Adventure
In every search for a hero, there must be a villian.

A movie like this has a lot of hype to live up to. John Woo has made a film that easily lives up to the hype. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2 is not a complex story but the action and excitement this movie dishes out makes your heart pound with excitement. I was not a big fan of the first "Mission" film but this one just blew me away. If you want action films in the summer, then this one is for you. It has incredible stunt work and the most incredible motorcycle stunts I have ever seen on film.

The 1996 Mission Impossible brought in a cool $420 million worldwide. This sequel will blow that figure out of the water. John Woo's direction of Oscar nominee Robert Towne's script has given us a great action packed Matrix like film. First off though, I am sure that if you were a fan of the original TV show then you may be disappointed because there really isn't a complex story line with all the little intricacies that the show used to have. Action on the other hand, it does have. It also has the best rubber mask sequences to date. The advancements in CGI has made the mask removing scenes absolutely great. There are no cut aways as the disquises are pulled off. It is amazing looking to see.

Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, the Impossible Mission Force's pointman. Anthony Hopkin's who was uncredited stars in only two scenes as his boss. The story starts off with a plane crash that was transporting a deadly virus called Chimera. It was also transporting the cure. Bad guys led by Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) unfortunately did not know that. The scene switches to Hunt, on vacation, mountain climbing. The scenes here should make your pulse pound. Of course he is given the assignment to find and destroy this virus. To do this he brings in the only holdover from the first film, Luther Stickell played by Ving Rhames as well as a wisecracking agent played by Australian actor John Polson. A civilian master thief known as Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton) is drafted because she was Sean Ambrose's lover. Hunt unfortunately becomes romantically involved with Nyah.

Woo fills the film with lots of deceptive double crosses, space age gadgets , double fisted gun play, slow motion action, martial arts and chase scenes. He uses all these devices to tell the story of Hunt's search for a virus that will kill millions and eventually to get the cure to someone he cares for. Money is at the root of this plan of course. For those who feel that medical companies shaft us as often as possible, then this movie will vindicate your beliefs.

One personal thing that I enjoyed in a morbid way was a motorcycle sequence. You will see a motorcycle ride on it's front wheel. What was interesting about it was that I got to see what I looked like when I went up like that when I went out to learn to ride a motorcycle. The only difference was that I did not stay on. It was interesting to see what it must have looked like to others. By the way I hung on to that bike even though I went off, they told me that it was really cool the way I dove over the bike so I wouldn't end up under it. Oh yeah I hurt like hell for days.

I do not want to say much more as I do not want to spoil your fun. Get out to a screen somewhere with a bag of popcorn and enjoy a great summer movie.

CAST AND CREDITS:
STARRING:
Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott and Rade Serbedzija
DIRECTED BY:
John Woo
WRITTEN BY:
Robert Towne
PRODUCED BY:
Paula Wagner and Tom Cruise
DISTRIBUTED BY:
Paramount Pictures
RATING USA... Rated PG-13 for violence
RATING CANADA... Rated AA for violence
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"Thandie Newton was a little skeptical when Tom Cruise and director John Woo said their sequel to "Mission: Impossible" would have a love story. "I said 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. The girl's going to be screaming while the men are showing off their muscles.' But I was happy to be of service," Newton says in Time magazine. Newton portrays an international jewel thief and Cruise's love interest in M:I-2. "Yes, it's fun. It's understandable!" she said, taking a gentle swipe at the tough-to-follow plot twists of the original M:I. Newton, 27, made her movie debut in the 1990 Australian film "Flirting," which starred Cruise's real-life co-star, Nicole Kidman."

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