Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

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It's best to start this one off by reiterating the fact that the first four 'Mission: Impossible' films were all directed by different filmmakers, each bringing their style, as this is the one chapter in the series that stands out like a sore thumb. 'M: I-2' comes to us from acclaimed action director John Woo, who, at the time, was best known for titles like 'Face/Off' and 'Broken Arrow.' There's something about him delivering that action directing to a property like 'Mission: Impossible' that doesn't feel quite right, though.

I can think of several people who enjoy this movie for what it is and see a sort of charm in it that reminds them of the late '90s/early '00s when movies like this were what fed money into the box office and a band like Limp Bizkit headed up the soundtrack with their song 'Take a Look Around.' I get where these people are coming from, and it has the potential to become a guilty pleasure in my eyes. However, I never considered it a good movie, and it ranks at the bottom of the list in terms of quality among the 'Mission: Impossible' movies.

A pharmaceutical company known as Biocyte has compelled a bio-genetics scientist named Dr. Nekhorvich (Rade Serbedzija) to develop the Chimera virus, a biological weapon that will ultimately enable Biocyte to profit from their cure for the Chimera virus, Bellerophon. Nekhorvich, in an attempt to make contact with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), using the cover name "Dimitri," is back-stabbed by a disguised IMF agent, Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), who has gone rogue and manages to steal the Bellerophon, plotting to profit from the cure with further plans of unleashing the Chimera virus.

Here is where Ethan Hunt comes in, contacted on a death-defying rock-climbing vacation by IMF director Swanbeck (Anthony Hopkins), who tasks him with recovering the Chimera virus and Bellerophon cure from the rogue agent before hell is unleashed. Ethan's also tasked with assembling a team, one of whom must be Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandiwe Newton), who takes an immediate liking to Ethan. It's almost jarring. Either way, she's a skilled thief and happens to be Ambrose's ex, and therefore, very familiar with him and his ways.

The rest of Ethan's team consists of our old pal, computer hacker Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames) and newcomer, helicopter pilot Billy Baird (John Polson), and together, they work to navigate themselves through risky acting with Nyah trying to infiltrate Ambrose's good side, a lot of great action and fight sequences, and far, far too many masks (It's almost comical how many times you see a mask of another person's face get pulled off in this movie) to retrieve the virus, the cure, and potentially save humanity from what turns out to be a pretty gruesome virus when we see it at work.

Readers may have noticed that I praised the film for its action sequences, and I stand by that assessment for the most part. You don't see Cruise fight entirely like he does in this one or any of the other films in the franchise. Here, it's a little more reminiscent of martial arts fighting, with Tom flipping around like a spider monkey rather than punching and shooting straight. But then there are scenes I have to laugh at because they look so ridiculous, such as the head-to-head motorcycle "joust" where Hunt and Ambrose break physics.

With all of that said, this is still a film that showcases Tom's dedication to performing his own stunts and adding a little more realism to the action, and that bike stunt I laugh at is no exception; it's just done with wires and a track for the bikes to make it look "cooler." Still, though, there's something about it stylistically that rubs me the wrong way. It's almost like hiring Michael Bay to direct a James Bond film. It just doesn't work aesthetically. Add to that the corny "romance" between Ethan and Nyah and the use of those masks to weasel out of any corners the lot might have gone to, and I find it to be just a weak entry into the series.

2/5

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