Movie review: Mission: Impossible - Fallout

The word "impossible" is not in Tom Cruise's dictionary.

Much like his alter-ego Ethan Hunt, nothing can stop Cruise from accomplishing his mission. And here, it is to provide out-of-this-world entertainment.

If you think Dwayne Johnson's stunts in Skyscraper are insane, wait till you see what Cruise does in Fallout.

At 56, he is 10 years older than Johnson and does every single stunt himself. No green screen is used.

Every single Mission: Impossible film seems to up the ante in its action sequences.

As if climbing up the Burj Khalifa and hanging off an airborne plane were not enough, Cruise offers at least four white-knuckle segments in Fallout.

Your adrenaline starts pumping from the get-go.

Barely 15 minutes into the direct sequel to 2015's Rogue Nation, Cruise makes history by becoming the first actor to execute the Halo (high altitude low opening) jump from the height of 25,000 feet (7,620m).

The Halo jump is a special parachuting technique used by elite military units to land undetected in enemy terrain.

In this case, Hunt needs to attend a party in Paris urgently - and stealthily - to intercept a nuclear transaction.

Then he is riding a motorcycle against traffic at high speed and driving an old BMW down a stone-paved Parisian stairway.

That is followed by him running through buildings and sprinting across rooftops in London - all in a day's work.

The most spectacular sequence is the high-stakes helicopter chase, where Cruise has to be a pilot, an actor and a camera operator at the same time.

You have to hand it to the Hollywood superstar. Why bother to go to such extremes for a 150-minute film?

Then again, that is the hallmark of a Mission: Impossible film. It is all about practical stunts, practical action and real locations, and Cruise delivers them 100 per cent.

Which is why you do not expect much from the plot, which is rudimentary.

As per earlier instalments, there is some conspiracy and Hunt and company need to get from point A to C.

Throw in various twists and turns, and the mission is accomplished in the nick of time.

While Cruise is always at the forefront in the series, his castmates get bigger play this time. Rebecca Ferguson's British agent Ilsa is a welcome return and Henry Cavill's CIA assassin Walker also contributes to make this actioner so gripping.

Despite all the exhilarating, death-defying stunts, this is an easy three-star film in terms of storyline and performances.

But you just have to give an extra star for Cruise's efforts, and another star for not dying.

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Rating: 5 stars

MOVIE: Mission: Impossible – Fallout

STARRING: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin

DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie

THE SKINNY: Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team must protect the world from a nuclear threat. CIA agent Walker (Cavill) is sent to be his babysitter and Ilsa’s (Ferguson) reappearance throws a
spanner in the works.

RATING: PG13