On Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

The dictionary shows synonyms of the word rogue to be: dishonest, unprincipled, aberrant, faulty, unpredictable. Apply these adjectives to a nation and you could be describing the US. The powerhouse that is America is being attacked externally and internally and they know it. Yet, it could be argued, only a few within the states recognise it to be a rogue nation.

It’s been clear for some time that this awareness is not in the Marvel or DC studios, as superhero films now seem to serve no purpose other than reinforcing neo-conservative propaganda. They roll out the same narrative a few times a year, so clearly that’s not a concern. In this latest instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise, entitled Rogue Nation, Ethan Hunt’s IMF team must bring down an anti-IMF intent on causing havoc around the world. The anti-IMF, we learn, are made up by spies that have been left in the cold by their nations after being involved in criminal actions abroad on the orders of their nation (at times the US).

Hunt’s own IMF team find themselves in a similar situation in this film. They are disowned for causing destruction and disorder globally (at last, someone is asking questions about all the death that goes ignored), yet the film never really makes enough of this parallel with the anti-IMF. Hunt is essentially hunting himself, but seems not to realise this. Not unlike the States fighting terrorists without realising they share they same tag. Rogue Nation isn’t quite at the propagandist levels of say, Captain America Winter Solider (aka Snowden was wrong), but with this film, the franchise is moving in that direction; acceptance rather than inquiry.

Like all Mission: Impossible films (apart from the second), this one is full of well-choreographed action and that Cruise is still performing them is impressive. The cold open at the start, with Cruise boarding a plane that is taking off is good, but doesn’t quite reach the excitement levels of the Dubai tower from the forth instalment. The third film from 2006, the last before sub headings were added, remains the strongest in this five-film collection. This is down to the casting of Philip Seymour Hoffman as the film’s villain. It’s not that Hoffman steals the show, but that as the finest actor the franchise has included he forces everyone else, especially Cruise, to raise his acting game. Cruise is a great actor, but has only occasionally shown this. Most Mission: Impossible films bring in solid supporting actors, but Hoffman is no supporting actor and Mission: Impossible III is more than an average action film.

Rogue Nation is entertaining, heading in an uncomfortable direction, but unfortunately forgettable and unnecessarily on an IMAX screen.