Mission: Impossible II

Theatrical Release Date: 2000 05 24 (USA)

UPC: 097360704549

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations]

Summary: Director John Woo brings Hong Kong-style martial arts action to this comic book-flavored sequel that eschews the complicated plot and political maneuverings of its predecessor in favor of pure, adrenaline-charged thrills. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, an operative for the top-secret government agency IMF (Impossible Missions Force). Fellow agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) has gone rogue, stealing a sample of a deadly synthetic virus named Chimera that could rapidly wipe out the world's population. Ambrose's plan is to sell Chimera to the highest bidder in exchange for shares of stock in the winner's company. Summoned by the new IMF chief (Anthony Hopkins in an uncredited cameo role), Ethan is assigned to recruit the help of Ambrose's former lover Nyah Nordoff-Hall (Thandie Newton), a gorgeous woman who left Ambrose broken-hearted and who may be able to quickly regain his confidence. Once he meets and spends a night with Nyah, however, Ethan is smitten, and now must both capture Ambrose and keep Nyah alive as she infiltrates a nest of vipers. Sophisticated disguises, gun battles, and high-speed chases are the order of the day, very much in the James Bond mold. Mission: Impossible 2 is based on a story by Star Trek: The Next Generation writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga, with a script polish by Robert Towne. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Category: Action

Awards: Best Composer – Broadcast Film Critics Association

Mission: Impossible II

Format: DVD

Release Date: 04/11/2006

Karl Williams

Infused with the comic book sensibilities of Hong Kong-style martial arts cinema, the big-budget sequel Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) features dazzling camera work, wire-work stunts, and blisteringly fast-paced cutting under the assured hand of action director John Woo. At the same time, the film's wafer-thin script responds to criticisms of the first film being too intricately plotted and intellectually rigorous, resulting in an overly simplistic plot and rather flat, uninspired villain (Dougray Scott) that fail to challenge even the most absurd and over-the-top James Bond epics. Like so many sequels to action-movie hits, Mission: Impossible 2 achieves its visual thrills by ramping up the crisis and kinetic set pieces to cartoon proportions, resulting in a film that's exciting if totally unbelievable. Woo's sharp eye and sense of visual sizzle, a surprisingly winsome, almost fey performance by Tom Cruise, a beautiful female lead (Thandie Newton), and a cameo appearance by an unbilled Anthony Hopkins) keep this second impossible mission from going utterly to ground. What's missing from the film, however, is a sense of mystery that would keep this spy genre entry as mentally engaging as it is viscerally titillating. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Terence Chang  Executive Producer 
Tom Cruise  Producer 
John Woo  Director 
Hans Zimmer  Composer (Music Score) 
Paul Hitchcock  Executive Producer 
Paula Wagner  Producer 
Robert Towne  Screenwriter 
Tom Cruise  Actor 
Dougray Scott  Actor 
Thandie Newton  Actor 
Ving Rhames  Actor 
Richard Roxburgh  Actor 
John Polson  Actor 
Brendan Gleeson  Actor 
Rade Serbedzija  Actor 
Anthony Hopkins  Actor 

Country: USA