Mission: Impossible 2
December 2000 Reviewed by: Roger Kanno Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Tom Cruise is riding pretty high these days with his critically acclaimed roles in Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia as well as starring in this year’s top grossing Mission Impossible 2. While he may not garner any Oscar nominations for his portrayal of Ethan Hunt in M:I-2, this is definitely a very cool role for him and one extremely cool movie. With John Woo at the helm, this film’s style is nothing like that of the original Mission Impossible directed by Brian De Palma. In this installment, Hunt must save the world from a terrible virus by destroying it before it falls into the hands of the villain, played by Dougray Scott. Like other Woo films, M:I-2 features lots of slow-motion gunplay, but this time instead of John Travolta or Chow Yun-Fat it is Tom Cruise doing the gun slinging. There is also some incredible stunt work in this film that was performed mostly by Cruise himself.

One thing that M:I-2 lacks when compared with other Woo films is a deep sense of good versus evil. In Face Off, Broken Arrow, and even Hard Boiled the battle between the hero and villain seems more epic and heroic while in M:I-2 it seems more superficial. Although it might be lacking in plot and character development, M:I-2 benefits from Woo’s unique visual style. He brings all his trademark techniques to the screen with full force through the use of slow motion and close-ups, religious themes, and isolated music with no foley effects or dialogue.

Dougray Scott is good as the villain and Thandie Newton is certainly attractive and believable as a high-class thief, but this is a Tom Cruise star vehicle. Cruise has never looked cooler than in this film when he is running in full stride or riding a motorcycle in slow motion as his black leather jacket and long hair flow behind him -- classic Woo. Ving Rhames is back as Luther, but his role is limited and new cast member John Polson has been added to Hunt’s team, presumably to add some comic assistance as Australian operative Billy Baird.

The soundtrack of M:I-2 is exemplary in its use of the full potential of the 5.1 Dolby Digital format. While the rear channels are sometimes very aggressive with the use of split surrounds, they can also be fairly subtle, providing just enough ambience for a convincing surround effect. The overall quality of the mix of music and foley is astounding. The image is huge with music and sound effects panning across the expansive front soundstage with incredible depth. For an example of how a movie soundtrack should sound, view Chapter 3 titled "I See You Found It." The blend of music and foley effects along with the visuals is breathtaking in both its fidelity and artistry. There is also some extremely deep bass and the reworked Mission Impossible theme is infectious and is guaranteed to get your adrenaline pumping.

The video transfer of M:I-2 is nearly as good as the audio quality. The picture is sharp and bright with rich colors and deep blacks. The colors may actually be slightly over saturated, but Woo’s films often utilize vibrant hues that add to the visual style such as in Chapter 7, "Don’t Turn Around." The use of deep primary colors in a scene, such as the slow motion horse race sequence, is almost poetic in its execution.

While not exactly up to the standards of Fox or Warner, this is one of the first Paramount DVDs to offer any substantial extras. Included on this disc are two documentaries, a segment detailing the production of 11 stunt sequences, audio commentary by John Woo, a Metallica music video, alternate title sequence, and "Mission Improbable." The explanation of the stunt sequences is fascinating in that Cruise did most of his own stunts and Woo provides an enthusiastic audio commentary pertaining mostly to the technical aspects of his filmmaking. "Mission Improbable" is a humorous parody of production featurettes with Ben Stiller as stuntman, Tom Crooze.

As I have said in the past, John Woo’s films will never be confused with those of Ang Lee, but he brings a visual style to the screen that is both unique and exciting. The love story between Cruise and Thandie Newton and the fight between good and evil with Dougray Scott are a bit weak, but this movie is still way cool. Even though Woo might not have reached the lofty artistic heights of his previous Hong Kong films such as The Killer or Bullet In the Head with M:I-2, this is still one wild ride not to be missed.

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