REVIEW: ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Shows Tom Cruise Keeps Getting Better

I’m not the biggest Tom Cruise fan, but when I first saw the trailer for Mission Impossible Fallout, I was excited. In the sixth installment of the Mission Impossible franchise, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) race against the clock to correct a mission that’s gone terribly wrong.

In an action movie, I don’t go in expecting great line delivery or even chemistry between characters. Most of the time I just want great fight choreography and big stunts. Mission Impossible Fallout delivered on the former and the latter.

The additions of Agent Walker (Henry Cavill) and Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett) made for great interactions and when Cavill delivered his lines, they were just as intense as reloading his fists in that bathroom fight scene from the trailer. Not to mention that Bassett and Cavill together have so much chemistry that I wish they were a part of the same comic book cinematic universe.

The IMF team of Ethan, Benji, and Luther are as in sync as ever with perfect comedic timing when needed and great gadget exposition when the times call for it. Rhames even has an emotional scene towards the end of the film with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson).

When it comes down to it, Mission: Impossible Fallout is one of the best American action films ever made. Neat gun fights, neater hand-to-hand combat, and a sexiness that never feels shame when getting outright funny. At this point in the franchise, it’s astounding to see the franchise keep getting better. And while this is due in large part to the all-star cast and their emotional relationships, it’s also thanks to Tom Cruise’s dedication to practical stunt work.

Tom Cruise is perhaps one of the last of a dying breed in Hollywood. By performing some of his deadliest stunts yet, including a HALO jump and climbing down a helicopter net to weaving through the streets of Paris on a motorcycle, all in the name of cinema, Cruise continues to solidify his place in the action pantheon. Still, even with all of the spectacle, Mission Impossible Fallout isn’t just bigger death-defying stunts. The story is absolutely fantastic as well, with interesting spycraft and larger stakes for Ethan Hunt’s choices.

Mission Impossible Fallout has it all from great characters to great action.

Unlike other action flicks, the movie was strong because of its characters and script, not in spite of it. I want to note that this installment of the Mission Impossible franchise has more stunts than any other. Not only are they grand examples of adventure but the focus on practical effects, the insistence of Cruise to do his own stunt work, and the use of real locations make its action stong in a visual and visceral sense.

The only issue I have with the film is that some of the action scenes dragged on too long. There are pieces of the action sequence where the only sound used is the score. Although the music in this movie is great, 30 seconds of prolonged running doesn’t get better with a great track. With a car chase that just kept going and silent moments of ominous walking, I can’t say this movie was perfect.

That being said, for a summer action flick with an amazing cast, new and old, I can overlook that piece and firmly say that I would love to watch Mission Impossible: Fallout on the big screen again. Even if it’s only to watch a supercut of Tom Cruise performing his own stunts. Appearing in the trailer, the rope climbing onto the helicopter and jumping onto the other building – which resulted in a broken foot – are just two stunts out of an action-packed two-and-a-half-hour ride.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout is available for streaming on Hulu, Paramount Plus, Prime Video, and others.