Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

"Now remember: "Blue is glue!"."
"And red?"
"Dead."

After an important IMF mission goes wrong, they are forced to break Agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) out of prison in Russia.  Hunt is placed in charge of the team that extracted him: Jane Carter (Patton) and new field agent Benji Dunn (Pegg), with a new mission.  They are to infiltrate the Kremlin and search the archives for the identity of "Cobalt" who killed an IMF agent.

However, before they can find the files someone else uses their radio frequency to alert the authorities.  As the team scatters, a bomb destroys portions of the Kremlin.  The Russians believe the bombing was an act of war by the Americans.  The IMF program is shut down and the blame will be placed with Hunt's team.  They are given the opportunity to clear their names, by taking down Cobalt.  Cobalt is nuclear strategist Kurt Hendricks (Nyqvist), who plans to detonate a nuclear bomb.

The team, joined by analyst William Brandt (Renner), travel to Dubai to stop Hendricks... but with no help from the agency, no backup, and no plan, can they successfully accomplish their mission?


After a four year hiatus, the Mission: Impossible film series returns with a bang!  Typically, by the time a film series reaches the fourth film, it is tired and bears little resemblance to the previous incarnations.  However, the M:I series have mostly escaped that trend, by putting several years between films (M:I in 1996, M:I 2 in 2000, and M:I 3 in 2006) and hiring a new director for each film.  Each film stands alone, while still referencing the rest the of the series, allowing a mass audience to enjoy any film.

This time the film was entrusted to Brad Bird, a man known for his work with Pixar (particularly The Incredibles).  It may seem like an unconventional choice, but it works well here.  Everything about the film works.  The action sequences are intense, especially the scene pictured at Burj Khalifa, and still feel fresh (which is helped by the fact that the actors are mostly doing their own stunts, with minimal to no CGI interference).

The cast is great.  Tom Cruise returns the iconic role of Ethan Hunt, and again performs his own stunts.  He eases into the role, a little older and wearier, but still the best.  Simon Pegg returns to the role of Benji, now a field agent, and provides most of the comic relief.  Jeremy Renner delivers another great performance, as the mysterious Brandt, and Paula Patton holds her own among the boys.  It was nice to see Michael Nyqvist, of the Swedish Girl with a Dragon Tattoo films, in an American film, and was an interesting villain.  I hope to see more of this talented actor.

A fun action film, and an impressive live-action debut for Brad Bird.  Check it out.


After the success of this film, I assume a 5th film will happen ... but based on the history of this series, don't look for it for at least 4 years (Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation).


Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
Jeremy Renner as William Brandt
Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
Paula Patton as Jane Carter
Michael Nyqvist as Kurt Hendricks
Vladimir Mashkov as Anatoly Sidorov