New Mission Impossible blockbuster kicks Bond and Bourne into touch

Matt Adcock reviews Mission Impossible: Fallout (12A)
Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: FalloutTom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Fallout
Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible: Fallout

Here we go then for the sixth instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise which has banked almost $3 billion so far. And the good news is that director Christopher McQuarrie delivers possibly the strongest Mission yet.

Following on from the events of Rogue Nation, we find Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team up to their necks in strife. It seems that a botched mission leaves nuclear materials about to fall into the hands of an evil genius looking to bring suffering to the world. So the fearless IMF agents who include Simon Pegg’s comedy sidekick Benji and Ving Rhames’ Luther must face try to track down and acquire the warhead before millions die.

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Along on the mission, at the insistence of the CIA, is agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) – a one-man wrecking machine who oozes threat. Then there is also disavowed MI6 operative Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) who returns with a personal objective that could put her in conflict with Hunt.

From the second the pre-credits action starts this movie grips and thrills in equal measure – the stunts and set pieces are jaw-dropping and the adrenalin rush that it takes you on is liable to leave you exhausted after this 147-minute ride.

Boasting possibly not only one of the best car chases ever but also the best helicopter action sequence and a crunching fight in a men’s bathroom that must push the 12A rating, it’s high praise that the director manages to deliver such high octane and ‘just brutal enough’ thrills without having to resort to graphic violence.

Everything is machine-tooled and slick and refreshingly free of shoddy CGI. The chemistry is enhanced with a richness and intensity that comes from the characterisations. If you’ve been following the film series you’ll already be invested in many of these folks so the jeopardy feels real.

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Fallout is the film of the franchise that stands as an almost perfect state-of-the-art espionage masterpiece – out ‘Bond-ing’ James Bond and kicking Bourne into touch.

Action blockbusters really don’t come much better than this.

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