Pulse-pounding action entertainment.

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2000)

*** 1/2 stars out of ****
Mission: Impossible 2 is a rare sequel that surpasses the original, which was a bit too complex for its own good. This time around, with director John Woo at the helm, Tom Cruise back, and Robert Towne writing the script, the sequel is considerably easier to understand in terms of story, and the action scenes are some of the wildest and best in years.
The story doesn't really matter that much in a film like this. It's basically James Bond over again, this time with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out to stop former IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) and his henchmen from stealing Chimera, a deadly man-made virus that kills in less than 2 days. To penetrate Ambrose's security, Hunt hesitantly brings in thief Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton) to work her charms over Ambrose; she was also his former lover.
But not everything goes according to plan, and Ambrose discovers Nyah's real purposes for coming back to him and plans to kill her, but she injects herself with the last strain of the virus. With 20 hours left, Hunt must retrieve Bellerophon, the virus's only cure, and stop Ambrose from delivering the virus over the world.
M:I2 is entirely different in style from its predecessor. It works as pure action entertainment, and it's all the better for it. Though it doesn't bring in fight after fight from the beginning, it's never dull, with charismatic performances, great direction as usual from John Woo, and some lovely cinematography.
Woo's usual over-the-top style is here, with a little more restraint in terms of blood and gore, but there's no mistaking his touch in the film. His trademarks are here, and as strong as ever. This film is easily better than the last several Bond movies. After an entertaining set up, the last 40 minutes are packed with non-stop action, with Woo turning in amazing set piece after set piece. Whether it's a chaotic shootout in a secret lab, a long motorcycle chase that features a barage of breathtaking stunts (one of Woo's all-time best action scenes, a real compliment), or a climactic martial arts duel on a beach, the last 1/3 of the film don't disappoint if its action you're looking for.
The performances are solid for a film of this genre. Tom Cruise simply exudes coolness as superspy Ethan Hunt, who is truly becoming an even more compelling hero than James Bond. Thandie Newton is relatively decent as the love interest, though she's a little nonexistent in the last half hour due to the non-stop action. Ving Rhames gets some good lines in, providing comic relief along with some action muscle. Dougray Scott is all right as the villain. We don't really hate him as much as we should, but he does the physical parts of the role quite well.
There are a lot of other little elements that work in M:I2. Hans Zimmer composes another strong score, which reminds a tad of his own work in Gladiator. The special effects are brilliantly done, the settings are exotic, and everybody involved seems to be enjoying themselves. A can't miss film if you love action.