Mission Accomplished!

Tom Cruise runs, sprints and leaps. After all, he is Tom Cruise. We have seen him run across for miles countless number of times- either chased by futuristic tech-savvy cops with jetpacks or by the Heat Ray of the Martians. And here, in this relentlessly action-packed Mission Impossible outing, he runs more than ever, even as the Kremlin explodes behind him, or a sandstorm engulfs the whole of Dubai. We cannot expect a Tom Cruise movie without a generous dose of parkour. Just the same we cannot expect the Mission Impossible films to be the Bourne films either.

And, yet keeping that in mind, Brad Bird, the new director roped in, knows his flash, thrill, thrum and throb so well that the result is a film that entertains us effortlessly without bothering about any weighty issues. Bird hardly aims for seriousness or even some close-up conviction and relevance. But that is a minor complaint. Bird manages cleanly to do what people expect from him- Entertain.

And how. We begin with an agent gunned down in cold and misty Budapest, and then a secret file is revealed. Before we can speculate over whether it is a Macguffin or a Red Herring, Bird damns all the Hitchcock and Ian Fleming pastiche in favor of yet another spectacular action set-piece. Our screen hero Ethan Hunt ( Tom Cruise) is slickly smuggled out of a Moscow prison. Watch one of the most spectacular and genuinely edgy escape sequences ever- the highlights being fellow spook Benji (Simon Pegg) going nuts with cameras and computers, Cruise's goofy charm and the strains of Dean Martin's 'Ain't That A Kick In The Head' mixing in uneasily with fistfights and alarms. But that is not all. We are automatically lurched into the high-security vaults of the Kremlin, the skyscrapers and sands of Dubai and even into the innards of a large computer with a turbo-powered fan which can chop anyone to pieces!

Yeah, sure, the sheer relentless pace of the film leaves little room to breathe for us, but Bird ensures that you draw some deep breaths and exhale them out with chuckles. The film moves on with a basic, simplistic plot about the world on throes on nuclear destruction. Our ragtag team would be informed and briefed about getting the nuclear codes in their hands. Bird also stages a fantastically edgy sequence where the tricks are pulled all of a sudden and the audience is held on the edge of the seat. But for most of time, Bird makes sure that Hunt and his sidekicks do what they do best- run, jump and bash around. Bird's genius lies in making the stunts and fist fights as robust and edgy as he can. Hunt's climb on the looming Burj Al Khalifa is a masterclass of nerve racking paranoia while the botched up heist in Moscow is adequately intriguing and sinister. Bird does not place any strong emphasis on any political premise; he simply wants the agents to save the day first. This single-minded approach lends a steady sense of immediacy and urgency to the action set-pieces. We are thrilled as we see Hunt chase his nemesis even in the midst of the bewildering sandstorm or see him almost crash an expensive European sedan simply to destroy a nuclear missile that is about to destroy the New World. Amazing!

Bird's earlier film, the hit and acclaimed animated actioner 'The Incredibles', was about a superhero family dragged away from rest into the action. As in that film, the gadgets in this film look larger than life, even to the point of being outright unbelieveable. But Bird has a natural knack to build humorous situations around his gadgets. It is really hilarious to see Ethan and his team struggle ahead with faulty gadgets, which give away their plans. Equally funny is how some of the team feels uncomfortable with both gadgetry and the incredible feats that their mission requires from them.

And Bird has also got a solid cast with him. In the previous Mission Impossible films, the sidekicks were mostly a bunch of extras. But here, the cast comes up with some attitude themselves. Pegg plays Benji with a general talent for humor and believeability, while Jeremy Renner has a nice and convincing turn as a silent, edgy agent who hides a secret. While there are some indulgences like Anil Kapoor's underused turn as a loutish wildcard, or Michael Nyqvist as a neglected villain, Bird amply makes up with his screen heroine. Paula Patton plays Jane Carter with a remarkable confidence and smouldering sensuality. One has to see her hard-boiled catfight with a cold-blooded assassin or her scenes with Kapoor to really laud her spirit. Patton's dynamics are a welcome break from the usual bimbette stuff of spy films.

But the real star is the star himself. Tom Cruise is playing Ethan Hunt with more fun and warmth this time around. The actor plays an action hero, while refuting the hard-eyed Daniel Craig essence in favor for greater vulnerability and even an effortless comic timing. Watch him hesitate from leaping from a hospital floor, saunter calmly out after throwing off his disguise and gaze at Jane's gorgeous looks. It is more entertaining than any action hero's performance in recent years.

You would hardly watch MI4 for an unconventional plot. But it is a freewheeling film that delights in spectacular action and wise-ass humor. And as for seriousness, it will not be exactly nominated for it!

My Rating- 3.5/5