On the cusp of turning 50, it looks like Tom Cruise has entered a new phase of self-conception with a more maturely controlled version of superspy Ethan Hunt in the sleek and supercharged Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. The things Cruise has done right in M: I part four include toning down his youthful, arrogant preening and letting his cast mates share more of the spotlight (Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, and Simon Pegg all have some terrifically shiny moments). He also lets the unique creative vision of director Brad Bird shine through in a first live-action... outing for the acclaimed helm of Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Still looking much younger than his years (that hair! those pecs! those abs!), Cruise is playing more age-appropriately, letting a little wisdom and grace seep into his charisma so the wattage of his mere presence smoulders a little deeper. It's a nice nod to a greying generation that says you can get older and still be cool. All that is not to say he doesn't play up his action-star chops to the max. In a mostly inconsequential narrative arc that has something to do with purloined nuclear launch codes, an important metal briefcase, satellite uplinks, and global annihilation that leaps from Moscow to Dubai to Mumbai, Cruise is as dangerously nimble as he has ever been. He dangles one-handed from the tallest building in the world, bounds off ledges, springs out of speeding vehicles, tumbles and careens up and down the levels of an automated parking garage, and generally sprints and jumps his way across the movie with only a scratch or bruise to show for it. Also on the outlandish upside is a happily stereotypical villain straight out of Connery-era Bond and as many bleeding-edge gadgets as the art department techno-geeks could dream up. A running gag is that many of these electronic fantasy tools fail at just the wrong moment, which is part of a larger wink acknowledging how utterly preposterous yet ingeniously conceived this behemoth of a movie really is. The gadgetry is not limited just to the miraculous props. Ghost Protocol employs CGI fakery of the highest order from the sub-industry of effects contractors that ratchet up the standard of computing power and software design, one-upping each successive action-adventure extravaganza. The loving detail that goes into blowing up the Kremlin or rendering a photo-realistic sandstorm erupting across the enhanced skyline of an Oz-like desert city is nothing short of miraculous. What's more astonishing is that Tom Cruise closes the deal with a selling power that's as new and improved as the laminates on his multi-million-dollar teeth. --Ted Fry [show more]
Tom Cruise proves he's still the man when it comes to action movies, reprising his role as IMF agent Ethan Hunt in 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol', the forth instalment of the popular spy saga. Cruise leads his team (comprised of Paula Patton, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner) in a race against time to stop a false flag terrorist attack designed to (ominous tone): ".incite global nuclear war", as IMF Secretary Tom Wilkinson puts it. And so we have what amounts to an elaborate excuse for all manner of cloak & dagger shenanigans, cool gadgets and hi-octane action sequences in a variety of exotic locations. Director Brad Bird ('The Incredibles') follows on from Abrams's 'M:I3' timeline (the first of the sequels to so) and takes us from Russia to Dubai to Mumbai in a relentlessly paced, aesthetically pleasing affair.
'M:I4' is an entertaining movie, though the series itself is becoming rather episodic and may require a narrative shot in the arm next time around. Cruise is excellent but I was somewhat disappointed by the fact that they spent quite some time setting up an intriguing sub-plot between dastardly vixen Léa Seydoux and Paula Patton, only to wrap it up in one short, anti-climatic scene. It doesn't work as a red herring and makes you wonder why they'd bothered going to all that trouble to begin with.
Brian De Palma's original 'Mission: Impossible' is still the best in terms of it's storyline and performances but 'M:I4' takes it's crown as far as set pieces are concerned: For only the Langley CIA break-in from the first film can match Cruise's epic and suspenseful climb on the Burj Khalifa here. Even John Woo's enjoyably OTT sequel, though unmatched as far as gunplay goes, is given a run for its money with the IMF's escape from Moscow whilst M:I3's hit n' miss attempts at characterisation (e.g. romantic interludes, agent killed in the field etc) are just as shoddy now as they were back then.
The spy thriller has undergone a lot of changes since Cruise first played this role; from the Jason Bourne films to the re-invention of Bond, but the 'Mission Impossible' series shows no signs of self-destructing (...in 5 seconds) and retains a sense of excitement and charm thanks, in no small part, to the appeal and longevity of the charismatic showman that is Tom Cruise. The franchise does need a new slate of characters should they decide to go on, but if there is another Mission; I'm quite certain that audiences around the world will choose to accept it.
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Please note this contains a region B Blu-ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-ray player in order to play No plan No backup No choice Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his elite team (Jeremy Renner - Avengers and Simon Pegg - Star Trek) go underground after a bombing of the Kremlin implicates the IMF as international terrorists While trying to clear the agency&39;s name the team uncovers a plot to start a nuclear war Now to save the world they must use every high-tech trick in the book The mission has never been more real more dangerous or more impossible Mission AcceptedImpossible MissionsDeleted Scenes W Optional Commentary By Director Brad BirdRegion freeActors Jeremy Renner Tom Cruise Simon Pegg Paula Patton Josh Holloway Michael Nyqvist Léa Seydoux Anil Kapoor Darren Shahlavi Vladimir Mashkov & Samuli EdelmannDirector Brad BirdCertificate 12 years and overYear 2011Screen Widescreen 2401Languages English - Dolby Digital (71)Additional Languages French; Italian; Castilian Spanish; English Audio Descriptive TrackSubtitles English; English for the hearing impaired; French; Dutch; Italian; Castilian SpanishClosed Captions YesDuration 2 hours and 10 minutes (approx)
Tom Cruise reprises his role as Impossible Mission Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt in the fourth film of the action thriller series. When the Kremlin is bombed by terrorists, the IMF is implicated and all its team members instantaneously disavowed by the United States government. Hunt and his new team must go rogue to clear the IMF's name; but are warned that if any one of them is captured during their mission, they will be charged as terrorists plotting to incite global nuclear war. Hunt seeks the help of an enigmatic former IMF agent, Brandt (Jeremy Renner), and is surprised to learn how much the shadowy figure knows about his past. Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Paula Patton co-star.
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