Mission Impossible 5 Rogue nation - Movie review

Mission Impossible 5 Rogue nation - Movie review

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To begin with, I must say, my journey - to the theatre to watch MI5 Rogue nation – was itself an adventurous and action packed one with me having to hop into a rapidly accelerating electric train, jump off a moving bus and trust me, I am not making this up as my home is situated roughly 20 kms away from the City center. To be frank, I did not have too much expectation from this fifth installment of the MI franchise as I had felt that the originality and the freshness were lost after the brilliant and electric first part by Brian De Palma.

The second part seemed to be the most different and least cerebral kind with its slow-motion  sequences resembling more of Bollywood than Hollywood let alone MI part One and  I am aware,  John Woo has a ‘Thing’ for Slow Mos. The third part somehow tried to salvage the cerebral aspect with a brilliant villain by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. And the fourth part rather felt like a mundane compilation of all the necessary ingredients of an MI movie, viz. the facial mask removal scene, a daring acrobatic stunt scene etc.  -  [Can be excluded for trimming]

But Rogue nation was definitely not going to be what I expected or not expected from the film. I must say that this installment is the most brilliant, cerebral and thoroughly entertaining one, after MI 1 of course. The opening scene that takes place at Belarus involving a cargo plane carrying NBC weapons was both brilliant as well as underplayed. Thus the main plot has Ethan hunt chasing an international criminal organization known as ‘The Syndicate ‘ which is involved  in the acquiring of WMD weapons from nations friendly to the West and delivering them to terrorist organizations around the world. Meanwhile, back home at Washington D.C., the unorthodox methods of IMF come under the scanner and the director of CIA – an aptly cast Alec Baldwin –states in front of a senate hearing that agent Hunt has gone rogue and that the syndicate is no more than his imagination. He further announces that Hunt will be disavowed and IMF is to be absorbed in to the CIA. How the now runaway fugitive agent Hunt hunts down the Syndicate and its leader Solomon Lane – played in a refreshingly different and powerful manner by Sean Harris- thus proving the legitimacy of his stated mission and also ensuring the continuation of IMF as an autonomous organization forms the rest of the plot. In the said mission, Hunt is dubiously aided by an officially disavowed but in truth undercover, MI6 agent Ilsa Faust working under Lane.

Casting of the main actors, the stunning locales, action sequences and visual effects are all top notch in MI 5. The Vienna opera scene wherein hunt tries to capture the mysterious Syndicate leader and the underwater server scene are both memorable and tend to keep us on the edge of our seats. There is a light hearted yet central scene involving the British Prime minister. Camera work by Robert Elswit deserves special mention especially for the stunning and flowing camera movements during the Morocco bike chase sequence. The main background is set in London, marking the franchise’s return to the city after MI 1. Tom cruise’s Ethan hunt with his charm and underplaying – not to mention the action sequences - once again proves that he is one of the most bankable stars today while Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames reprising their roles from the previous installments as Hunt’s trusted fellow agents are convincing and engaging in their performances. Sean Harris’s Solomon Lane is sure to be remembered as one of the most powerful and terrifying villains of the MI series, while Rebecca Ferguson is most admirable in her depiction of Faust as a disavowed MI6 agent desperate for reinstatement. Overall, MI 5 is a great treat for all MI series & Cruise fans across the world and truly you don’t have to be either of that to have a great movie going experience.

Vijay Ramalingam