Mission: Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (2011)

Director: Brad Bird

Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Ivan Shvedoff

More info: IMDb

Tagline: No Plan. No Backup. No Choice.

Plot: The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.

My rating: 7.5/10

Will I watch it again? Maybe.

I'm not a Tom Cruise fan...but I'm starting to dig some of the guy's movies. He's always seemed like a cocksure asshole and I can't stand people like that. Anyway, I didn't much like the first movie and I only watched the second one because John Woo directed it and I didn't care for that one, either. I never watched the third one figuring it'll be the same deal but when I scored free tickets to see a sneak preview of this new one on the only IMAX screen (OK, so it's one of those retro-fitted screens at a regular theater so it's nowhere close to being a true IMAX screen), I thought why not. I really liked it.


I'm sure if I watched it again I could easily pick apart the plot holes but as an action movie it's got some great set pieces. The Dubai hotel-climbing scene was harrowing and it was probably my favorite bit in the picture. Michael Giacchino's score is great. I really dig this guy's work. Of the composers who've come onto the scene in the past 20 years, he's my favorite. Cruise was enjoyable and nowhere near the arrogant prick he's been in a lot of his movies. I actually liked him. I know he'll be 50 next year but it was nice to see that his body is starting to age normally instead of looking like he's Adonis or something. So often chicks in action movies like this can be annoying but Paula Patton does a great job and she surprised the hell out of me. She doesn't have that "look at me, I'm a badass" attitude that so many actresses employ in roles like this.


Director Brad "THE INCREDIBLES" Bird has put together a fun, better than average action movie that stands out these days because he doesn't use the shaky cam technique that plagues most action flicks. It's a straight forward action flick with some great laughs and an overall sense of fun and adventure. It's not all that plausible, even though the gadgetery is fantastic, but it is what movies were meant to be - escapism. Grab some Coke and corn and have some fun.