Mission: Impossible 2

Reviewed by:
John DeVore

Nothing’s more frustrating than coughing up eight bucks for a much-hyped flick only to find that all the good parts were already in the trailer. M:I-2’s explosive promo had us panting for more, but the movie underdelivers in every department save the inevitable extreme close-ups of Tom Cruise’s smirking mug.

We thought we hated the first Mission: Impossible, because of its convoluted plot and goofy action sequences, but we didn’t know how good we had it. M:I-2 opens with the murder of a wily scientist and the theft of a deadly disease, then cuts to the now-familiar mountain-climbing sequences featuring Cruise. After that, the film drags its feet for over an hour before we’re treated to the first action setpiece. Granted, the interval is occupied by Thandie Newton, but she comes off as cute rather than sexy, scrunching her adorable nose as an improbable cat burglar. But this film was supposed to be wall-to-wall mayhem; instead we get pretty pictures, pretty people, and a pretty simplistic plot with lousy dialogue. Even the villain, Dougray Scott, seems bored in every frame.

Premier action director John Woo seems strangely muted in this film. Even though all his signature touches are present—double guns blaring, heroes sliding across floors, doves fluttering in inexplicable places—we can’t help thinking Cruise denied him the free rein he enjoyed in recent films like Face/Off. Sure, there’s a jaw-dropping motorcycle race climax and Cruise performs a couple of neat acrobatic tricks, but ultimately this is a vain, pop-star postcard that forgot it was supposed to kick ass nonstop for two hours.

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