Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Movie Blurb by Shale July 31, 2015 In my DVD collection is Mission Impossible, the 1996 first takeoff of an old TV fantasy/spy show that ran from 1966-1973. I never collected the other two sequels, can't even remember if I bothered to see them in theater. Like James Bond franchise, it sort of gets old after a while. But, I went to see the fourth installment in December 2011 (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) because of all the good word I'd heard about it. And, it was true, the movie was fun to watch, so here I am again today watching 53-year-old Tom Cruise still convincing as an action hero in installment five. The movie opens with the IMF team trying to prevent terrorists from making off with poisonous chemicals and the tense action moments with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) hanging on the side of an airplane in the air while Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) is frantically trying to get the door open for him by remote. Ethan Hanging on Plane Ethan has been suspicious of a syndicate that has been taking in operatives from other black ops around the world and because of this was captured by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) and is about to be tortured for info by Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) with some of Lane's goons. Of course you can tell the attractive Ilsa can't be all bad and she does help Ethan escape, jeopardizing her own cover. Ilsa Rescues Ethan Meanwhile, back in Washington, CIA director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) is before a Senate committee with IMF Agent William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) trying to end the IMF team because of recklessness (Pix of the Kremlin mess and the near miss of a Russian missile in San Francisco from the last movie were used.) The IMF is closed, Ethan Hunt is missing and it ends up just being the agents Brandt, Dunn, Hunt and Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) following up their pursuit of the Syndicate on their own while also being hunted by the CIA. Oh, and of course there is the mysterious Ilsa, who is never quite clear whose side she is working for. Ethan & Ilsa Fight Team As you can expect, there are car chases, foot chases, motorcycle chases, intrigues, sniper assassins and hand-to-hand combat. Ethan in Motorcycle Chase When I bought my ticket the cashier warned me about the 30 kids from summer camp that were in that auditorium. The ticket taker warned me as well but they were so immersed in the movie that I didn't hear much noise from them. I liked the movie, a good summer action flick. On Rotten Tomatoes, the aggregate critics gave it a 93% fresh, the same percent as the audiences.
