MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION

In terms of storyline, Mission Impossible:Rogue Nation didn't depart from familiar territory. A covert
spy project initially set up and later disbanded (or so the British Prime Minister thought) by British
Intelligence goes awry when one of its agents goes rogue . In the middle of trying to take it down, the
IMF gets disbanded and integrated into the CIA. But perennial rule breaker, Ethan Hawk, goes rogue
himself in order to take down the Syndicate, aptly described as the Anti-IMF. For the spy genre of
movies, the storyline is pretty much formulaic and basic; covert operatives are always going rogue.
However, in terms of action sequences, exotic international locations and sleek spy gadgetry, Rogue
Nation definitely upped the ante! The opening hanging on - the - plane action sequence was too
gratuitous and seeing how little it added to the overall movie storyline, it came off as another
obligatory we-did-it-just-for-the-heck-of-it boast.
But from there on out, it was a testosterone - fulled rollercoaster ride of gripping action sequences.
From the suspenseful triple assassin sequence at the Austrian State Opera set against the musical
backdrop of nessun dorma to the literally breathtaking underwater server card swop to the hair -
raising car and motorbike chase scenes, Rogue Nation delivered what has got to be the top
contender for this year's best action sequences in movies. And that's saying a lot given the calibre of
other contenders in Fast and Furious 7 and Avengers:Age of Ultron.
Whilst acting has never been a criterion for reviewing action movies, there were commendable
acting turns from Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson (who also gave a very believable performance for
an action heroine ) and Alec Baldwin. Jeremy Renner seemed largely under-utilised this time around
and Sean Harris' bad guy just didn't seem like he was given sufficient time to make a lasting
impression on the viewer. Ageless Tom Cruise, of course, was born to play Ethan Hawk. It is to his
eternal credit to be able to play a very believable action hero even in his 50s whilst looking like he's
in his 30s.
Rogue Nation was worth the over 2 hours running time.