Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, responsible for the screenplay for The Suspects (Bryan Singer's version) and who previously directed Tom Cruise on Jack Reacher, this Rogue nation rescues the nefarious Syndicate from the TV series, which, acting as the SPECTRE of Mission: Impossible, it is behind almost all the main crimes and acts of terrorism that occurred around the world. Determined to destroy the organization led by the ruthless Solomon Lane (Harris), the hero Ethan Hunt (Cruise) ends up being captured, escaping death thanks to the help of the mysterious Ilsa Faust (Ferguson). However, when the Mission Impossible Force is dismantled by CIA director Alan Hunley (Baldwin), Hunt becomes a renegade, being pursued by the US government while trying to complete his dangerous task. To this end, he is assisted by former teammates Benji Dunn (Pegg), Luther Stickell (Rhames) and William Brandt (Renner).

If you follow Hunt's adventures from the original, directed by master Brian De Palma in 1996, you know that this is the fourth time (in five films) that he has become a "renegade" and that on at least three occasions a traitor has infiltrated his agency - and the fact that he continues to work there is proof of his persistence or his ingenuity or his stupidity or all of the previous alternatives. In any case, this new chapter maintains several of the series' traditions: the team has to invade an overprotected location; the masks that transform one person into another appear again; characters play double (or triple) game; the action spreads to several cities on the planet; and, of course, equipment with advanced technology is employed (my favorite here is a magazine that works like a laptop).

However, the fact of recycling elements does not mean that M: I 5 is predictable or boring, since each of them gains new features through the creativity of McQuarrie as a screenwriter and director: the invasion, for example, now involves a challenge underwater, while the various action sequences are conducted with enviable mastery, appearing dynamic, surprising and - unlike so many gender colleagues - never confused, allowing us to understand exactly what is happening. In fact, in this respect the visual effects are fantastic, as they immerse the viewer in the middle of a motorcycle chase, keeping us in front of Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson while zigzagging at 100 miles an hour in heavy traffic without ever realizing them all. the trickery necessary for the camera to make impossible movements and for the actors to appear to be taking risks. And if most action films would reserve the scene that brings Hunt hanging outside an airplane to the climax of the projection, here it opens the narrative, which shows admirable courage on the part of the filmmakers.

And if you don't have any expectations about the plane scene, which, after all, dominated the project's marketing campaign, M: I 5 also doesn't make the public wait long to see Tom Cruise doing what has become his trademark: running - something he already starts the film doing. The actor's energy, by the way, is something admirable, since Cruise demonstrates his usual intensity in each movement he performs. However, this time he can also explore a little his little-used talent for comedy, both in subtler moments (such as the quick deviation from looking when he realizes he is struggling with someone much bigger) and in others where he surprises with humor physical (such as when trying to jump over the hood of a car while you are weakened). The most curious thing, however, is to see how over the previous films Cruise has made Ethan Hunt a true icon - and thus it is hilarious to see how his partner Benji (who Pegg lives with the usual talent) seems to see him as capable anything, showing no doubt, for example, that he would be able to hold his breath for minutes and minutes and minutes. (And is anyone surprised to find that, after all, Hunt is an excellent draftsman?). The fact is that Rogue nation hardly connects with events from previous films. It works almost like an "original" film. The change is always welcome, as it brings new life to each film in the series. Here, McQuarrie simply elevates Mission: Impossible to the state of the art of spy films, recovering the architecture of the sequences woven by De Palma in the 1996 film and also inherits the distrust in the author's images to return to the roots of the spy thriller. This is probably the most "James Bond" chapter in the series, not only for its plot, but for the depth of the characters and their plot. Never has a story of the other impossible missions been so full of puzzles and espionage that it doesn't fall into the cliché. Of course, the official synopsis may release just one more story from an agency involved with betrayals in its circle, but the development of the script is much more refined than this simple idea.

Based on the game of truths that reveal lies, illusionism, false images, the director does not stick to an intricate plot to compose the suspense, he is intrinsic to the action itself, the images speak for themselves more than anything. This is great for McQuarrie, who above all has the task of making a fun movie that has good segments of espionage and acrobatics, which do not get over thanks to the simple script that maintains the episodic character of the other sequences in the franchise. Spies seduced by the sophisticated ambivalence of the issues at stake are mistaken and immerse themselves in the occasions that surround them by being entertained by the discovery and the succession of events in a very direct way.

Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames and Alec Baldwin are limited by the relatively short screen time, Briton Sean Harris turns villain Solomon Lane into a mix of Blofeld and Moriarty, suggesting intelligence, cruelty and danger in equal measures. But who really deserves to be highlighted is the beautiful Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Ilsa Faust, an agent infiltrated in the Union who helps and at the same time plays with Hunt, leaving the feeling that she cannot be trusted. The actress is more than "the sexy woman from Mission Impossible". She has an important stake in the action and true motivations. Like Ethan, the viewer will be involved by the character, who comes to the rescue of the protagonist several times.

The director takes advantage of the lessons learned from Jack Reacher: The Last Shot (2012), which he also directed, and No Limit of Tomorrow (2014), with a script of his own (by the way, both works with Cruise), and takes advantage of the two hours of film to launch explosive sequences almost uninterrupted. Cruise continues to show courage (or is it lack of awareness?) When performing most sequences, without the help of stuntmen. It looks like detail, but there is a feeling of verisimilitude. Be it the initial pre-credits with the classic track, with Hunt trying to get on a plane in midair, underwater or even naked chasing motorcycles (which manages to be much superior to the chase seen in the second film in the franchise). The filmmaker understands what few directors of the genre know: sound editing that favors ambient audio is much more tense than a track that, even if subliminally, indicates to the viewer what will happen. And in these last two specific sequences, especially under the water, the work is exquisite.

The few problems in the feature happen with the arrival of the third act. There is a distinct loss of pace, leaving the impression that the film has a few more scenes than it should. It's not something that detracts greatly from the experience, but the film declines and creeps into its climax. Another point is that, at times, it requires a lot of suspension of disbelief on the part of the viewer and starts to make everything very convenient for the group of heroes. This is perhaps the chapter in the franchise that brings the most ambitious and intelligent track: composed by Joe Kraemer, it employs the classic and contagious theme of Lalo Schifrin in a punctual and certain way in the key moments of the action, also using only his initial chords to indicate changes in the scenario (as in the transition to Morocco). But Kraemer's great insight lies in the brilliant way in which he uses chords from Turandot's "Nessun Dorma" aria to comment on the dynamics between Ethan and Ilsa: in addition to reflecting the similarities in the couple's character (who, like those between Princesa Turandot and Calaf, originate the mutual attraction they start to feel), the reference is sure to appear for the first time in a scene in which Ilsa presents Ethan with three options, since this echoes the three puzzles of the opera.

Mission: Impossible: Rogue nation is an action movie, which manages to have a life independent of its great predecessor by the way it installed a certain suspense in its final stretch, where Hunt would have to prove that everything was not just a delusion of his head, as some come to think. This legacy of The Suspects (1995), McQuarrie's first screenplay, is one of the great successes of the 90s, made a difference. Whether for Tom Cruise's boldness, great script or safe driving, MI5 deserves the ticket he paid for. Rogue nation manages to reach a new level, becoming probably the best of the five. The balance is positive for all sides, be it a complex espionage plot, but easy to understand for the public eager for blockbusters. It not only brings a great story but also fantastic action scenes that enchant by technical complexity as well as hook us directly through emotion. In the end, this new Mission: Impossible, so passionate about opera, becomes one. After all, we know what we will find, however, still, we return to glimpse its beauty and surprise us with the different interpretations of each director who works with these works.