DON’T M:ISS IT
Cruise’s thrilling ‘Fallout’ ups the frantic ante
It’s not just “Impossible,” it’s irresistible.
The sixth chapter in the Tom Cruise-controlled spy franchise, “Mission: Impossible — Fallout,” opening Friday, picks up where the last one, “Rogue Nation,” left off.
And then pushes it further, with the kind of breathless sequences — skydiving stunts, careening car chases, helicopter duels — that demand the biggest screen you can find.
Really, go IMAX on this one. This is one blockbuster that really uses — and deserves — the big screen.
If you don’t remember the last film, though — wasn’t that the one with someone hanging off a jet? — you may need some catching up. So just know that our secret-agent hero, Cruise’s Ethan Hunt, is back in trouble, this time for letting some plutonium fall into the wrong hands.
His assignment? Team up with pals Luther and Benji, and track it down — whatever it takes. Complicating things? It may take freeing a global terrorist — and evading the bullets of his old MI6 frenemy, Ilsa Faust.
Even going into the movie armed with that knowledge — and this is the kind of movie where everyone is armed — you may get a little lost at times.
The screenwriter is Christopher McQuarrie, who wrote “The Usual Suspects,” and he likes overcomplicating things. Keeping track of all the subplots can be a little like solving a Rubik’s cube. In the dark.
But McQuarrie, who also directed here, helmed the last installment, too (and Cruise’s “Jack Reacher,” as well as working on the scripts for his “Valkyrie” and “Edge of Tomorrow.”) So you already know two important facts.
One, he knows how to stage action scenes. And two, he has his star’s trust.
“Mission: Impossible — Fallout” depends on both.
A fight scene in a bathroom is both a choreographed spectacle, and a stylish explosion of white tile and crimson blood. A defuse the-bomb sequence triples the ante by dividing it into three race-against-time climaxes.
But the “M:I” franchise is also Cruise’s baby, a project he’s carefully expanded while always carrying it squarely on his shoulders. And you need a director who knows that, and how to show this star off to his advantage.
One way is to always give him something to do — jump out a plane, jump on a motorcycle, run down the street, fists pumping. You can lose calories just watching the guy.
The other, just as important way, is to tone down his natural arrogance. Cruise can come off like a Level VII know-it-all, but here he’s confident, not cocky. His superspy is making it up as he goes along. And his biggest worry is that you know that.
He gets some great support from his co-stars, too. Ving Rhames has become so solidly impressive, he deserves his own zip code. Simon Pegg adds comic relief and Henry Cavill provides a sturdy obstacle as a rival CIA agent.
Meanwhile, Michele Monaghan, missing for a while, makes a brief appearance as Hunt’s wife-in-hiding. Rebecca Ferguson is back as Ilsa, too, and Vanessa Kirby from “The Crown” drops by for a bit as a sexy villain. Or is she? Her character’s motivations are a little obscure, and her name — the White Widow — made her sound like a refugee from a Marvel movie. But she survives the picture, and we’re guessing she’ll be back for the next one. And I really hope there is a next one.
Because this is one mission you don’t ever want to end.
“Mission: Impossible — Fallout” 4.5 stars out of 5. With Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames. Director: Christopher McQuarrie (2:27). PG-13: Violence, strong language. Area theaters on Friday.