Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Director – Brad Bird

Script – Andre Nemec, Josh Appelbaum

Music – Michael Giacchino

Cast – Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton & Anil Kapoor

‘Once you’ve really been in a bad movie there’s certain kind of fearlessness that you develop’

                                                                                                                               Jack Nicholson

An action packed film with no room for reality mark Tom Cruise’s return as the protagonist Ethan Hunt in the fourth instalment of the Mission Impossible series. It’s one of those fast paced films wherein visual effects are used extensively to divert your attention from the flaws of the plot.

             The film begins with Hunt (Cruise) being rescued from a Moscow prison by the team of Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) to investigate the murder Impossible Mission Force (IMF) field agent. The agent was killed in the process of acquiring a file which had classified information related to a secret nuclear programme. The team trespasses the Kremlin in that process which is blown up by the antagonist Kurt Hendrics (Vladimir Mashkov) or Cobalt. Hunt narrowly escapes death and is joined by the IMF desk analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) joins them. Will they stop Cobalt? The answer forms the rest of the story.

             Cruise has played his part well (as the producer and not the actor). Pegg and Renner give provide you with some funny moments and Paula Patton provides valuable support. The constant change in locations and an overdose of fights leave very little scope for acting. It’s an improved version of a Rajinikanth film where the people do daredevil stunts and yet escape unhurt. That makes the plot irrelevant. Anil Kapoor is wasted in his special appearance of the ‘Multi Millionaire Indian Playboy’ Brij Nath. However his English diction has improved considerably from the one in Slumdog Millionaire.

               Brad Bird cannot escape criticism even though it was his first attempt in live action films. Can the agents move freely even after the IMF was disbanded? No prosecution for any kills on the run? How can you drive at full speed in a sandstorm which (surprisingly) recedes immediately after the enemy’s escape? Here’s the best - Where can you find signboards in Kannada in a parking lot in Mumbai? The flaws are unending. But you can salute him and the cinematographer Robert Elswit for the breathtaking sequence at Burj Khalifa shot brilliantly in IMAX. The background music by Michael Giacchino is average and can get exceedingly loud at times.

               Overall the film can be enjoyed once and only if you’re a fan of Tom Cruise. I’m going with two and a half stars out of five for Brad Bird’s Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol. See it purely for the action sequences.