Impossible Mission Farce? (Mission Impossible 2 (DVD))

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	Mission Impossible 2 (DVD)
Date:	21/01/01 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good action, good acting

Disadvantages: Not true to Mission Impossible, crap story, too simple

I enjoyed the first Mission: Impossible movie – it had a strong cast, likeable characters, and a fairly good story to bring it up to date for those who were unfamiliar with the original television series. It also had some decent set pieces (the restaurant scene, and the finale helicopter scene spring to mind), and so, after seeing the trailer for Mission: Impossible 2, I was hooked.

I didn’t go and see it straightaway, but left it a week or so and went with a group of friends. By the time we went to see it, a number of people had told me how excellent they had thought it was, so with a large bucket of popcorn, and a large drink to slurp, I settled down to watch the movie.

A brief plot description follows, so if you haven’t seen it, or don’t want to know, then skip to the next paragraph now… Dr. Nekhorvich asks Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) to transport him and a special cargo from Australia to Atlanta, but while on the plane, it becomes apparent that it’s not Hunt at all, but someone posing as him. This person steals Nekhorvich’s briefcase, kills the doctor, before leaving the plane to crash. Swanbeck (Hunt’s boss, played by Anthony Hopkins, uncredited) tells Hunt that an ex IMF agent, Sean Ambrose is behind the whole thing, and it’s up to Hunt to find out where he is, and what was stolen. He’s told to find Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton), a civilian, but a professional thief and persuade her to help them. After falling in love with her, Swanbeck tells Hunt that she’s Ambrose’s ex lover, and she must infiltrate Ambrose’s headquarters to help the IMF (Impossible Mission Force)

It’s a typical John Woo movie – lots of guns, diving while shooting, the trademark pigeons, and of course, the stunning set pieces. The story is quite forgettable with practically everything being explained as the movie goes on, and leaves you guessing nothing. The acting, for an ac
tion movie, is surprisingly good. Most of the lead characters are portrayed well, although Cruise’s Australian IMF sidekick can prove to be annoying sometimes in his cheerfulness.

Ok, I had problems with this movie. To me, Impossible: Mission is all about gadgets, suspense and rubber masks – basically, getting the job done without the baddie knowing that anything was even wrong, until it was too late. Guns hardly make an appearance in the television series, and even then, only in the hands of baddies. The first I: M movie was, I thought, fairly true to the style of the television show, and that’s what made it enjoyable, as well as a good story, and trying to guess who the bad guy was. This movie just keeps giving all the answers away, and explaining things to you, so you know at all times what’s going on.

Obviously, this doesn’t make it a bad movie… in fact with any other name, I would probably like this movie. I have watched it twice - in the cinema, and then again on DVD, to make sure that I didn't make a mistake, but my opinion remains unchanged. What I can’t say however, is that this is a good Mission: Impossible movie.

John Woo makes good action movies, but movies such as this, which require subtlety are not his forte. It’s probably not his fault – the story must have been in place before Woo was brought on board, and we have to blame the suits who green lighted the project (and Tom Cruise too, as I’m sure he never signed without seeing a script) and so John Woo made the picture that the script allowed.

So: a good action movie, but not a good Mission: Impossible movie.

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