Less than five minutes into Mission: Impossible-Rogue Nation- the fifth installment of the long-running espionage franchise- IMF Agent and series hero Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is dangling off the side of a cargo plane in an effort to prevent Russian terrorists from dropping nerve gas on a heavily-populated city in Austria. This attention-grabbing opening sequence is merely an appetizer for the series of bonkers action setpieces Rogue Nation offers up during its 131-minute runtime. Writer/director Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher) buys into the series over-the-top philosophy and stages a series of jaw-dropping sequences that rank amongst the franchise's most elaborate and well-choreographed stunts. Within the first or so alone, there's an exhilarating single-take underwater diving sequence, a fast-moving fist/gun fight in the rafters and backstage area of a Vienna opera house and a motorcycle/car chase so tense and chaotic that it makes anything in Mad Max: Fury Road look tame. It's amazing that it's been almost 20 years since this franchise debuted and Cruise and. co continue to up the ante with innovative stunts and outside-the-box action with each new installment.
When the action slows down and the story takes center stage in the last 45 minutes, Rogue Nation loses some serious momentum. Absolutely none of the proficiency McQuarrie shows as a director carries over to his script. After going light on plot for the first half of the film, McQuarrie decides to try and pile on two hours worth of story and plot twists into a half-hour simply so there can some kind of dramatic stakes going into the climatic fight sequence. This baffling creative choice leads to a final act so convoluted and poorly-conceived that it caused me to leave the theater with a throbbing headache and a bad taste in my mouth. Rogue Nation deserves props for the intensity and bold scope of its action scenes, but the woefully inept writing squanders any chance it had of being a standout film in the genre.
3.5/5 Starts
Offering smart as well as fast thrills with sleek looks and solid performances, Mission Impossible Rouge Nation is another solid entry in the spy action franchise that continues the momentum set forth in the previous installment.
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