Woo handed impossible mission

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2000)

The problem with Mission Impossible II was the choice of director. John Woo, whose work shone in "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off", is too serious and too stylized for the light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek tone set by Brian de Palma in "Mission Impossible" and the subtle, self-mockery of the television series. Woo brought texture and depth to the film's characters, creating in Sean Ambrose a villain who effectively upstages the paperdoll hero, Ethan Hunt. Unfortunately this isn't what "Mission Impossible" fans wanted from the film - nor are the shallow script and throw-away humor what Woo fans wanted from the director.