The most recent installment in the Mission Impossible franchise has appropriately been released without the sequential 4. Instead, it has been subtitled Ghost Protocol, something that serves two purposes. First, it distances itself from the stigmatized logarithm of exponential sequels: the higher the number, the more diluted the acting, story, and overall quality of the film. Second, it offers the opportunity to reboot the franchise and charter all subsequent sequels in a different direction.
Overall, Ghost Protocol succeeds on both fronts. The acting is as good as it should be in an action-driven movie; the script is equally adequate – and I say this is a non-condescending way. The story is not bogged down with unnecessary plot twists and deceptions like Mission Impossible 2 and 3. Admittedly, I found both of those entertaining, but the first one, directed by John Woo, was pure adrenaline, melodramatic lines, and obscene stunts; the second, directed by J.J. Abrams, was more sedate but consisted of various double and triple crossing premises woven together for the better part of two hours. In the end, it was a bit unclear whether the story was well-thought out or a convoluted mess superseded by well-time explosions and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Both were fun, but neither was very good.
Ghost Protocol is quite good, in part because of the story, but also because it keeps itself in check. Now, perhaps an action movie – of all genres – should avoid restraint at all cost; however, zero restraint can lead to a cesspool of special effects and devolve to inanity: see the recent reincarnation of The A-Team. This Mission Impossible avoids overdoing the effects. Granted, there are a number of cool stunts and visuals, particularly when Hunt (Tom Cruise) spidermans up Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and then sprints down a few dozen vertical stories while attached to an ever-shortening tether. The first involves a convenient gadget and the second takes cajones, but, to its credit, there are far fewer gadget-based escapes and occurrences in this film, which makes it a bit easier to connect to. There are plenty of explosions and a solid foot race cum car chase through a market place enveloped by a torrential haboob, but neither of these scenes are perpetuated or felicitated by surprisingly produced or remembered gizmos – as in, “uh oh, I could really use some pair of goggles that allows me to see through all of this sand, or an infinitely retractable rope that I could produce from my belt buckle — so the action, while improbable, is plausible and doesn’t distract the audience.
Plus, this installment keeps it simple: the film begins with agent Hanaway (Josh Holloway) fleeing danger; he plummets backward off the roof a building, gets off a few well-aimed shots, survives the fall and lives to see another mission, momentarily. He is assassinated shortly thereafter, creating guilt in his partner, Jane (Paula Patton), who arrived a few moments too late but in enough time to “watch him die.” Segue to a Russian prison that holds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who is there because of an “unsanctioned hit” on the Serbians who killed his wife – or so the rumors go. He is quickly broken out and given an assignment to break into the Kremlin, a mission that goes well until Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), a “nuclear extremist” who believes that “nuclear war might have a place in the natural order,” explodes part of the medieval complex, thus thrusting blame on the Hunt and his crew. They are soon disavowed as the government declares “ghost protocol” – and this is where the movie really begins.
Despite the premise of inappropriately blamed and blacklisted individuals, the story has little to do with redemption of identity and integrity in the government’s gaze – on the contrary, Hunt, Jane, Benji (Simon Pegg), and Brandt (Jeremy Renner) seem okay with doing things off the grid and out of federal surveillance. It really takes on more of a Samaritan vibe, which is a bit different from previous installments in that the government is not providing a safety net or a wealth of cash to facilitate the mission. If nothing else, Ghost Protocol is an origin story of this band of rogue agents: Hunt executes a plan that has been in the works for a few years; Jane gets revenge and comes to terms with her role in her Hanway’s death; Benji takes one step beyond the level of tyro and justifies his worth; Brandt finds closure on a past situation that moved him from “agent” to “analyst.” And, together, they can continue to choose to accept missions as a rogue team, perhaps even a band of mercenaries who choose which battles to fight without coercion or prejudice.
In a sense, J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird have done with the Mission Impossible franchise that Abrams did with Star Trek: rebooted it without mangling it. The alternate time lines in Star Trek allow all subsequent sequels to play by their own rules and not follow those set by previous films. Similarly, this new rogue bunch in Ghost Protocol have been detached from government intervention, so the focus of their missions can become fluid, permitting them to enter grittier situations – perhaps even some that involve subverting their former employers. Essentially, the newly disowned IMF might just be more akin to the ideologies of the A-Team (the George Peppard version, not the Liam Neeson version).
Or, maybe this is what they want you to think. Perhaps Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is just misdirection. A ruse if you will from “them,” who work very closely with those of “they.” As I sat through the last few moments of the film (that happens to be a Tom Cruise Production), it became apparent that this franchise and rumors of lunacy are the only things keeping Cruise relevant and spawning sequels, which would explain the phone call in the last scene that warns of the nefarious “Syndicate” before Hunt dons a gray hoodie and disappears into the fog.
Guess we’ll have to wait for the next sequel.
