Controversial as it may or may not sound, I was of the opinion that Mission: Impossible 3 was the best instalment of the franchise. Furthermore, I also rated it as one of the best set-piece action movies of recent times. The opening rescue becoming a helicopter chase to the bridge-exploding kidnap to the skyscraper plummeting, it was a custom-built, excellent action movie. Full stop. So whilst each of the Mission: Impossible movies have had their own distinct style (arguably dictated by a new, strong director each time out) I was rather hoping that Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol wouldn’t stray too far from the blueprint of its predecessor.
It didn’t. It doesn’t. And whilst this fourth entry might not deliver as many action beats and has a weaker villain, it hits bar raising heights that supersede what went before. Put short, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a storming action movie and just about as much blockbuster fun as you could reasonably expect from a visit to the cinema.
Plot? It’s almost James Bond levels of superfluous. There’s a bad guy out to do bad things involving nuclear weapons and world destruction. The good guys, meanwhile, have had their organisation disavowed meaning they are on their own. So there’s Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), accompanied by foxy field agent Carter (Paula Patton). Simon Pegg returns as Benji, this time upgraded to be active in the field (and as excitable about it as can be to amusing effect) and new to the group is analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner) who just might be more than the database brained logician he at first appears to be. . .
I liked all four of them, which was crucial to my enjoyment. Cruise knows Ethan Hunt inside out and, whilst he does little here that advances the character as depicted previously, that’s no bad thing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Simon Pegg might appear a tad too clownish too often, but considering he’s the only member of the group with comic licence it’s not intrusive. Jeremy Renner also impresses – he sells what is really a contradictory personality and makes him highly sympathetic. And as for Paula Patton, where did she come from? My God! A scene where she is required to dress up to seduce a target had even Tom Cruise giving her a once-over double take. She’s not just about the amazing looks here but, wow, what looks!
The four leads make for a great gang, really. There’s a nice dynamic between them all and, with the functions they perform, a sense that together they can just about accomplish anything. Having Benji fresh and new in the field also allows us as an audience to appreciate an infiltration exercise with an extra level of tension; he doesn’t behave as a polished action hero and there’s every chance he might make a critical error that ruins the operation. To try and describe, for example, how him inadvertently sticking his face in front of a lens almost blows an elaborate illusion of an empty corridor would take longer than the sequence lasts on film. Just take my word for it: it’s really cool.
What I really like about the action sequence moments here, and in the previous film, were that they happened fast. In the opening scene an agent is seen dashing across a roof and leaping over the side, backwards, firing his gun and making a safe landing – it doesn’t slow and it’s startling, in a good way. No slow-motion balletics or overcooked explosions here. And though the action happens quick director Brad Bird has done fine work in letting you see it all clearly. There’s no rapid-editing confusion like in Quantum Of Solace or the Bourne movies. When Ethan is forced to make a vertical scramble down the side of the tallest skyscraper in Dubai it isn’t a jumpy montage of panicking images, you watch it happen with nausea-inducing thrill.
The Dubai sequence really serves as the films high point. It’s fair to say it suffers in momentum after that and only a rousing finale lifts it back up again. But any movie would struggle to match the Dubai sequence. From beginning to end it’s a 20-30 minute long stretch taking in planning, the aforementioned skyscraper clambering, dual deception tension, footchases, car chases and a whopping great sandstorm. When the crunch of a climax brought about the resolution Mrs. Comet actually leaned over to my ear and said, “Breathe.” I have no idea how long I hadn’t been. Absolutely enthralling stuff.
Michael Giacchino returns to the franchise for scoring duties, building on his own work and Lalo Schifrin’s iconic theme to deliver another muscular, intense music accompaniment. He’s by far my favourite movie composer of the moment and even whilst watching the film I was thinking about how keen I was to get my hands on the soundtrack and listen to it independently. Amongst the expected brass and strong assault he finds time for a full-on Russian choir and Bollywood funk, and it all works brilliantly in keeping the energy levels going.
The villain is the letdown. Compared to the enigmatically maniacal Philip Seymour Hoffman character in the previous film, Ghost Protocol doesn’t have a guy anywhere near as personable (though he’s tenaciously brutal for the final fight). There was actually a moment where a key villain had their face torn to reveal it was a mask that felt like it should have been a moment to gasp about – but those villains are so sketched the impact of that surprise is without force. I should also add that, without spoiling anything, an ending coda confused me more than it delighted. The question that hung over it was, How and why do they live happily like that? It isn’t clear and marred my enjoyment.
First film I’ve seen in 2012 and I’ll be giddily astonished if another action flick emerges this year that can better this one for sheer sense of cool, undiluted spectacular fun. Your mission, and you really should choose to accept it, is to go and see it for yourserlf.
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