Cookie Cut

Rating: 6/10 (5 May 2006)

Mission: Impossible fans have been waiting for this. Action fans have been waiting for this. Heck, after last summer's dismal lineup of films, everyone has been waiting for this. I have good news and bad news. Bad news: The film does not deliver. It's really nothing more than a cookie-cut action film; a bunch of guys running around with guns doing crazy stunts. The story itself is reasonably dry and the special effects are clean but don't draw any positive attention to themselves or advance the plot much. The tension in the film is set by shaky camera work (intentional, yes, but a very cheap way to build tension). The editing is a strong point in the film and the acting is right on the money (you can't go wrong with Hoffman and Cruise). Now, the good news: We still have a whole summer of highly-anticipated films ahead of us. At least one of them shouldn't disappoint us.