Mission: Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Film review: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), directed by Brad Bird
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) breaks out of a Russian jail, aided by his secret agent friends Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). They then have to break into the Kremlin to find some secret papers, and … someone else gets in at the same time, and blows the place up. The EMF agents get the blame, and are told they're on their own.
Well, that doesn't stop them. They track down the man who set them up, which is a Swede (!) called Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), because Hendricks is such a Swedish name. The guy is a crazy scientist who wants to press a big reset button on the world by causing a nuclear holocaust – sort of like in Dr Strangelove.
It's all just a race against time to see who can outwit whom and who can get to the nuclear launch codes first.
Also starring Jeremy Renner as William Brandt, Anil Kapoor as Brij Nath, Léa Seydoux as the assassin Sabine Moreau, Josh Holloway (Sawyer in Lost) as agent Trevor Hanaway (although he's sadly killed in the first five minutes of the film), and Miraj Grbic as Hunt's prison pal Bogdan.
I have to admit I've only seen this film and the third instalment in the series, but it's not that crucial in order to follow what's going on. Tom Cruise is an agent of a secret worldwide spy organisation, and he has to do "impossible" missions, and it's all terribly dangerous and bad for your health.
In this one, they end up going to Dubai and have to run down buildings and things. It's full of action, lots of thrills and excitement and is all a bit of an adrenaline rush. It's good fun, although not terribly interesting all things considered. Spy candy. There are funky gadgets, Simon Pegg is comic relief, and they all get to be Big Damn Heroes, and that's about it.
There's no real substance to it, and while it's a lot of fun, it's still … well, that's about it. It's fun to watch, but it's more or less instantly forgettable. It's not bad, not at all, I was thoroughly entertained all the way through, but it's just … is that it? A series of breathtaking stunts? Gets a little meh after a while, to be honest.
Still, I've seen worse. And it's funny because the bad guy is Swedish.
3.5 out of 5 satellites.
2011Anil KapoorBrad BirdJeremy RennerJosh HollowayLéa SeydouxMichael NyqvistMiraj GrbicPaula PattonSimon PeggTom Cruise
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