Mission Impossible Rogue Nation

Synopsis: With the IMF now disbanded and Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) out in the cold, a new threat -- called the Syndicate -- soon emerges. The Syndicate is a network of highly skilled operatives who are dedicated to establishing a new world order via an escalating series of terrorist attacks. Faced with what may be the most impossible mission yet, Ethan gathers his team and joins forces with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), a disavowed British agent who may or may not be a member of this deadly rogue nation.

Movie Review:

"Mission Impossible Rogue Nation", the fifth film in the Mission Impossible franchise, is directed by Oscar winning writer Christopher Mcquarrie and in my opinion is the best film in this action series. This movie has a compelling spy story that feels smart and makes sense, exciting action scenes that will make your jaw drop, and characters that you actually care about. When the IMF is now disbanded from the events from the last movie, Ethan Hunt is once again going rouge to face off against a new secret organization called the Syndicate. Tom Cruise returns to play Ethan Hunt for a fifth time and doesn't hide his commitment and enthusiasm for this role as he performs his own stunts which are really impressive and intense like holding his breath for 3 minutes and doing his own reckless driving. I believe Sean Harris who plays Soloman Lane is one of the best villains in the Mission Impossible franchise since Philip Seymour Hoffman did it back in 2006. Sean Harris brings a sense of subtle creepiness and a terrifying presence to this villain who captivated me, but I wish this character had more depth instead of there to just move the plot along. One of the stand outs of the film has to be Rebecca Ferguson who plays Ilso Faust, an undercover MI6 Agent, and she steals the entire show from how she is introduced as a strong female character to her action scenes which are fantastic to watch. Most of the cast is back like Ving Rames, Jeremy Renner, and Simon Pegg who plays Bengi Dunn and he adds some comic relief to this movie with his funny dialogue and interactions with Ethan Hunt. However, a disappointing aspect of the film was the handling of William Brandt and Luther Stickell (Jeremy Renner and Ving Rames); both characters are kind of sidelined and wasted in this film which was unfortunate since they are such great actors. Meanwhile, a new cast member to this franchise was Alec Baldwin who plays CIA director Alan Hunly. Alec Baldwin is always fun to watch on screen, he gives a talented performance and this role was no different. For me, the best part about this film was the action set pieces from the opening scene where Ethan Hunt was hanging from a A300 aircraft carrier to the motorcycle chase in Morocco to the ending scene in London – they were thrilling and they never let you go for a minute. This franchise keeps getting better and better. I am giving "Mission Impossible Rouge Nation" a 4 out 5 stars.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rames, Sean Harris, and Alec Baldwin

Runtime: 131 minutes