![]() " That choice has never been drawn out before, but the question is posed as Hunt and his team secure Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), a former British intelligence agent-turned-terrorist. The film's theme is choice, drawing from the well-known instruction: "Your mission, should you choose to accept it. And yes, that's most definitely Cruise, wrestling himself onto the undercarriage of a helicopter over the snowy Kashmir mountains in a sequence that will leave audiences laughing, gasping and cheering in disbelief. That's Cruise, dashing across a rooftop and taking a flying leap, scrabbling to cling to the edge of a London office building. That's Cruise, glancing over his shoulder on a motorcycle before he T-bones a car in Paris traffic. ![]() ![]() It's an action movie that embodies the ethos of "pics or it didn't happen." There's no quick editing, stunt doubles or face-swapping. He shoots in long shots with minimal cuts, and he keeps Cruise in and out of close-up to prove to the audience that it's him. The films have become less about espionage and intrigue and more about Cruise and his death-defying acts of cinematic physicality, so McQuarrie strips away everything that might stand between Cruise and his stunt. It's pure action wrapped around a twisty tale of terrorism, covert ops and the one man who stands between the world and nuclear destruction, Ethan Hunt (Cruise). There is no cinematic sleight of hand performed as a digression. It's taut and unadorned there's very little flash or distraction in the form of eye-popping costumes or exotic locations or gadgetry. Of all the "Mission: Impossible" installments, "Fallout" may be the sparest and most efficient - not counting the truly wild and gasp-worthy stunts. But there comes a point where we must ask: What does it all mean? There's no messy digital CGI here as our heroes try to stop explosions from happening with their fists and bodies. Under the swift and efficient supervision of writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, this is the kind of action filmmaking that proves to be an effective antidote for superhero fatigue, with a sense of realism baked into every shot. Thankfully, another installment of the Tom Cruise-starring action franchise, "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," drops this weekend, as sturdy and reliable as ever. Is it even summer without a "Mission: Impossible" movie? Hardly.
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