Mission:
Impossible 2
The second
instalment of the Mission:
Impossible franchise was so different from the first that it reeled in a whole
new audience and went on to become the highest grossing film of 2000. As the
first entry left people feeling a little short changed, having experienced a
movie that hinted at great things but didn’t fully pay off, “Mission:
Impossible 2” would set about to rectify all of that.
Tom Cruise
was at the peak of his powers in the late 90’s. Coming off the controversial
and widely spoken about “Eye’s Wide Shut” in 1999, he would move from drama to
action in style, and had plans to launch a franchise. The Cruise was back as
IMF spy Ethan Hunt, with a new director in John Woo, and a whole new visual
style. John Woo had scored some hits that decade with “Broken Arrow” and the
brilliant “Face/Off” making him the most in-demand action movie guy in the
business. He was secured for M:I 2 and would realise the story with his
trademark style of filmmaking; scenes that were brilliantly choreographed with
superior shoot-outs, sophisticated use of slow motion, ground-breaking stunt
work and the insertion of birds a common theme. M:I 2 would also set itself in
the city the whole world would be watching later that year – Sydney. Hosting the upcoming 2000
Olympics, Australia’s biggest
city was already drawing the world’s attention for it’s beautiful location on
the pristine Darling Harbour, and now it would be the stage
for this film.
The story
this time centres around Ethan Hunt having to find out who posed as him to
steal a man-made virus (and it’s antidote), killing the scientist who made it
by crashing his plane. In a little throwback to the first film, this poser wore
a mask to appear as Hunt, then pulls it off to reveal himself as rogue IMF
agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott).
When
Hunt gets the call informing him this has happened, he’s actually on vacation.
Which brings me to the “The Tom Cruise Dangling from Mid Air Action Scene” of
this entry.
In the
remote desert of Utah,
we the audience are taken on a sweeping view of the rugged, desert landscape.
Arriving at a tall mountain, we see a short guy climbing it, alone and
apparently, with no ropes. Behind the scenes, Cruise climbed this mountain
himself, without the aid of any safety nets if he were to fall. Just a rope and
his wits to keep him alive. Originally, the film studio didn’t want the actor
performing this elaborate stunt, but Cruise was adamant it had to be him, and it
had to remain in the film. In fact, the impressive footage of him climbing this
rock, with nothing but his bare hands, then slipping and just grabbing on with
one hand, dangling thousands of feet above the ground, became one of the many
drawing cards of this film. People were surprised to see the actor doing this
on screen himself. All of a sudden, Tom Cruise could pull off crazy stunts.
Whereas in the first films climatic train scene, he hung on for dear life and
could only pull out a stick of bubble-gum from his pocket, he was now a daring
daredevil. Opening up the film, this scene set the vibe for the rest of its
running time, and convinced audiences that an actor more known for his dramatic
roles was now an action star, becoming the focus of his career for almost every
film he has made since.
Once
he’s pulled early out of his vacation, Hunt springs into action, teaming up
with his old buddy Luther (Ving Rhames) returning as the
communications/reconnaissance/gadgets man to Hunt’s point man, and the ex-girlfriend
of the villain, Nyah (Thandie Newton). Intending to use her to get to bad guy Ambrose,
Hunt ends up falling head over heels for Nyah, which becomes a main staple of
the film. This can slow down proceedings in M:I 2, as this love story of sorts drags
out a bit longer than it should, but becomes a catalyst for the turning point
in the story. As Hunt pursues his villain, only one dose of the powerful virus
remains, which Nyah then self-injects to keep herself alive and essentially
hold Ambrose for ransom. With only a 20 hour window to save her with the
anti-virus, Hunt pulls out all the stops, and this is where the second half of
the movie kicks in, driven by some stylish and exciting action scenes.
M:I 2
leaps off the screen in the hands of John Woo’s effective handling of its key
action scenes, and a very suave looking Cruise handling every jump, dive, roll,
kick, punch and flick of his hair with impressive capability; proving he was
now a legitimate action star, Cruise carries the film well, showing he was
still a decent actor in the films more dramatic scenes, and simultaneously
handling it’s complex action sequences in the coolest way he knew how.
As you’d expect, Hunt beats
the bad guy, gets the girl and saves the world. The film ends with Ethan and
Nyah reunited, to continue their romance and disappear into the world, where we
assume he goes back on vacation and lives happily ever after. It’s a sweet
ending, with no obvious signs that a third film was being considered, but as
trilogies were now kicking into high gear with the Star Wars prequels and Lord
of the Rings about to dominant the movies, it would be six years later we’d get
another entry in the adventures of Ethan Hunt. But it almost didn’t
happen…
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