Mission: Impossible - Fallout Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

When an IMF mission ends badly and terrorist Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) escapes custody along with three plutonium cores for bomb-making, the world is faced with dire consequences. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is determined to make up for mission errors and get back the plutonium and Lane. The CIA questions his loyalty and sends their top assassin/agent Walker (Henry Cavill) to go along. People from Ethan’s past are popping up. Who is a good guy and who is bad? Can Hunt and the IMF team make everything right?

Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill on setCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Mission Mishap

At a safe house, Ethan Hunt has a bad dream about his wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan). She’s in danger. He wakes to receive details of an IMF mission. Three plutonium cores have been stolen by a terrorist group called The Apostles, led by mystery man John Lark. The IMF has 72 hours to get the plutonium back. In Berlin, IMF operatives Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) make a captured nuclear weapons scientist working with the Apostles to build bombs, believe a big nuke attack has started. He reveals who has the cores and the IMF set up a meeting to buy them but the mission fails when Ethan makes the choice to save Luther's life and the plutonium is stolen.

Ethan and Ilsa face offCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

On to Paris

CIA Director Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett), forces the IMF to take along her special agent August Walker to back up Hunt as he attempts to retake the plutonium at a meet with arms dealer/broker The White Widow (Vanessa Kirby) at a big gala in Paris. Hunt and Walker HALO (high altitude, low release) sky-dive jump into Paris, where they infiltrate the gala. Hunt and Walker track Lark to a bathroom. After a big fight, Lark is killed by British Agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Hunt has to pretend to be Lark and meet with The White Widow, who turns out to be the daughter of Max, the arms dealer from the last Mission Impossible movie.

Can Walker be trusted?Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Ilsa shoots "Lark" in the bathroomCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Meet and Escape

Hunt, posing as Lark, meets with White Widow who gives him one of the plutonium cores but the price of the others is for Hunt and team to grab Solomon Lane, who is wanted by many counties, from an armored convoy moving through Paris. Agents of the Apostles are also after Lane and the plutonium and Hunt and his team attack the convoy. Ilsa Faust reveals British MI6 want Lane dead and she needs to kill him. Lane is grabbed by the IMF but a motorcycle and car chase ensues across Paris, with Hunt avoiding the White Widow's forces, the police, Faust and the CIA who have their own agenda.

The White Widow arms dealerCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

To London and Kashmir

Tracking the plutonium leads the team first to London with Hunt chasing the real John Lark across rooftops and more. The IMF learns that he has escaped to Kashmir, is holding Hunt’s estranged wife Julia at a medical camp there and will detonate the nukes from there. Benji has learned that the two remaining nuclear weapons are synchronized with each other; if one is defused, the other will detonate. They have to be defused while the countdown is running! A fuse must be pulled from the detonator to stop the countdown. Solomon Lane, working with Lark activates the weapons.

Terrorist Solomon Lane is wanted by everyoneCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Countdown to Disaster

The IMF learn that Lane plans to have the nukes contaminate a huge water supply effecting many nations, one third of the world population. Benji, Ilsa and Luther stay on the ground searching for the two remaining weapons while Hunt must chase the real Lark who has the detonator in flight in a helicopter. Who is the real Lark? Can Hunt secure the detonator and stop the countdown? Can the IMF team plus Julia on the ground find and help defuse the bombs?

IMF squad on the ground in KashmirCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Wrapping Up

Mission Impossible: Fallout is a whiz bang sequel to 2015's Rogue Nation packed with multiple international locales and over-the-top yet real stunts that are the hallmark of all the “Mission” films. Tom Cruise, in his ‘50’s now, is in top form. Early in the film, he makes a real HALO sky dive from 25,000 feet over Paris to land in “enemy” terrain.

Helicopter chase with Tom piloting lead 'copterCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Cruise learned to fly a ‘copter for the chase scenes and broke his ankle jumping from building to building. No Dwayne Johnson climbing a fake building against green screen here. It’s actually Cruise doing this stuff…and Henry Cavill, who does a great job as a slick mystery man, performs a few stunts himself as well. Cavill is great as the cold, calculated realist vs. Tom  as Hunt, still the tough, hopeful optimist.

Tom as Ethan doing helicopter stuntCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

On the downside, the basic story isn’t all that unique; a terrorist group wants to steal bombs and nuke the good guys, Hunt is again framed by baddies, etc. Some of the humor, provided by the Benji character, is still there but we could use a little more of it. It’s a little too easy to figure out who the real Lark character is and the film is about 20 minutes too long but it’s gratifying to see the relationship between Hunt and his wife (ex-wife) Julia wrap up and a hint that Hunt and British spy Ilsa might have a future together is a warm addition. The final race against time is one of the most tense I’ve seen yet.

Ilsa wants to kill LaneCourtesy of Paramount Pictures

Overall, although it has some flaws, this “Mission” is vastly entertaining enough for us to give it four stars.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Movie Rating: 

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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Have Your Say

Are you thrilled by impossible stunts actually performed, not “faked”? Have you followed the “Mission” movie series in theaters or home video? Are you primed to take the BFFs to see this one? Speak up with a comment!