Classic John Woo. Electrifying Tom Cruise. Mix the two and besides the somewhat cryptic title, M:I-2, you get a fast-paced, action-packed movie filled with the action and suspense characteristic of Woo. Despite a story that reveals itself a little too slowly (needed to set up the plot), M:I-2 picks itself up later with all the necessary action and a love story (yes - a love story). While M:I-1 had a quasi-love story going between Ethan and Claire, M:I-2 features a full blown tale of love, betrayal (sort of) and desperation. Personally hearing this beforehand, I had my doubts, but Woo is able to pull it off with the help of the ever-so-beautiful Thandie Newton (if you missed her in Besieged, you're missing out).

As for the story, though it takes a while to develop - and even longer to decipher, it all fits in place in the end. After developing a very debilitating disease (along with its cure), a certain pharmaceutical company plans to release it into the public and make millions (if not billions) selling the antidote. Unfortunately, it falls into the wrong hands and a special IMF task force has to recover it. Enter Ethan (Tom Cruise), Luther (Ving Rhames), and Nyah Hall (Thandie Newton) to get it back.

Problem is, we don't see enough of Ving (and one can't get enough of Thandie) as Cruise pretty much steals the show. The whole movie is centered around him (as well it should be), but it leaves most of the minor characters out on the fringe with little screen time. Ving was great in M:I-1 and I just wonder why they didn't give him a bigger role in this incarnation. Another problem I had with the movie is the repeated use of face masks (made popular in M:I-1). The ability to be whoever you want with a face mask and a voice encoder pretty much ruins just about every scene its used in and becomes expected later on in the movie. It was cool for a while, but the overuse of this nifty gadget ultimately hurts the movie in the long-run. My biggest peeve is how much the producers tried to make M:I-2 look like a Bond flick than a M:I flick. The opening sequence was a little too close to a Bond scene and the car chase looked like it was lifted almost straight from Goldeneye. Granted, M:I is pretty much the U.S. equivalent of Bond, but still, it wouldn't have been hard for the producers to make this film a little bit more original, rather than copying the Bond movies that we all love.

It must have been fun to film this movie working with John Woo, the motorcycle scenes, the car chases, and the explosions were all phenomenal. A definite departure from M:I-1 - which featured mostly intellectual one-up-manship, M:I-2 relies more on sheer strength, power, and agility (not to mention firepower). M:I-2 had its share of cool gadgets unique to itself, but the overuse of a certain few are perhaps the major flaw inherent in this movie.

All in all, M:I-2 is a sleek movie with not a dull moment that is worth the full price of admission.

Genres: Action, Thriller
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 126 minutes
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