Mission : Impossible - Fallout

MISSION : IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT

Director : Christopher McQuarrie
Year : 2018
Genre : Action
Rating : ****1/2

It may have been over two decades years since Tom Cruise's IMF agent Ethan Hunt first exploded onto cinema screens but time hasn't weathered this near impeccable action franchise or its star. In fact, with the release of 'Mission : Impossible - Fallout' - the sixth film in the series - things are only getting bigger and better. With Cruise taking centre stage as always and 'Mission : Impossible - Rogue Nation' helmsman Christopher McQuarrie once again in the director's chair, 'Mission : Impossible - Fallout' is a non-stop thrill ride of incredible stunts, complex story arcs and heart-racing tension, all delivered with the same sense of fun and carefree abandon that has made the franchise one of the most consistently enjoyable in action cinema history. 

Having saved the world 5 times already, planet Earth calls on Ethan Hunt once again. When 3 highly volatile orbs of plutonium fall into the wrong hands, it is up to Hunt and his gang of tech-whizzos Benjy and Luther (Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames respectively) to track them down. However, things will not be so easy this time thanks to the unwanted presence of super-tough CIA goon Agent Walker (played with blistering brutality by Henry Cavill) who in the words of Angela Bassett's CIA chief Sloan serves as the metaphorical ''hammer'' to Hunt's ''scalpel''. What ensues is a death-defying race against time as the team traverse the globe in search of the dangerous weapons while also avoiding the wrath of villains old and new. 

While the performances from the cast (which also includes the feisty Rebecca Ferguson and the sultry Vanessa Kirby) are universally great, the stunts and expertly executed action scenes are, in typical 'Mission : Imposssible' style, the unequivocal stars of the show. From heart-racing skydiving sequences to wince-inducing punch ups, from an exhilarating motorbike chase through the Parisian streets to the most jaw-dropping finale in the history of the saga, 'Mission : Impossible - Fallout' is a consistently thrilling pleasure which not only cements the franchise as the definitive action series of the 21st century but also solidifies the now 56 year old Cruise as the most fearless actor working in Hollywood today. There is also a very visceral sense of persistent threat and danger which help to keep the tension and pace at a maximum high without diluting the absolute joy which pervades every one of the 147 minutes the film plays out for. All in all, 'Mission : Impossible - Fallout' is yet another near-flawless entry in this most entertaining of franchises and I sincerely hope that McQuarrie, Cruise and the rest of the team prove to have more treacherous tricks up their sleeves in the very near future. 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see 'Mission : Impossible - Fallout' at the earliest possible convenience. Believe me, it is well worth the effort.