong Kong films, despite `M:I2's bigger budget and stars. (The only scenes that come close to Woo's best work are the opening rock-climbing sequence and a chase scene involving motorcycles.) Woo's Hollywood films never seem to hit the over-the-top intensity of his Hong Kong work; if the Hollywood brass is toning Woo down for a mainstream audience, they're making a huge mistake. The film is wall-to-wall action, and for the most part, it's darn good action, but good as it was, it could've been way, way better.
The story's okay  it deals with the hunt for a stolen bio-toxin, but it's really just an excuse to string a whole bunch of cool stuff together. Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt is fine, and he seems to have fun with the role, but he's not exactly an engaging action hero  he doesn't come close to Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, or, for that matter, Bruce Willis as John McClane. Ving Rhames' reprisal of his role as Hunt's partner Luther is quite welcome  he's excellent, as usual. Dougray Scott is pretty good as villain Sean Ambrose, but the biggest waste is Thandie Newton as Nyah, who's given little to do but serve as eye candy. Yes, Ms. Newton is quite beautiful, but the lady can actually act as well, so a role such as this is an utter waste of her talents. Cruise (as producer) could've cast any one of a dozen Victoria's Secret models as Nyah and gotten the same results.
Basically, `M:I2' is a fun film, definitely worth renting if you're a casual action movie fan. If you're a die hard John Woo, fan, though, be prepared for some slight disappointment. Grade: B