Mission: Impossible II
Tags: revenge, suspenseful, action, murder, violence

Plot synopsis:
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), while vacationing, is alerted by the IMF that someone has used his identity to assist Russian bio-chemical expert Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich (Rade Serbedzija) of Biocyte Pharmaceuticals to enter the United States, but purposely crashed the commercial airliner en route. Nekhorvich, an old friend of Ethan, had forewarned the IMF of his arrival, planning to deliver a new virus called Chimera and its cure, Bellerophon, both of which he was forced to develop by Biocyte, into the IMF's hands. With the crash of the plane, IMF is worried that the virus is out in the open, believing that rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) is behind the incident. IMF assigns Ethan to recover it. Ethan is told that he can use two members of his team to help him, but the third person to help him must be Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton), a professional thief presently operating in Seville, Spain as she will be able to get close to Ambrose, being an ex-girlfriend of his.After recruiting Nyah, Ethan meets his team, computer expert Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and pilot Billy Baird (John Polson) in Sydney, Australia, where Biocyte laboratories are located along with Ambrose's headquarters. As Ethan and the others stake out Biocyte, Nyah gets close to Ambrose and begins to find any information related to the Chimera virus. At a horse racing event, Ambrose quietly meets with Biocyte's CEO, John C. McCloy (Brendan Gleeson), and shows him a video of the Chimera virus affecting one of Nekhorvich's colleagues taken from Biocyte, using the footage to force McCloy to cooperate with them. Nyah is able to steal the video footage long enough to transfer it to Ethan and his team, who learn that the Chimera virus has a 20-hour dormant period before it causes death through mass destruction of the victim's red blood cells. This is depicted through several increasingly graphic pictures, which show the victim dead after 37 hours. Bellerophon can only save the victim if used within the 20-hour window.The IMF team kidnaps McCloy and learns that Nekhorvich had actually injected himself with Chimera, the only way he could smuggle the virus from Biocyte, and had all the known samples of Bellerophon, now presently in Ambrose's hands. Ambrose has blackmailed McCloy to sell him the virus for £37,000,000 and promising to return the samples of Bellerophon. Ethan's team plans to break into Biocyte and destroy the virus. Ambrose, posing as Ethan, tricks Nyah into revealing Ethan's plan. Ambrose secures Nyah and prepares to raid Biocyte himself to secure the virus. Ethan is able to destroy all but one sample of the virus before Ambrose interrupts him, and an ensuing firefight begins. Ethan learns that Ambrose is holding Nyah and stops firing, during which Ambrose orders Nyah to retrieve the last sample. When she does so, she injects herself with it, thus preventing Ambrose from simply killing her to get it. As Ambrose takes Nyah, Ethan escapes from the laboratory and starts a 20-hour countdown before the virus takes over Nyah's body.Ambrose opts to let Nyah wander the streets of Sydney in a daze, and orders McCloy to effectively hand over enough control of Biocyte to make him the majority shareholder, or else Nyah's infection will cause a pandemic that will kill 17 million people in Australia alone; Ambrose's plan is to make a fortune when prices of Biocyte's stock skyrocket due to demand for Bellerophon. Ethan's team is able to locate and infiltrate the meeting, stealing the samples of Bellerophon while taking out many of Ambrose's men. Luther and Billy locate Nyah who has wandered to a cliff side, intent on killing herself to prevent Chimera from spreading. As the two IMF agents bring Nyah to Ethan, he and Ambrose engage in a fist fight and wilds out on Ambrose. With little time left on the 20-hour countdown, Ethan finally gains the upper hand over Ambrose and shoots him dead, and then Luther injects Nyah with Bellerophon. Ethan reports to IMF on the successful mission. IMF clears Nyah's criminal record, and allows Ethan to continue his vacation with her in Sydney.

Review: Sure, the action scenes are great in that classic John Woo, ultra-choreographed way, but the plot isn't original or have much to it.
Since John Woo, who is one of the kings of the action genre, took over for Brian De Palma, you can expect Mission: Impossible II to be an intense action movie with a majorly dumbed down plot.
In this movie, Ethan Hunt is once again a secret agent, and he is sent on a mission to stop a crooked agent from stealing a deadly virus for his own use.I liked the first Mission: Impossible better because it had a more advanced plot.
Hunt turns to jewel thief Nyah to help him by infiltrating her ex-lover's (Ambrose) group to spy on them.John Woo must have thought of the elements he needed to follow up the solid thrills of the original movie.
Only the final action scene is enjoyable, but by then you're ony interesting in turning this off and watching De Palma's much better film instead..
Thandie Newton is attractive heroine and Dougray Scott is satisfactory as the main villain.The movie plays more like a James Bond film, although it still has MI touches such as the fake rubber masks we saw in the first film.
Do not see this movie even if Tom Cruise rings your doorbell and threatens to wave his long hair in slow motion as he did so often in film if you don't view it.
Personally, this film is an exciting action movie with plenty of visually awesome stunts, quality soundtrack and a couple of nice surprises.
John Woo is a great action filmmaker and he doesn't make movies like this anymore..
Unfortunately, both films premise of a woman going undercover at the request of her government agent lover to spy on an ex-boyfriend with nefarious plans isn't helped here by the ludicrous relationship between Tom Cruise's Hunt and Thandie Newton's character.
And again, Scott is excellent.Luther Stickell is back, similarly likable as he was in the first film.It's when you hit that 80 minute mark that the film takes a turn, and the rest of the movie sees John Woo cutting loose with nonstop car chases, gun fights, and a bizarre motorcycle jousting match which turns into a kung-fu fight.Not that any of this is unenjoyable.
However, this movie managed to keep my attention a lot more than the original and had a lot more action.People have criticized that the plot is more like James Bond than Mission Impossible.
I thought the twists with people wearing masks were actually pretty clever.Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt and once again proves that he can carry an action blockbuster with no problem.
It's been cobbled together by the expert Hollywood script doctor Robert Towne out of elements of other movies, notably Hitchcock's "Notorious" (1946), from which he takes the idea that the hero first falls in love with the heroine, then heartlessly assigns her to resume an old affair with an ex-lover to spy on his devious plans."M:I-2 is way better then the original.
From that point on I decided that this film was not a good film at all.My wife had asked me several times to buy the mission impossible trilogy as she had never saw them and was a Tom Cruise fan.
It has a simple plot with some mind blowing action and the ladies got some major eye candy as Tom Cruise looks the best in this movie apart from Top Gun. So guys...
Mission: Impossible II is the sequel to the 1996 blockbuster where this time around Face/Off director, John Woo, takes charge behind the seat to give the audience what the first movie should have been in the first place.Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is on vacation climbing mountains where he gets interrupted by his boss (Anthony Hopkins in an uncredit cameo) that a mad agent (Dougray Scott of Ever After) who used to work with Hunt and the agency has plans of his own after a plane crashed in the Rocky Mountains where he has the biochemical weapons to end half the world.
The fourth member is Billy Baird (John Polson) who provides comic relief as a helicopter pilot along with disguising himself whenever possible.The real reason to love Mission: Impossible 2 is the action that John Woo brings to the screen.
Tom Cruise and director John Woo team up for the high-voltage, heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat action thriller `Mission Impossible 2,' a non-stop rush of excitement that grabs you before the credits even begin to roll with the pulsating vibes of Hans Zimmer's terrific score.
Once again, Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt of the IMF, called into action by his boss, Swanbeck (Anthony Hopkins), when a plot involving a deadly virus is hatched by former IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott).
Simply put, Cruise has never been better; he's matured since the first `Mission Impossible,' and turns in an outstanding performance here, imbuing Hunt with a believable invincibility that gives a luster and credibility to his heroics throughout the film.
Superior in all ways to the first `Mission Impossible,' this is nothing less than a triumph for Cruise; and John Woo, thy name is Action.
The film takes all too familiar "James Bond" components and creates a movie more similar to the licensed to kill spy than the primary contents of the television series.Tom Cruise once again stars as proselyte I.M.F. agent Ethan Hunt, recently assigned to track down a former representative who possesses a deadly biochemical substance obtained by the murdered scientist Dr. Vladimir Nekhorick (Rade Sherbedgia).
I can almost see the producers now, discussing what battles scenes and explosions to deposit within the film's theatrical trailer; the filmmakers also need to know that external action itself does not make for a thought-provoking movie.The production succeeds mainly due to an effective, solidly portrayed villain, keenly acted by Dougray Scott ("Ever After: A Cinderella Story").
It's the type of movie that leaves a 12 year old orgasmicly gasping, while leaving any rationally level headed individual with a deep sense of the "MISSING TIME" phenomenon.The original 1996 "Mission: Impossible" movie showed just how an intelligent (while yet entertaining) espionage movie could be made, without a single gun battle, although with several good break-ins and chase scenes.
Let me speak to some of the far more child-like idiotic elements of this movie that just left me completely embarrassed, and certainly anything BUT impressed.In an action sequence, in which a lone Tom Cruise is gunfighting with the villains at a biotechnology compound, the bad guys happen to be perched underneath some barrels labeled - "DANGEROUS, HAZARDOUS / MEDICAL WASTE".
There are numerous other inane parts but the above example is illustrative of the movie's approach which is -- F-CK any form of a plot, believability and any form of common sense - full speed ahead on CROOZE appeal and CROOZE facial close-ups with flowing of hair!!!If you can deal with pointless dialog and non-existent storyline enough to appreciate some CROOZE action sequences and constant CROOZE scenery, and more slow-motion than can be found in the complete catalog of John Madden's Football Highlights Specials, this might be for you.Otherwise save your time, do something more constructive, such as surfing the net for....."STUFF"..
The suspense and tension, which are a stamp of the first movie, are nowhere near the levels that they used to be, and the slow-motion is excessively employed.The story incorporates a love triangle between Ethan Hunt, Sean Ambrose, and Nyah that feels so strangely awkward and unnecessary.
Tom Cruise is at it again as he is trying to stop a deadly disease from being sold on the black market and infecting the entire world,, he goes up against Dougray Scott who plays the bad guy,, Thandie Newton wasn't bad to look at either,, Anthony Hopkins plays Jim Phelps,, wish he would have had more screen time.
excellent movie, great direction,, great music,, and lo'ts of John Woo classic hand to hand action, and stunts, with super slo mo...
But enough plot is still decent, as IMF (Impossible Mission Force, hence comes the franchise title) agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) races to stop rogue agent Sean Ambrose (the ever excellent Dougray Scott) from obtaining a killer virus called Chimera, after the monster from Greek mythology.
Director John Woo plays to his strengths here, but overindulges his fetishes for slow-mo and kung fu moves, making the film seem simply ridiculous at times.
Clearly, realism has left the building, (particularly in the end showdown, which is entertaining to be sure, but one can't help but laugh as Hunt pulls off far too many martial art tricks on his adversary) and it's more glaringly obvious in M:I2 than most similar action films.But in spite of all my criticism, I enjoyed this movie a lot.
Mission Impossible II starts well, but you immediately get a taste of what is wrong with this film:  Long, slow, loving shots of Tom Cruise.
Woo once again proves he can shoot anything in slow-mo, and will.Action adventure films have a long history of being short on plot, but the good ones can make up for that with speed and pop.
The action scenes are soo overdone that they are stupid and the first hour of the film is liking waiting for the doctor to see you..boring and annoying Ving just seems to sit in the background with nothing to do, a total waste of great talent.
The new one is just the opposite: Its all violence, cheesy Bond type lovers, chase scenes, and just Tom. It has nothing at all to do with the spirit of the original series, it's just an action packed, mindless Cruise fest..
why is it, that non-american directors coming to the usa allways try to top the local directors concerning cheesiness and stupid popcorn hollywood flicks?just like roland emmerich with independence day or godzilla now john woo tries to make a movie witch would even insult the intelligence of todays low-brain popcorn-audiance!when i saw this movie i couldn't help but laughing out loud at some scenes which were meant to be eighter dramatic or action filled!
An hour into it I was thinking, "Okay, the plot sucks too, but the action scenes are good."  By the end, even Woo's trademark "bullet ballet" couldn't redeem this movie.
Just put "dumb" right in the middle of "action" and "movie" and enjoy the action-packed material.Tom Cruise is back as CIA agent Ethan Hunt, sent on another mission to retrieve and destroy a genetically modified disease called the "Chimera" before it falls into the hands of the bad guys.
Thandie Newton provide the lead female (I wouldn't call her the damsel-in-distress for she has a lot to do to be one) and Vhing Rhames is back as one of Hunt's old buddies.The film's director is Hong Kong action director John Woo, who really knows how to make action movies, oriental or not.
The first movie was a great spy film, with all its clever twists and turns and Ethan Hunt a sympathetic human character, here he is recast as action man or to put it another way the American version of James Bond, which would have been fine if not for Tom Cruise essentially being a completely different character than he was in MI1.
I think that tom cruise and john woo are an excellent teamthe cruiser should make way more action movies it really suits him to do them especially with woo.
Just to get down the negative critics list right at the beginning, so we can talk about the things that are good in this film (which is, in my opinion, a lot):1) Yes, the plot is pretty weak compared to the first Mission: Impossible.
JOHN WOO is the best thing that happened to Hollywood in a long time.I am a big fan of JOHN WOO, actually I consider him the GOD OF ACTION, not mainly because of films like "Broken Arrow" or "Hard Target" but rather because of his Hong Kong masterpieces (i.e.
I was amazed, the action and dynamics of the movie were way better than anything I had ever seen, it was gripping and at the same time BEAUTIFUL, it was SHEER BEAUTY that came off the screen right at me (and the pigeons are beautiful too, over and over again, this time even more than in his other films).
I saw this film today and likely, I'll watch it again tomorrow.Overall: BEAUTIFUL, LOVELY, AMAZING, WONDERFUL...My rating: 10/10 (Thank you, JOHN WOO).
Without a doubt, John Woo saved this movie from being another "Tom Cruise" scenery chewing vehicle like the first MI.For the record, I couldn't stand the first Mission Impossible movie.
I think it worked very well in MI2.I'll say right out that I'm not a Tom Cruise fan, however he WAS good in this movie - this is the movie that the last Bond movie should've been.Who could end a MI-2 review without a note about the remarkable Thandie Newton, who I havn't seen before this feature.
Give John Woo,who is a master of his craft,a cheering ovation because he knows how to do action movies and I really like his style of this which was way better than Brian DePalma's version of the same title.
Personally, I think that John Woo is a good director when you look at the action sequences, and I know that he uses a lot of slow motion in these sequences.
Boy, John Woo's over the top directing didn't age well, the action scenes are sometimes so ridiculous and outright dumb that you feel you're watching a B movie.
But while many of the expected Wooisms are present and correct, the director's trademark high-octane thrills really only kick in in the final act, meaning that much of the film is just as tedious as DePalma's original, albeit thankfully a lot easier to follow.Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, spy extraordinaire, whose mission is to convince sexy thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton) to resume her relationship with international criminal Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), who has recently acquired the antidote to a deadly virus, and who is now trying to get his hands on the virus itself, hoping to sell the combo to the highest bidder.
Helping Hunt on his mission are IMF agents Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Billy Baird (John Polson), the latter acting as comic relief.All of this is fairly humdrum—the old 'Earth threatened by a deadly virus' plot holds very few surprises—and much of it is silly (I lost count how many times the rubber mask trick came into play), but the film finally delivers the good stuff in the final reel, when Hunt gets to shoot at lots of bad guys, go wheel to wheel with Ambrose in an exhilarating motorcycle battle, and then duke it out with the boo-hiss villain on the beach.
Director John Woo did a good job making this film, and Tom Cruise and all the other actors did a good job acting.
This John Woo directed sequel to Mission Impossible has plenty of high-octane action stunts, specially in the second half.
I saw this movie for two reasons: I'm a die-hard Tom Cruise fan, as well as a Mission: Impossible fan...
especially when one takes into account that Tom Cruise did his own stunts for this movie, too, as usual.If you're a fan of the Mission: Impossible franchise, action films, John Woo, or Tom Cruise, or any combination of those, you should watch this film.
It is packed with Director John Woo's signature action sequences and is lead by a good performance from Tom Cruise.Say what you will about Cruise's off-screen antics, the guy packs a punch as CIA operative Ethan Hunt.
The Mission Impossible trilogy is one of the best series in the spy genre.The first time I watched this film, I was amazed by Woo's awesome action direction and the hard rocking music score by Hans Zimmer.
If you are not a Tom Cruise fan, probably won't like this film since he pays homage to his past movies (the opening seen with the sunglasses sticks out).
Mission Impossible 2 not only defeats the first Cruise MI,  it defeats any other action movie out as it is released in theaters.
I expected this to be an action movie, with lots of stunts, exaggerated sequences, explosions and cool gadgets, and this is exactly what I got.
This movie was an excellent Action Film, let's leave it at that.
It's rare that you see a movie like this that is smart as well as action-packed, and John Woo once again delivers.
For those of you who saw the original Mission: Impossible and were, like I was, disappointed, then don't let that put you off this one.I have a read a review on this site, by a girl, who disliked it because of the damsel in distress cliché - oh, please, this isn't about political correctness, and she was certainly capable of handling herself.This film does use overused plots and ideas, but put that to one side and just enjoy the movie for what it is - a couple of hours of sheer entertainment, with much more professionalism and impact than the original.Tom Cruise is at his best in this film and is supported very well.
For a movie like this the main point is the action.MI2 was typical John Woo, taking many of the sequences from "Hard-Boiled", it was a visual spectacle of the highest order.
Not only this movie features Tom Cruise, but along with the face goes a five+ star film.
If you are an avid Tom Cruise fan and you enjoy action, you will like this film.
I know that it is a John Woo film, I know that it's Tom cruise doing the acting, I know that it is trying to rip off James Bond to some extent.