really impossible?

Rating: Null/10 (20 March 2003)

Launched 4 years after the first movie of the same title, "Mission Impossible 2" is very superior to its predecessor. Maybe, it was a mistake to have hired Brian de Palma to the making. Indeed, the movie, in spite of good sequences was hard to maintain the spectator's attention due to a complicated screenplay.
Here, John Woo took over and he has done quite well. The complicated screenplay disappeared in favour of a more simple and traditional plot. But its characteristics gives an impression of "déjà-vu". From this impression, John Woo and his scriptwriters used subjects threadbare: to save the world from a threatening danger (here, it happens to be a virus called "the Chimère"), to use an ancient mistress of the wicked's boss so as to get information. At last, the unavoidable duel between Tom Cruise and his enemy at the end of the movie.
Fortunately, the banality of the screenplay is compensated by a spectacular and meticulous making, especially the brisk chases. At least, it proves a thing, Woo is the specialist of action movies and knows perfectly his job. Obviously, it doesn't go without a few implausibilities.
"Mission Impossible 2" is a more entertaining movie than the first and where Tom Cruise doesn't play too much the Dom Juan. He's even well directed.