Scottish Catholic Observer

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin

Certificate: 12A

Duration: 131mins

I can neither confirm nor deny whether Mission Impossible—Rogue Nation is a good or bad film without the approval of the editor.

And once you see the latest offering from Tom Cruise (above and below left) and the rest of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) that will make sense.

In the dramatic opening credits scene of the new installment in the series, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) hijack a cargo plane carrying a very important consignment known as the ‘package.’ Hunt attempts to jump on to the plane while Dunn and Stickell attempt to hack a Russian satellite to open the plane door but the bad news is that it’s all in Russian.

Then the story begins in London when Hunt goes into a record shop for his mission—should he choose to accept it. It turns out this time he does not have a choice, and the battle with the anti-IMF syndicate begins.

What follows is a thrill ride of action and double crosses with the very existence of the IMF at stake.

Highlights include Dunn’s trip to the opera in Vienna, the reunion in Casablanca, a motorcycle chase to remember and a daring underwater computer hack.

The all-star cast and performances save the film from Tom Cruise’s turn, which he essentially ‘phones in,’ just going through the impressive stunt motions. In sharp contrast, Rebecca Ferguson (below right) is excellent as Ilsa Faust, the disavowed British agent who plays a cat-and-mouse game with Hunt. All of the laughs come from Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and, in the end, Alec Baldwin. And as far as baddies go, Sean Harris’ performance as Solomon Lane is a quiet but creepy triumph.

I refer the honourable readers to my opening statement: I can neither confirm nor deny whether Mission Impossible—Rogue Nation is a good or bad film without the approval of the editor.

ROSS THOMSON