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| Director: John Woo |
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Brannon Braga, Bruce Geller, David Koepp, Robert Towne, Ronald D. Moore, Steven Zaillian |
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| Cast: |
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Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno |
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Action & Adventure |
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| Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 |
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(NTSC Widescreen) |
| Studio: Paramount |
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DVD Region: 1 |
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PG-13 |
| DVD Release: Apr 2006 |
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Discs: 2 (Cloud) [] |
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Reviews: Visually stunning, and a likely must for John Woo aficionados, the second "Mission: Impossible" outing from megastar Tom Cruise suffers from an inconsistent tone and tired plot devices--not only recycled from other films, but repeated throughout the film. Despite remarkable cinematography and awe-inspiring, trademark Woo photography, the movie offers a tepid story from legendary screenwriter-director Robert Towne ("Chinatown", "Without Limits") and a host of other writers, most uncredited.
It is, regrettably, as forgettable as the first big-budget, big box-office "MI" in 1996, and it's clear (as Towne confirms) that the plot was developed around Woo- and Cruise-written action sequences. The film combines equal elements of romance and action, and is best when it features the stunning allure of Thandie Newton as Nyah, a master thief recruited by the sinewy charms of Ethan Hunt (a fit Cruise). Deeply in love after a passionate night, the couple must then combat MI nemesis (and Nyah's former lover) Sean Ambrose ("Ever After"'s Dougray Scott). Ambrose holds hostage a virus and its cure, and offers them to the highest bidder.
Woo's famed mythic filmmaking is far from subtle, with heroic Hunt frequently slow-motion walking through fire, smoke, or other similar devices, replete with a white dove among pigeons to signal his presence. The emphasis on romance is an attempt to develop character and a more human side to superspy Hunt, but still the dreary story proves a distraction from the exciting action sequences. John Polson (as an MI team member) is an Aussie talent to keep an eye on. "--N.F. Mendoza" |
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