Cruise-ing through another mission

Pulling off the fifth film in a series isn't easy. But Rogue Nation doesn't disappoint

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation opens with the team from Impossible Mission Force (IMF) doing what it does best — fighting the bad guys, causing some unintentional but massive damage to some locale, and basically saving the day. The edge-of-the-seat action in the opening sequence is just a peek into what is to follow.

Being the fifth instalment in the Mission Impossible series, one might expect the thrills to be subdued and the action repetitive, but that does not happen. Ethan Hunt and his buddies at IMF provide enough nail-biting moments, and an equal number of laughs.

As Tom Cruise (53) reprises the role of the indestructible Ethan Hunt, he is joined by his co-stars from the previous instalment — Jeremy Renner (William Brandt), Simon Pegg (Benji), who provides most of the comic relief, and Ving Rhames (Luther). Alec Baldwin joins the cast as Alan Hunley, the disgruntled head of CIA, whose one-point agenda is to dissolve IMF. Rebecca Fergusson plays Hunt’s British counterpart from MI6, and is part of some deftly choreographed fight sequences in the film.

  The story follows Hunt who is embroiled in a cat-and-mouse game with a super-secret international crime organisation called The Syndicate. As he pursues the elusive consortium of highly-skilled rogue agents from various countries, Hunt finds himself in a whirlpool (quite literally at one point in the film, definitely one of the more tense moments) of lies and deception.

To add to his woes, Hunt finds himself disavowed as IMF is dissolved after Hunley (Baldwin) makes a pointed and aggressive pitch to do so in front of the US Senate. On the run and in pursuit of a powerful and elusive covert organisation, Hunt teams up with Ilsa Faust (Fergusson) and the two shuffle between being allies and adversaries as the movie progresses.

While the plot is similar to many a spy film, what sets it apart is the brisk pace, witty banter and decisively sharp screenplay. It does, however, give a sense of familiarity to Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows when one discovers the agenda of the Syndicate, but the audience does not have time to dwell on it as Hunt and company go from Austria to London to Morocco and back to London.

Director Christopher McQuarrie and Cruise are no strangers to each other’s style of work, and once again team up to dish out a fast-paced thriller. McQuarrie has earlier directed Cruise in Jack Reacher (2012) and written/co-written films starring the actor, including Valkyrie (2008) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). Much like his other work, here too McQuarrie succeeds in giving the audience a bit of everything.

The franchise has seen Hunt and IMF fight numerous organisations over a number of years. Has Hunt aged onscreen as Cruise has offscreen? McQuarrie has his ways of showing Hunt’s physical shortcomings, albeit subtly. So when Benji (Pegg) nonchalantly asks Hunt to hold his breath underwater for three minutes, the self-doubt on Hunt’s face is difficult to miss. This is followed by some distinctly comic scenes as Hunt’s body takes its time to recover after he almost drowns.

While it may not be as grand as Ghost Protocol in terms of sets or in terms of the danger that threatens the world immediately, Rogue Nation is definitely among the top three movies in the franchise. The fact that Hunt and the IMF are specifically targeted makes the mission more personal and relatable. The film does not disappoint.