DVD, Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) film
The style, the tone, the lighting, the characters, the theme music, the gadgets, the stunts - it's all running at high performance. Ethan's long hair is a symbol of the film itself: it lets it's hair down and just goes for everything with no compromise. The heartrending decisions, played out to hauntingly beautiful singing; the confident and shocking opening; the heart thumping little chords that herald a moment of danger or emotion; even the way the first few seconds grab your ears and eyes...
The best film of it's kind, better than 'The Matrix', Bond and the other 'Mission: Impossible' films by an assured approach that always takes things to the next level, the cast included. Importantly the direction is crafted, almost every shot a chance for art. A bit like the way 'The Matrix' was directed. Like graphic novel frames, with flair and verve, moving images that impress for their composition as much as their content. The weaving of the pieces together so that Nyah becomes the centre of all revolutions around her. I don't appreciate the innuendo, but the romance is well presented, especially the Spanish dancing, and it's scenes like this that make it more than a simple-headed action film. It helps that the casting department got it so right.
Every single character has something to them that helps them stand out. Even characters that are in the film only briefly, such as the bald, nervous-looking accountant of McCloy, or Dr Nekorvich, seem just right. Dougray Scott has enough irony and bile to prove a worth adversary for Hunt, with deep eyes of evil, yet he also has a dark sense of humour; Thandie Newton is likeable as the lynchpin of the plot, and of course it's brilliant to have Luther back as the main source of humour, along for the ride with Billy, the Australian, the pair playing off each other well. The Australian is like an older version of Ed from 'BUGS', and is far better than the second banana in the other films (eg: the Irish fella in 'M:I3').
It seems many people consider this the least of the 'Mission: Impossible' films, perhaps because they see it as just another action film, and because it isn't necessarily the closest to the original TV series. There is something to be said for not having affiliations or preconceptions. I had never seen the series, or the first film, when I saw this at the cinema, so I didn't have to make comparisons. I hadn't ever seen a film like it, and it was a great summer film, full of brightness and beauty and sleekness. I know what it's like from both angles, since I was in the opposite camp for the eleventh 'Star Trek' film: I knew the series' and other films very well and didn't appreciate the changes. With this, I was fresh to it, so see how people who didn't know Trek at all could be blown away by something I found disappointing. Likewise, those who loved 'Mission: Impossible' and were disgusted with this - I get that. It doesn't have the same ensemble direction that made it true to the series, and it became focused mainly on Ethan Hunt as an action man.
But I feel the character filled in a gap. This was before Bourne came along, yet Hunt has those same characteristics of being a humane hero, who tries to do the right thing (one of the key 'originalities' that made Bourne successful in appealing to a wider audience), and Bond had lost much of its impact and invention, 'The World Is Not Enough' not really making for a great film in my opinion (I hear 'Die Another Day' wasn't that special either). So 'M:I2' was the only one of its kind at the time, and the decision to make this sequel radically different to the last film was in the spirit of the series, in that each episode followed a different format. This was continued for 'M:I3', which wasn't as successful in my eyes for jumping on the Bourne/Bond style of jerky camera, and trying to be more 'realistic'.
The most obvious aspect of this film is its style. Yes, it goes into fantasy, and has some macho posturing such as the motorbikes as chargers, and the extended thumping scene at the end, but the stunts are superb, and YOU CAN SEE EVERY PART OF THEM! This is the main draw for me, on top of the style and perfectly suited score. My biggest annoyance with films of this decade is that you can't see what's going on very well because of extreme cutting and camera shake. This film shows how the tempo can be kept up without losing the details. Slow-motion, multiple views, not cut, cut, cut, and cut again; a supposedly more realistic way of presentation, as if you're in the thick of the action. The point is, I don't want to be in the middle of it, I want to see it. These are films, not fairground rides. Rant over: 'M:I2' gives you a visual... I won't say feast, it's more like fast food, but the stunts are as powerful and amazing as when I was first blown away at the cinema.
Cruise, Woo and the rest of the cast made an epic rollercoaster. The best bit has to be the cool Hugh Stamp being sorted out and then Hunt running away with the virus, ripping his false face off in perhaps the most 'wow' moment I've ever seen! Fights, acrobatics, humour, bike chase, foot chase, guns, surprises, helicopter, explosions. It has everything a film needs and more. I wish more films could be like this, really.
*****