Nordling here.
When it comes to action films, the most important aspect of any action sequence is spatial geography. It must be easy to determine where the principals are in relation to each other and to the events we're witnessing on screen. Too many action films these days rely on the camera to provide the intensity and not enough on the actual set-up or even if the scene itself propels the story. That's why I dislike shakycam action - it often seems that the camera has turned the scene into something incoherent because the filmmakers simply don't understand the principle that the audience must be able to understand what's going on, and that they have clear visual markers to be able to follow the events on screen. If we can't make sense of what we're seeing, that's the fault of the filmmaker in not showing us clearly how events are occurring. Too many filmmakers have forgotten that.
You'd think that with today's gigabudget action films the action scenes would have gotten better, not worse, but just look at the output of one Michael Bay, who seems to think that, to paraphrase Napoleon in TIME BANDITS, that all we like is big things hitting each other. It didn't used to be this way. Watch the assault on Aqaba in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. At no point is it unclear what's going on - in fact David Lean's camera goes back and takes it all in, and the result is still one of the most impressive action sequences in cinema history. I'm not saying Brad Bird is anything close to David Lean, but with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL, he proves with one film that he is a master of action cinema, shooting scenes with such clarity and coherency that we always know what is going on. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL is pure action cinema - fun, coherent, and always moving with a purpose. Not only is it the best film of the franchise, it might be the best shot action film of the year.
When we left Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3, he was happily with his new wife. When GHOST PROTOCOL opens, things have obviously changed, with Hunt in a Russian prison, his wife gone, and a team dispatched to break him out. Events escalate and after an explosion levels the Kremlin, Hunt and his team, consisting of tech guy Benji (Simon Pegg), espionage expert Jane Carter (Paula Patton), and analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner), being disavowed and on their own to stop mad Russian scientist Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) from starting a nuclear war and destroying the world. And that's it. The story seems deceptively easy, but Bird has attached some of the best action sequences I've seen in a while, including a scaling of the tallest building in the world, in Dubai, that is so amazingly shot with the IMAX cameras that the movie absolutely should be seen in that format exclusively. You want to bring people back to the cinema? More so than 3D, the IMAX is the way to go. There are images here that simply won't have the same effect at home.
Tom Cruise proves with GHOST PROTOCOL why he's the biggest action star in the world. He can do these films seemingly effortlessly, putting himself in harm's way with the stunts, and his charisma and wit with this character is perfect. He's never been better as Ethan Hunt, but what's so great about GHOST PROTOCOL is that this time he's given a team that keeps up with him. This isn't simply the Ethan Hunt Show like in M:I films past - this is the first of the series that feels like a team effort, and Pegg, Patton, and Renner give just as much to their performances as Cruise does. Paula Patton is terrific as the agent with a personal vendetta against Hendricks, Pegg provides much of the comic relief but isn't done in a silly manner, and Renner, who might have a secret about Hunt that he's reluctant to share, holds his own with the action scenes and if this is grooming him to be a part of this franchise, I'm all for it.
And then we come to Brad Bird, who orchestrates the action like a master conductor. Each sequence raises the stakes, and the film flows perfectly, splitting up each sequence among the various characters. His intercuts are perfectly timed and it's obvious Bird used his considerable skills with animation to make the movie flow. There's no fat on this film. None. And Bird knows how to commit to the quiet moments just as well as the bombastic action scenes. The result is an action film in which we care about the characters, and although I'm in no way comparing the two, I was strongly reminded of DIE HARD in how Bird sets up each scene geographically and how the plot is propelled forward.
If you're going to see GHOST PROTOCOL, don't bother to wait to see it in a regular theater. Go IMAX all the way - and not the fake IMAX either. Look for the 70mm true IMAX theaters in your area. You'll also get THE DARK KNIGHT RISES teaser if you do, but honestly, that shouldn't be the reason you see this. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL is damn great on its own and well-deserving of your attention. It's a hell of an action movie, and although I adore Brad Bird's work in animation, I'm overjoyed to see him work these kinds of films. Action cinema needs an auteur, and with Brad Bird, I think we've found one.
Nordling, out.
