Writer and Director Christopher McQuarrie ~ who has brought us such incredible films as VALKYRIE, JACK REACHER and EDGE OF TOMORROW ~ has once again put together a story of espionage and intrigue for his “favorite muse”, but this time he is penning and directing for the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE franchise, as we enter into the 5th saga of the IMF team with ROGUE NATION!!
As we meet the members of the IMF for this go-round, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and our illustrious leader Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) have happened upon a plane full of nuclear warheads, which must be apprehended…
Back at home, IMF agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) is fighting opposition from internal sources to shut down the IMF organization, including supporter turned trader, Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin).
When Hunt happens upon an informant for the SYNDICATE ~ a Rogue organization comprised of British Intelligence ~ he finds that they also plan to remove the IMF from existence once-and-for-all. To expose this organization, its plans and it’s associates ~ Hunt must go underground ~ but not without availing the assistance of the beautiful, yet extremely deadly Syndicate informant Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), as they try to defuse THE SYNDICATE from the inside, before it can destroy the IMF, and all that it protects…
I give MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION 4 out of 5 stars: Even though this is the 5th Installment for MI, the storyline and it’s twists and turns at every turn, kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire viewing of this film. CRUISE is back doing what CRUISE DOES BEST ~ playing Ethan Hunt, and all that that entails…even doing many of his own stunts (yes, I can confirm that it is really him on the outside of the plane – and not CGI). Renner, Rhames, and Pegg were also perfectly cast in this film as the counter intelligence masters of the IMF, and casting Baldwin as the A-hole within the organization itself, plays out perfectly too. And even though their relationship feels like it was plucked straight from one of the many BONDS films we know and love, the chemistry between Cruise and Ferguson is very palatable to view, which plays out as a good thing too. If you love these films, then you are absolutely going to LOVE THIS ONE, and if you haven’t seen a MISSION IMPOSSIBLE film before, no worries there either, because this one can stand all on it’s own, as it is ONE OF THE BEST MI FILMS to date, by far!
Kathy Kaiser
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 