Guilty Gun-Fu Pleasure
Throughout the years and history of world cinema, it’s interesting to fathom how many different countries, ideologies and specific individuals initiated era’s of defining cinema that we have all become synonymous with. This is particular intrinsic with the plethora of films that make-up the French New Wave where, by the time of the 1960’s, they were developing auteurs – like Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut – that were not only defining how cinema could be perceived in their own country, but how these aforementioned film-makers shaped the way of the narrative in the New Hollywood era. Much of the same precedent can be seen through the gaze of Hong Kong cinema which ascended from it’s popular genre’s of family melodramas, Catonese-dialect swordplay features and martial arts films of the 1960’s, to Hong Kong new wave of the 80’s which sprouted a specific genre of crime flicks that offered a unique blend of melodrama and balletic ultra-violence that came to be known as ‘heroic bloodshed’. One director that predominantly spear-headed the aforeknown and distinct crime-genre was non other than John Woo, who’s fusion of martial-arts and the conventions of Western action films – most notably seen within his own production of The Killer – inspired young and likeminded directors in the forms of Tarantino, Besson and Rodriguez who, well, you know what they went onto make. With this however, whilst its clear to see that world cinema over the years has seen different facets influence era’s of film in different countries, there’s also a claim to be seen how an ideology has gone on to become a part of a cinematic wave that which has inspired it. A notable example of this can be seen within John Woo’s Mission: Impossible II, a magnum-opus of action that deals it’s action-centric cliché’s rather proudly; excess upon excess…upon excess. While it daftly seems like the film was put together by a 12 year-old boy, who thinks that the be-all and end-all is to douse every scene with slo-mo, explosions, inexplicable flocks of doves and a Limp Bizkit soundtrack, it’s weird to comprehend how all of those elements are executed in an entertaining and enjoyous manner; where all the other Mission Impossible films that have emanated since seem to be nothing but a fever dream…
I.M.F. Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has been sent on a mission to retrieve and destroy the supply of a genetically created disease called “Chimera”. His mission is made impossible due to the fact that he is not the only person after samples of the disease. He must also contest with a gang of international terrorists, headed by a rogue former I.M.F. Agent, named Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) who has already managed to steal the cure called “Bellerophon”, and now needs “Chimera” to complete their grand plan of infecting the whole world. In order to infiltrate and locate the terrorist group he relies on the help of international thief Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton), who he quickly develops a love interest. Time is not only running out for Agent Hunt to find and destroy “Chimera” before the terrorists get their hands on it, but he must also find “Bellerophon” so as to save his love interest, who has already become infected by the disease from a terrible and rapid death.
I know, judging from the plot summary alone, you can kind of tell what Cruise/Wagner Productions may have said to John Woo in wooing the said director in crafting a sequel that had to meet expectations from audiences and critics alike. I imagine the conversation going something like this, “Well, well, Mr.Woo, we meet again. Your mission – should, of course, you choose to accept it – is to deliver the sequel to a film directed by Brain De Palma, that boasted an eclectic cast, was based on a seminal ’60’s TV Series and swooped $422 million at the world-wide box office. Quite a proposition, certainly. However, you will rendezvous with renowned star, Tom Cruise, and execute a worthy sequel. As always, should you or any of your IMF Force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Mr. Woo.” All Jokes aside however, and despite the pressure in which Mission: Impossible II was under at the time of its making – with expectations to exceed its predecessor and assumptions so high which left Cruise notably stressed – the film in turn rather succeeded in its conjecture for reasons of its own. Yes, Gone are the myriad characters, gloriously convoluted plot contortions and congealing mood of taut paranoia. Gone, too, is an actual team to speak of and criminally absent are gadgets of any real invention. What we’re really left with in the end is Ethan Hunt, confidently enacted by Tom Cruise – who, from scaling cliff faces to absailing into confined spaces (simply lifting its predecessor’s finest hour), looks nothing short of spectacular; flowing locks, chiselled jaw, toned muscles and glistening brow, all captured in mouth-watering slow-mo and longing, brooding close-up. Again and again. It was this very nature, however, that was always meant to be seen for a sequel that rather juxtaposes to the many similarly-minded Mission features that would follow for the next twenty years.
By its design, Woo’s purposeful stratagem of circulating the films beautifully zany yet ridiculous action antics around Cruise’s character is an aspect which distances itself from the rest of the Mission films we’ve come to know. From my own perspective, it’s hard not to notice Woo’s cinematic formulae that’s sprinkled throughout the run-time of this film and one of those is through the archetype of the character of Ethan Hunt. In a positive way, Hunt/Cruise rather resembles the heroic bloodshed protagonists of which Woo purposefully used through his films of the 80’s; most notably in A Better Tomorrow or The Killer. Indeed, while a character like Ah Jong from The Killer doesn’t necessarily occupy himself to be this culminated/James Bond figure that Cruise/Hunt is represented in Mission: Impossible II, both of these aforementioned characters primarily occupy their respective spaces in ways in which they are allowed to. Both protagonists are presented with opportunities to grasp at saving the day through similar means; mainly gun-fu antics which entails martial arts through the use of guns. While it’s fair to see this and think of these projections of the hero character to be nothing but mere recycling clichés, they’re clichés with an unabashed conviction that projects an admired romanticism for this film and The Killer. Quite, there’s no denying that there is a host of abhorrent sequences that audiences can easily roll their own set of eyes over; such as a flamenco dance, overflowing in overbaked symbolism; a car crash with more luscious, flowing locks than a Lauriel advert; and a finale featuring the most idiotic game of chicken ever committed to film.
However, what’s wonderfully weird to perceive, which is where Woo does indeed reproduce his thumbprint touches with a traditional flair, is that Mission: Impossible II isn’t particularly a film that’s badly constructed. It can’t be denied really how staggeringly entertaining this film can genuinely be and it’s thanks to the formal elements that comprise this film to be a pleasurable watch. The sweeping camerawork provides an example of practical craftsmanship that, in an era where it’s so much cheaper and easier to simply do it in post, already feels like it’s from a bygone age. Then there’s Cruise himself, who displays the intense watchability that made him such a star in the first place. Revisiting the ridiculousness of Mission: Impossible II highlights how dull some of Cruise’s other actions works, outside of Mission, have truly been.
Truly, it can’t be denied really how much the Mission series of films, in similar vein to the Fast & Furious franchise, has, in years, found miraculous return to form in JJ Abrams’ and Brad Bird’s respective thirds and fourth instalments; not to mention Christopher McQuarrie’s recent Mission outings that have taken things even further beyond and looks set to break boundaries further with the upcoming release of Dead Reckoning: Part One & Two (which I’m personally looking forward to). Yet, despite this, there’s a justifiable argument to be made that the series never again reached the giddy heights to which Woo took it in the second instalment. To many, Mission: Impossible II might be utter crass, but it has a chef-d’oeuvre paradigm that gives you something to enjoy, and I wouldn’t change it for the world…
On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s Film Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Film Review of Mission: Impossible II and I hope you’ve all enjoyed the read! Thank you for reading this week’s Blog Post and I’ll be back next week! Have a nice day! Adieu!
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ – Alex Rabbitte