Mission: Impossible II (2000)
Runtime: 2 hrs 24 mins
Synopsis: John Woo raises the action bar in this violent, romantic sequel to Brian De Palma's 1996 original. Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, this time battling wits with rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott). Hunt is ordered to recruit Ambrose's former lover, Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton), to... John Woo raises the action bar in this violent, romantic sequel to Brian De Palma's 1996 original. Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt, this time battling wits with rogue IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott). Hunt is ordered to recruit Ambrose's former lover, Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton), to infiltrate his hideout. But Hunt never expected to fall for the lovely young thief he must use for bait. The romantic triangle that ensues gives the film a unique emotional balance that is unusual (and most welcome) for an action picture. Ambrose is after the killer Chimera virus and its antidote, Bellerophon; in the old days Ambrose would have been after world domination, but in this new world order of day trading and Internet stocks, all he wants is to corner the market and make a fortune. Woo outdoes even himself with a flurry of martial-arts fights, fiery shootouts, thrilling mountain climbing, and blazing motorcycle chases that lead from the beautiful peaks of Utah through the busy streets of Sydney. All of this is set to a booming hard-rock soundtrack that battles with the explosions and blasting guns for ear space. And he doesn't fail to include his trademark birds fluttering like peaceful interludes in the most threatening of moments. [More]
Genre: Action/Adventure
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Anthony Hopkins
Screenwriter: Robert Towne
Story: Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga
Producer: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner
Composer: Hans Zimmer, BT
DVD Info
Release:
May 22, 2007
Blu-Ray Features:
- Region 1
- Keep Case
- Widescreen
Audio:
- (unspecified) - English
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Here, Woo just seems to fall back on slow-mo whenever he gets bored, which apparently is often.
With all this having been done before, making MI2 interesting or suspenseful truly is an impossible mission.
For all my profound reservations about the whole project, I wound up liking it more, or, at least disliking it less, than I had anticipated. Thandie Newton is the biggest reason.
Woo's hysterically hyper visuals and boytoy gimmickry can't camouflage the emptiness of the enterprise.
It doesn't matter how many extra months the director spends creating impressive action scenes. If the audience is not emotionally invested in the fate of the heroes, no amount of explosions will make them care.
The makers don't go out of their way to make this original in any way, but the quality comes through.
This sequel seems afraid of confusing people, so much so that it dumbs down the plot to an insulting level.
Rather than a groundbreaking piece of new gadgetry, this thriller is like an old, well-oiled machine.
Woo outwits, outgadgets, outstunts and outdirects the original with one hand tied behind his back.
Fans of straight action/adventure may enjoy this film; fans of TV's Mission: Impossible may not recognize it.
Despite Cruise's attempts here to be Byronic, there's something strenuous about his soulfulness; he turns everything, even repose, into calisthenics.
By any reasonable measure Mission: Impossible II is a successful action-adventure film.
Mission Impossible 2 offers a bit of escapism and a hefty shot of cinematic adrenalin.
If you're into movies that constantly make you grin like an idiot and mutter "Oh yeah!" over and over, you'll be satisfied.
It's fun. It's laughable. It has moments of excitement, moments of sheer idiocy and moments of sheer idiotic excitement.
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