As time has progressed, tech in terms of filmmaking has seen a substantial leap in terms of ease of working, shorter span of post-production and so on and so forth. But this approach has over time left the filmmaking process itself more "sanitized" to put it accurately. And this is felt the most in terms of action films. Catching where the greenscreen seams are with your own eyes has become progressively more obscenely rampant. Thankfully, (and it's a big thankful at that), one team of dedicated people inspired by and devoted to the olden ways of filmmaking, are making their splash in the action genre with their raw, handcrafted, stupendously-improvisational movies one after another without losing steam at all (rather generating more literally on the fly). I am talking about none other than Tom Cruise' nearly-30-year-running stunt-showcase-spectacular Mission: Impossible franchise. The latest in the packed assemblage, Mission: Impossible- Fallout is an unbelievable movie to talk about, near Herculean in scale, Beethovenian in execution and ethereal in its entirety.
The Pieces that Mesh Infallibly
Oftentimes the driving force of an action movie is not its plot, but the characters, and in Fallout, they don't just drive, they fly. All the cast give their A+ performance, every dialogue delivered wittily, every subtle expression delivered with charisma, nuance and heft. The ying-and-yang nature of Ethan and Lane (played by Sean Harris), the will-they-wont-they tenacity of Ethan and Ilsa (played by Rebecca Ferguson), the buddy-cop-but-might-kill-each-other dynamic of Ethan and Walker (played by the ever handsome Henry Cavill), the feisty playfulness of newcomer Vanessa Kirby as Alana Mitsopolis aka The White Widow, the dominating presence of Angela Bassett as Erica Sloane, the charm of returning IMF-mates Benji and Luther (played respectively by Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames), are all entertaining to watch, as they exchange words, exposition, threats and one-liners. It also stands to reason why they are so endearing to watch is that they are all in on the stunt process in varying degrees; big or small
Defying Death, One Ankle Break At A Time
Tom Cruise.
Do I need say more? And there's nothing I can say now that hasn't already been said about this madman's dedication to action filmmaking and stunt choreography like no other. And while
newcomer Henry Cavill is obviously punching above his weight, no one does it quite like the man himself. As poked at in the subtitle, he did break an ankle during a rooftop foot chase set across the commercial district of London. And that cut is in the movie only because Cruise was dedicated to finishing the take and then opting to take medical assistance. Scientology is truly an enigma. But jokes aside, its truly astounding the love and care Cruise has for organic, "real" filmmaking. His dedication goes a long way to making the Mission: Impossible entries the hallmark movies they are. All the set-pieces are hard-hitting, exhilarating, heart-pounding, knuckle-white-ing, with very little, if any, computer VFX trickery in them, and even then, the VFX is there to stitch the background or remove something in post, but not alter the dynamic sense of the action itself. And where other action movies have one standout set-piece with a few standard ones thrown together, each action showcase in Fallout can be the benchmark for the action genre as a whole to follow. One after another, the set-pieces are spread evenly, paced flawlessly, with just the amount of teasing needed to make the audience anticipate, but not their presumptions overshadow the actual intricacy of the scenes itself. And this is "possible" because
Stuntman's Spirit Alive In Director's Vessel
To best describe director Christopher McQuarrie would be to lovingly call him 'that crazy son of a bitch.' And one crazy individual he is. Having worked as script supervisor for the 2008 war drama Valkyrie, the 2011 tentpole blockbuster Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol, and directed the underrated 2012 mystery thriller Jack Reacher, McQuarrie had proved himself to be capable at handling a script while all the chess pieces are on the move, almost at ease, and stunningly, his
only modus operandi. All this improvisational work lead to Cruise forming a pact with McQuarrie, and it was a match made in (heaven) hell instantly. The two work together almost telepathically. Their joint work ethic is so successful, McQuarrie was immediately called upon to direct Fallout, after wrapping up the 2015 blockbuster, Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation, a first in the history of the franchise, where tradition was to recruit a new director for each movie to keep things fresh. And yet, the sanctity of the freshness was yet to be diminished. Almost unidentical to the directing style of Rogue Nation, Fallout is grander, more explosive, darker, grittier, more dynamic as opposed to Rogue Nation's very 'strictly business', 'boots on the ground', 'tightly personal' aesthetic. It is genuinely beyond me how McQuarrie does it, but I am grateful nevertheless, that he does. And he does all this on the fly. The production of a Mission: Impossible movie never starts with a full script, reshoots are a daily occurrence; practices that are demonized throughout Hollywood, only taken by studios and execs who are panicking to rush a product out the door, the same practices are paramount to McQuarrie's workflow. He uses all these to his strengths to keep working on the film iteratively, until the final product is to his liking. And it just works. Actually, no, it doesn't just 'work', it stitches together excellently. I know I sound like a broken record by now, but by God, his genius is beyond me, and by God, I hope he never stops.
Bongos, Drums and..... Temp??? Yes, Absolutely
Around three weeks before Fallout's premiere, it was announced that Lorne Balfe would compose the soundtrack, replacing Rogue Nation's Joe Kraemer. 17 year old me was a bit upset, as he really liked Kraemer's work and was hoping for his return, unaware how hard the percussion would hit him blaring on the theater sound systems shortly a month after. And Balfe disabused 17 year old me of any doubt just as immediately as the film had started. From the very opening logos, bongos go absolutely crazy and immediately halting to an ethereal, ephemeral, melancholic piece that is soon disrupted when the weight of Ethan's life choices and responsibilities come crashing down upon his solace of a dream. Balfe makes a clear statement from the very beginning that this is a radical shift from the orthodox orchestra we have heard for the past three movies, but still very very very "Mission: Impossible" in spirit. This is a very drastic, very wild reimagination of the iconic theme, and yet, it is the most expressive one, with the fiercest title drop yet in the "Mission: Impossible" canon, stared down only by the very haunting cold-open in Mission: Impossible III. And this was just the opening act. The whole movie is Balfe going absolutely ham on his studio system, churning out the most percussive, drumming tracks possible, meshing together the movie in such an unparalleled harmony of visual, audio and expressionism, its nigh unbelievable. The soundscape is truly something to behold.
Crunch, Thunk, Pow; That's Eargasm Right There
The magnificent score by Balfe is matched only by the stupendous audio mixing done in the film. Every gunshot is crisp, every punch has a thud, every engine rev is loud, all working in harmony with the soundtrack, without one drowning out the other, but complimenting each other. The audio in this movie is mixed masterfully, and the theater experience remains unmatched. One of the few instances where I appreciated the loudness of the movie instead of being put off by it.
Phoenician Camerawork, Stitched in Gold Aglets
After Robert Elsworth's very grounded approach to cinematography, McQuarrie teamed up with Rob Hardy to keep the wheel turning. Boy, the wonders it worked. Visually distinctive, with a more muted color palette, vignettes and halation effects for the more dreamy visuals, darker lightning and unlit corners for indoor scenes, wide, sweeping takes for exterior works; action movies have seldom looked this good. Just these aforementioned uses of framing give the scenes the vibe of tension, mobility or serenity as needed depending on contextual scenes.
And the editing is no slouch either. ACE Inc's resident wizard, Eddie Hamilton stitches scenes together in such a flawless manner, with the pacing kept at a breakneck speed so often, it can be almost dizzying to keep track of the various situations and wringers Ethan is being put through. And it's not just one kind of editing style all throughout; there are double-perspective shots where the foreground has one character while the background has something entirely different happening, snappy cuts for close-up hand-to-hand brawl scenes, lingering takes for dynamic scenes where the subject in focus is on a high-speed automotive chase or on-foot. The movie is stitched together excellently, without ever a dull moment in the pacing.
The Ultimate Action Odyssey
The love and care everyone involved in the filmmaking process of this movie has shines through every frame possible. There are many action movies on the market. But few that are crafted this thoroughly, with a keen eye for pacing, framing, shot-composition and so on. It's a shame that Tom Cruise is one of the last true movie starts making movies of this caliber, but I am happy all the same that I had the privilege spending my teenage and now young adult years obsessing over fine-tuned, godly-crafted action movies, and at whichever point Cruise decides to retire, I hope he goes out with a bang and rides into the sunset. Long live action movies, long live "Mission: Impossible."
Vive le Cinéma.
