So Craig and I recently managed a date night and went to Shepherd’s Bush to stay in a urban spa. We should have taken full advantage and gone into Soho to get plastered in the bars we first met each other in, stumbling back to the hotel like teenagers, but kids have a way of tiring you out without even being there, and we were too exhausted for misadventures.
Instead we went to the cinema at Westfield to watch a late night screening of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. It wasn’t my choice, but Craig won a game of rock-paper-scissors in the foyer, so I dutifully sat beside him got over the fact I wouldn’t get a Mark Wahlberg fix that evening. He’s now gloating as MI:5 seems to have smashed it in terms of reviews, and is widely considered to be the best in the series so far.
If it’s an adrenalin fix you’re after, Tom Cruise is back to best, with Rebecca Ferguson more than holding her own in a supporting role. Director Christopher McQuarrie has delivered, in my opinion, his most visually stunning movie to date, with thrilling action sequences set to powerful music scores that really deliver in cinematic conditions. Don’t wait for this to come out on Sky Movies or Blu-Ray, you’ll want to see this on the big screen to get the full experience.
The film possible contains the biggest, and possibly best, plot of all the other installments. It is complex and energetic – moving from country to country and dealing with characters who have questionable allegiances. It’s perfectly paced, unpredictable and less cheesy with no ridiculous gadgets or forced romances. The comedy is still there, thanks to some perfectly timed lines from Simon Pegg, yet more subtle and unexpected than before. The effect, is a more grown-up Mission Impossible that is finally giving Bourne and Bond a run for their money in the spy genre.
Once again Cruise takes on all his own stunts, and for once, the trailer doesn’t give them all away at once. There are no fewer than five separate big action sequences (each lasting around ten minutes) and all are pulse-pounding. Cruise really pushes it, whether he’s attaching himself to a plane, dodging sniper bullets or riding a superbike through a desert (in one of the best car chases I’ve seen for some time), and there’s limited CGI adding to the realism.
Coincidentally Cruise filmed his plane stunt just down the road from me in Cambridgeshire - running across an aircraft wing on the runway and hanging on to the outside of the fuselage and going airborne. There’s no doubt about it, that takes guts, incredible self-belief and a sprinkling of insanity (Perfect for Hubbard’s lapdog then… Ouch, yes I did go there!).
It’s definitely been a long time coming, and some four years have passed since Ghost Protocol (Mission Impossible IV), so I’d definitely recommend re-watching it first if you have plans to see this. The action picks up from where it left off before, and key characters are back with no introduction. Not only will this get you sufficiently revved up to see Rogue Nation, viewing the two side by side you really see just how brilliant this is.
If you fancy yourself as an adrenalin junkie yourself, head to Into the Blue, a provider of experience day gift vouchers, and pick one of their high octane experiences. There’s wing-walking, indoor skydiving, off-roading, Jetlev and more - giving you a taster of the punishment that Cruise put himself through for Rogue Nation.
He’s not alone either, and comes from a long line of actors willing to put their money where their mouth is. This cool infographic from Hollywood News shows other Kings of the Big Screen that performed their own stunts, and risked their lives for their art. Rather them than me!
