MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II
[Tom Cruise, Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott, Anthony Hopkins, Ving Rhames]

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) returns, this time on the trail of Sean Ambrose (Scott), a former IMF agent gone rogue. Ambrose has stolen a cure for a deadly virus, Chimera, and it's up to Hunt and his IMF team to retrieve it and stop Ambrose from obtaining the virus as well. However, a twist is thrown in as Hunt must have a civilian, Nyah Hall (Newton) as part of his team. Hall is an expert thief who has a history with Ambrose. However, Hunt himself gets involved with Hall and must keep his jealousy from hampering the mission.

M:I2 works a lot better than its predecessor in a number of ways. The story is much easier to follow this time around. It's a simple good guy vs. bad guy on a time table with a love triangle thrown in for a twist. The action is superb, thanks to the master himself, John Woo. And the focus stays on the main characters, rather than trying to focus on all the characters and convoluting the story.

But admidst this simplistic "popcorn" movie, Woo's artistry is clear. For fans of Woo, his characteristic style can clearly be seen. The first part of the movie focuses more on the story with very little in the way of action. However, Woo keeps you involved by setting up numerous twists and conspiracies. Taking a page from his previous release, Face/Off, Hunt and Ambrose are shown to have a rivalry, knowing how the other works and even to the point where Ambrose takes on the role of Hunt on a couple occassions. Woo also adds a touch of Greek mythology, as with Face/Off which used Caster & Pollock (the Gemini twins), here the virus and its cure are named after the Chimera and the hero who defeated it. The use of the reflections in mirrors and glass is used a lot here, more so than his previous efforts, including some pretty cool scenes such as Hunt and Ambrose confronting each other, and Hunt firing away behind him, using a rear-view mirror to aim. And as seems to be his one of his favorite cast members, the doves are present, including a single white dove, which when seen, its meaning will be clear. Unfortunately, his trademark stand off is missing from the movie. As for the action...well, the little that is shown throughout the movie is more than made up for at the end. The movie finishes with a non-stop thrill ride that only John Woo could choreograph. It must be seen! If you care nothing for the movie, Cruise, M:I...whatever, the last 30 minutes are a must see! Woo pulls no punches in bringing out his complete bag of tricks: his slo-mo photography, 360 degree spins, flying guns, car/motorcycle chases and stunts, and in the finale, Woo shows he can choreograph a hand-to-hand fight as well as his infamouse shootouts. (Let's just say he puts creative kicking to good use.)

The actors themselves do a great job. Cruise actually surprised me in how much stuntwork he actually did. And he didn't look that bad in the fight sequence either. And of course, no matter who it is, Woo always make actors look good with a gun... or two... ^_^. Scott does a great job as a villain. Ambrose is probably one of the stronger villains I've seen in film. Hopkins, who has little screen time, makes good use of what time he does have (although some of the ladies may not like some of his lines ;D).

Overall, the movie isn't quite up to Woo's standards, especially in the script department. The one disappointment was that the camera tricks used in the trailer weren't transferred over to the movie itself. But still, this movie clearly marks the beginning of summer action movies. And who does an action movie better than John Woo?!

-JoE-
©2000 JMR