Released: July 31st,
2015
Rated: PG-13
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg,
Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Alec Baldwin
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Written by: Christopher McQuarrie
Personal Bias Alert: never seen a M:I movie, likes Tom Cruise
8 of 10
Ah,
Tom Cruise, the man who jumped onto a couch and (allegedly) killed his
career. It’s true that since that
incident only 5 of his 11 films have grossed more than $100 million
domestically and his public persona has been overcome by the odd actions many
link to his religious beliefs, but the reality is that Cruise was unfairly
judged for expressing exuberant love all those years ago. Americans are now suspicious of their
once-beloved movie star, but anyone willing to give his films a chance know
that his magnetism hasn’t faded. Now, Cruise
has passed the 50-year mark, entering the later portion of a career that he has
worked diligently to construct, and it’s a shame that he’s relegated to
rebuilding instead of reaping from a diverse career. Still, he’s got his action stalwart Mission:
Impossible series to hang from, and it’s only a matter of time
before audiences realize that he brings the same level of enthusiasm and effort
to all his other films as well.
Rogue Nation, the fifth installment of
the series, finds Cruise’s Ethan Hunt and his fellow IMF agents hunting a shadowy
organization called the Syndicate. The
CIA doesn’t even buy that the group exists, and after forcing the IMF to
disband and declaring Hunt a threat, the team must track down and stop the
group without the aid of official backing.
As is wont to happen in this series, that means an endless parade of
action spectacle, a series of setup and execution scenes that loosely build to
a climax and have a great time getting there.
It’s not the most artful affair; in fact, most of its elements are
straight genre stalwarts, but the pacing is excellent, moving swiftly between
set pieces and explaining things just enough so that everyone’s motivations
make sense. This sucker is tailor-made
for blockbuster season (despite its initial release date in December), and it’s
one of the best to grace our screens this summer.
The
other great of the season, Mad Max: Fury Road, shares many similarities with Rogue Nation, perhaps providing a
template for commercially and critically successful action films for years to
come. Both films lean heavily on live
stunts, meaning that what you see is what actually happened, and the palpable realism
of these sequences is what left so many slack-jawed. In case you didn’t already know, Tom Cruise
was tied to a plane that actually took off with
him outside, a stunt that few other actors (or human beings, for that
matter) would try in the age of CGI. Why
would he risk it? Because Cruise wants
to entertain us, and he knows that audiences can still tell the difference
between reality and fiction. Putting
real people in elaborately (and brilliantly) staged sequences allows the
cameramen and the characters to react to the insanity happening around them, adding
a frenzied liveliness that CGI work simply hasn’t been able to replicate. Delivering these breathless moments in an
efficient fashion is what so impresses people, and both of these films have the
pacing and dedication that sets themselves apart.
Cruise,
of course, is a known asset to these sorts of films, carrying the banner for
live stunts and old-school movie stardom at a time when no one else seems
committed to either. The big find of the
film is his female costar, Rebecca Ferguson.
She struts through the film as a real-life badass, handling the action
and the exposition with a charm that equals her scene-mate, even outshining him
with her more nuanced quiet moments. She
is the true second lead of the film, with Simon Pegg coming in at a close third,
and the trio is a delight to watch navigate their character’s twisty
relationships. The movie relies less on
a clear plot and more on keeping you on your toes, and all the cast pulls off
this light-but-serious balance that other similar series seem unable to locate.
While
never crossing into silly territory, Rogue
Nation is very shallow, fading from your mind quickly after you walk out of
the theater. The generic plot and barely
memorable villain is its downfall, but these are mere quibbles when you’re
sitting in the theater. What Rogue Nation gives you is a thoroughly
American film filled with astounding violence, one that remembers that modern
audiences don’t want to see their heroes ride off into the sunset. We prefer to see them limp off to the next
battle.
Other Notes:
Ø Get
ready for more of Rebecca Ferguson.
There’s no way she walks away from this and her upcoming film with Meryl
Streep without getting stacks of scripts to choose from.
Ø Ferguson
is also the youngest main cast member at 31.
Take that young Hollywood.
Ø If
you like this, go back and watch last year’s Edge of Tomorrow. You won’t
be disappointed.
