Impossible to believe

Rating: 6/10 (22 November 2000)

The purpose of this silly action adventure flick seems to have been to live up to its name. The malarkey they want us to swallow is so utterly impossible that this film could easily be one of the most laughable movies of 2000. Fifty bad guys shoot 10,000 bullets at Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) with automatic weapons, but never even wing him. Hunt, armed only with pistols, kills a bad guy with every bullet he fires, often killing them three at a time while somersaulting through the air.
John Woo (Broken Arrow, Face/Off) is a veteran of action adventure films and his expertise in this area is evident throughout the film. It contains stupendous action sequences throughout, though I thought Woo's attempt to turn Tom Cruise into Jackie Chan was a bit much. Woo also chose some breathtaking locations and the photography was first rate.
Ronald Moore's (Star Trek: Generations) story was an utterly unoriginal excuse to keep half of Hollywood's stunt actors employed. The dialogue was wretched. If one more character ripped off his face, I would have stomped the DVD.
The acting was nothing special. Cruise really had nothing intelligent to say or do, so the best I can say about him is that he was in great shape and showed us what a good athlete he is. Thandie Newton (Beloved) was initially very dynamic and sassy, but by the end of the film, she was reduced to a quivering jellyfish. Dougray Scott was fair as the villain, but lacked the wickedness to make him truly hateful.
This film did well at the box office grossing over $200 Million, a testimonial to the American public's inherent need to see stuff blown up without the burden of having to lug their brains to the movie theater. I rated this film a 6/10 on the strength of Woo's fabulous action sequences. Wear earplugs (to protect your ears from the loud explosions and the insipid dialogue) and don't expect to be mentally stimulated.