*Last Updated: 7/16/2022
6. Mission: Impossible II (C+) 2000
5. Mission: Impossible III (B-) 2006
4. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (B) 2011
3. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (B) 2015
2. Mission: Impossible (B) 1996
1. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (B+) 2018
As you will see represented in the sequences below, the franchise has evolved from a more grounded noir'esque spy film punctuated by some action (Cruise never fires a gun in the first film) into an all-out action/stunt extravaganza where Cruise plays the contemporary equivalent of Craig's James Bond mixed with Jackie Chan filtered through the team dynamics of The Fast & the Furious franchise. As I watched the films, it was clear there were three major categories of "action" sequences: heist sequences, stunt spectacles, and traditional action set pieces. Normally, I wouldn't count heist sequences like the iconic CIA break-in sequence from the first film as an "action" sequence, but this franchise really does treat them like one, so I will. Similarly, there are some sequences that are focused primarily on a stunt and not traditional action, I'll also include these since they are a vital part of the franchise formula. Some sequences blend these categories and I think the #1 entry on this list blends all of them perfectly for the perfect Mission: Impossible sequence.
I've written a decent bit of commentary for each sequence, so I'll keep the introduction short. Enjoy!
Mission Impossible Action Sequence Rated & Ranked!
GRADE: C
Mediocre sequences that lack anything that makes them stand out. Decent, but forgettable.
32. “Getting the Satellite Codes from an Indian Playboy” -Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- Commentary: Brief, a bit unclear and messy, feels like a victim of the editing process.
- Commentary: The second half of the third act begun by the billionaire playboy sequence mentioned earlier - It’s so sad to see so much talent and so many good intentions get drowned in a sea of increasingly ludicrous moments (topped by Ethan’s what 70ft car drop survival) wrapped in the context of a writer who has to be trolling us trying to milk the same formula over and over: the team fails, but there’s one more chance, they fail, but there’s one more chance, etc. It’s numbing by the end. I really don’t like this sequence. In my opinion, the entire third act of Ghost Protocol is one of the worst, high talent/production, sequences in major blockbuster cinema.
- Commentary: This finale is a bit of a mess. It’s hard to tell if it was intended to be this way or they just wrote themselves into a corner and were forced to come up with what feels like such an ad hoc and small-scale ending. The death of Owen Davian is anti-climactic, the "kill me with a shock and then shoot the bad guys on your own" role Ethan's wife plays is not close to satisfying, and the hilarious way in which the rabbit’s foot literally just rolls into their presence at the end has to be the writer trolling us. One good thing to come out of this sequence is a fantastic stretch of Tom Cruise running down a Chinese waterfront.
28. “Kidnapping the Prime Minister” -Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- Commentary: Coming late into the film, this heist sequence has no right being as quick as it is. The way the plot unfolds it is sometime in the morning/afternoon that Hunt is told he is required to kidnap and get information from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For something of this scale/gravity to not come off as cheesy you need time to lay it out and unfold it. Unfortunately, we are to believe that somehow Ethan concocts the entire plan, gets admission to the private event, can copy the likeness of someone he’s never met, trick and manipulate multiple smart people, and still come out entirely clean - all within a few hours before the event he had no idea about before the day. Entire movies are devoted to getting kidnapped Presidents or Prime Ministers to launch missiles or say the word and release prisoners – but this sequence just handles it all in 6-10 minutes. It’s neat the way it plays out, but it is so clean, easy, and quick – that it’s actually comical and creates a bit of whiplash to the viewer who has hanging in with the more methodical and measured take the movie had chosen so far.
- Commentary: Coming late into the film, this heist sequence has no right being as quick as it is. The way the plot unfolds it is sometime in the morning/afternoon that Hunt is told he is required to kidnap and get information from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For something of this scale/gravity to not come off as cheesy you need time to lay it out and unfold it. Unfortunately, we are to believe that somehow Ethan concocts the entire plan, gets admission to the private event, can copy the likeness of someone he’s never met, trick and manipulate multiple smart people, and still come out entirely clean - all within a few hours before the event he had no idea about before the day. Entire movies are devoted to getting kidnapped Presidents or Prime Ministers to launch missiles or say the word and release prisoners – but this sequence just handles it all in 6-10 minutes. It’s neat the way it plays out, but it is so clean, easy, and quick – that it’s actually comical and creates a bit of whiplash to the viewer who has hanging in with the more methodical and measured take the movie had chosen so far.
GRADE: C+
Largely mediocre sequences that have some redeeming or standout feature. This, to me, is where the average decent action sequence ranks.
- Commentary: This is our first glimpse of long-haired Ethan Hunt in John Woo's MI vision and while the cliff climbing is cool, it's a bit over the top and feels incongruous with the Ethan we came to know by the end of the first film. That's really true of this entry to be honest. Still, Cruise and Woo pull off some nice visuals here and there's one moment where Ethan jumps to a new rock position that never fails to provoke a gasp it's such a cool visual.
- Commentary: After the Vatican heist sequence the third movie settled into a series of smaller sequences like this one. It’s minor, but well executed.
- Commentary: This sequence is the first time I really thought we were going to get a chance to see John Woo get unleashed and instead we got a kind of hybrid sequence that ends up just being okay. It starts as a heist sequence that attempts to give us something akin to Ethan dropping down a rope again, instead of the ceiling of the FBI headquarters, now it's from a helicopter down tons of stories into the atrium of a skyscraper with only about 40 seconds to get clear. It's clearly green screened and just never feels quite right. Ethan is there to get a virus but the bad guy anticipates him and a shootout occurs. Woo just never fully lets go here. We get a a couple nice gunplay moments, but there's mostly a lot of talk, drama over Nyah, and then Ethan has to leave the building on his own. The first hint that Woo, Cruise, and MI styles just didn't quite mesh.
24. “Gotta Catch Me: Cliffside Car Chase” -Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
GRADE: B-
Good sequences that have some issue holding it back from being solid.
- Commentary: This is one of those action sequences that are just meant to be “fun” and kind of re-build the myth and image of Ethan at the beginning of a new movie, but it just never clicked with me. Ethan being in a Russian prison, breaking out by causing the harm/possible death of inmates and guards just feels a bit reckless and cheeky without giving us some kind of wow spectacle, tension, or genuine action. Instead, it’s an action sequence that riffs on the heist template, except the heist is of Ethan getting out, not getting in. Its pulled off with relative ease and almost totally with gadgetry. It just comes off to me as trying to be too cool without much substance – something that would have been criticized if it was John Woo, but since its Brad Bird, it gets talked up more without criticism.
22. “HALO Jump Over Paris” -Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- Commentary: This is a tough one because the actual stunt of the halo jump is fantastic and the photography of it is perfect. The extra weather dramatics like lightning added on top of the realism feels really unnecessary and against the idea of doing the HALO jump for real. Why not show off the realism? Isn't that spectacle enough? Instead, it feels a bit over the top and hard to swallow the unnecessary dramatics of the sequence. Looks great though.
- Commentary: The main heist sequence of Rogue Nation is a pretty big misfire for me. They do a good job laying out the obstacles and creating a new take on Cruise having to do something athletic to get to information, but the setting feels too CGI heavy for my tastes. The location ultimately feels fake and invented purely to present Hunt with novel obstacles. Additionally, the tension of getting the information uploaded before Benji reaches the profile analysis is completely arbitrary since Ethan could have uploaded the information hours before hand and there would be no significant difference to the logic of the scene. Doing it right before Benji arrives is pure writer room invention. In other words, most of the drama and tension here feels manipulative rather than organic. Still, there’s a practical element to Cruise’s performance underwater that feels genuine and is still appreciated here.
20. “Shanghai Heist: Getting the Rabbit's Foot” -Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Commentary: This is a fun little sequence where we are introduced to Ilsa as another undercover agent whose motives are unclear. I love how they highlight just how well Ethan and Ilsa work together, almost instinctively. Coming near the beginning of the film, smaller little mini action scenes like this work well for setting tone and introducing characters.
- Commentary: As a stand-alone sequence, this is decent chase/shoot-out/fight stuff; not great, but decent. As the finale of a movie with some thoughtful and methodical action sequences, this is a disappointment. Not only is it just decent for a finale, it’s too hard to swallow that Hunt planned all along to lure Lane to one particular spot in London so we can get our great glass box ending or would even be able to set it up in the time they had. Coming at the end of several little mini-action sequences that essentially all take place within hours of each other, stuff that requires so much prep and setup just smacks too much of the writers room and not an organic ending.
17. “Transporting Damian: Attack on the Bridge” -Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Commentary: I consider this sequence a great missed opportunity. What we get is really good. The setting and most of the execution is done well, but much of the “action” consists of a circling drone and Ethan running to and from vehicles to mostly no end. He doesn’t accomplish much and while that’s probably one of the ideas behind the sequence, it makes for a rather kinetic but pointless scene as Hunt essentially just watches his prisoner taken away. I think that a couple minutes more of well-designed give and take action with some strategy adaption by both sides, could have made this a defining sequence.
- Commentary: This is a very technically competent sequence and it features all of the obvious techniques to ramp up the tension and drama. It’s a good and effective sequence that ends on the very memorable and affecting death of Keri Russell’s Agent Farris. The issue with this sequence is something that plagues much of J.J. Abrams work to me – it’s shot mostly in medium, is a lot of sound and fury and technique, but rarely does it feel substantive or stand out from its peers.
GRADE: B
Good action sequences with much to commend about them. They are a solid entry into their genre.
15. “Kremlin Break-In Goes Wrong” -Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- Commentary: This sequence blends heist and traditional action, but I think is a heist scene at its core. The goal here is to heist the missile launch codes by tricking two parties at once. As far as the heist goes – it’s pretty good. The audience is given just enough information to be engaged, but enough kept away from us that we aren’t sure how it is all going to go down and remain surprised throughout the sequence. There's a major fault here though - once the team realizes they have to give away the real codes, the entire ruse becomes unimportant – they could let the real exchange take place and then detain or follow them as necessary. That’s a bit of a plot hole to me – but they do it to up the stakes (something Bird tries to do ad nauseam leading to that awful third act). That said, the chase into the sandstorm is a bit of a miss for me as well. It’s shot well, but the sand (so obviously CGI) really mucks up the sequence and makes it uninteresting and not really worth re-watching in my opinion. At least we get another classic Cruise run from the sequence!
- Commentary: I love this mission gone haywire. It's probably more of a dramatic sequence in the end, but they really film it as if it was action. I love how thoroughly De Palma lays the mission out to the audience, briefs us on the different roles, and walks us through the basic mission as it plays in real time. I love how it doesn’t feel like it has technology that’s too far high-tech to feel like arbitrary nonsense (as many later ones did), but it all feels very grounded in spycraft with the tech pushed just a little. When things start to go wrong, there’s enough chaos to make us uncertain, but enough clues to give us insight. The way the team goes down like dominoes and the ambush builds is well edited and laid out. By the end of the sequence, the audience is hooked and ready for the follow-up.
12. “Opening: Ethan Hunt hangs outside a plane” –Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)
- Commentary: A great stunt based opening sequence for the fifth film. If you are going to do a “mini-action” scene and not a set piece, then this is how and when you do it. There’s almost no way to tell what was done practically and what was CGI’ed, and that’s exactly how it should feel. It feels real. It feels amazing.
GRADE: B+
Very good action sequences with something holding them back from greatness. These sequences are typically best in their film and represent something above and beyond expectations.
11. “Mountain Duel: Helicopters and Hand to Hand” -Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- Commentary: Unlike the Paris sequence from this film, this is one that gets a bit worse for me every time I revisit it. First, the helicopter stunts are incredible and blew me away in the theater. Still, despite the amazing commitment to doing as much practical work with the helicopters, we have to admit it’s really over the top stuff here. It’s amazing stunt stuff, but it becomes such a zany sequence (admittedly, well done zany) that it doesn’t quite feel at home with the general tone of the rest of film and the rest of their more grounded action sequences. Second, the helicopter stuff, despite my gripes, would still be an A- sequence in my opinion, but unfortunately it’s intercut A LOT with Benji and Ilsa trying to track down the other bombs and stop Solomon Lane. I get intercutting it a bit, but it’s given equal time and it’s just not at all as interesting as the Ethan stuff. Third, the sequence just goes on forever – making it harder and harder to believe the 15 minute countdown. I know the countdown is a laugh, but for a film trying to be so grounded, they milk it way too much. Gripes aside, man is this sequence fun.
- Commentary: You'll notice the blending of categories (that really began in film five) here as traditional action turns into a stunt/run sequence across London. This sequence starts off on the wrong foot though with a dark, chaotic, and somewhat sloppy shootout with multiple different parties with different agendas (nightmares of the worst Pirates of the Caribbean habits). I get that 'chaotic' is a desired tone, but much of the beginning just ends up being confusing and unenjoyable. However, once Ethan gets out from underground and on the chase for Walker we get some of the finest Cruise run moments of all-time as he strides through London landmarks: St. Pauls, over the Thames, and ending at the Tate Modern. All of this is shot beautifully to emphasize the sheer speed and scale of the run with London in the background. It’s too bad the run is sandwiched between a kind of lackluster and chaotic shootout and a bit of an anticlimactic elevator ending. Otherwise, this run is legendary.
9. “Finale: Escaping with the Virus, Motorcycles, & Beach Fights” -Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
- Commentary: We get small doses throughout the film, but this 30 minute finale sequence is Ethan Hunt filtered through the style of John Woo. Does it work? Eh, mostly. This lengthy action finale is standard John Woo stuff, but it's a a little incongruous with the Ethan Hunt we knew from the first film. It’s such a drastic and obvious change that I would submit, despite their clear good faith effort, it never fully clicks and feels right. The sequence begins with Hunt infiltrating a island like facility, taking out guards one by one, and using a mask reveal (it's a really cool reveal TBH, with Cruise running and the music kicking in perfectly) to swerve the main baddies and get away with this film's McGuffin - a virus. The main attraction of the finale is anchored by a motorcycle chase filled with gunplay and motorcycle stunts. It's easily the best part of the sequence and would earn the grade almost on its own. Despite their ridiculousness, these still hold a nice little punch because Woo films them primarily in wide and everything looks real and practical. There is a lot of cool looking stuff here that still looks great on screen, but it crosses the line into silliness a little too much - especially for this particular character. Additionally, the stuff with Nyah roaming near Sydney is a bit silly and over-dramatic in its execution as well. The slow-motion fight at the beach after the two enemies jump off their bikes into each other keeps pushing the over-the-top envelope and might be fine if they stopped there, but the beach fight that follows doesn't really work. I like Woo and I like Cruise, but their styles just don't mash perfectly. I’m glad the series didn’t return to this well again, once is plenty enough
- Commentary: We get small doses throughout the film, but this 30 minute finale sequence is Ethan Hunt filtered through the style of John Woo. Does it work? Eh, mostly. This lengthy action finale is standard John Woo stuff, but it's a a little incongruous with the Ethan Hunt we knew from the first film. It’s such a drastic and obvious change that I would submit, despite their clear good faith effort, it never fully clicks and feels right. The sequence begins with Hunt infiltrating a island like facility, taking out guards one by one, and using a mask reveal (it's a really cool reveal TBH, with Cruise running and the music kicking in perfectly) to swerve the main baddies and get away with this film's McGuffin - a virus. The main attraction of the finale is anchored by a motorcycle chase filled with gunplay and motorcycle stunts. It's easily the best part of the sequence and would earn the grade almost on its own. Despite their ridiculousness, these still hold a nice little punch because Woo films them primarily in wide and everything looks real and practical. There is a lot of cool looking stuff here that still looks great on screen, but it crosses the line into silliness a little too much - especially for this particular character. Additionally, the stuff with Nyah roaming near Sydney is a bit silly and over-dramatic in its execution as well. The slow-motion fight at the beach after the two enemies jump off their bikes into each other keeps pushing the over-the-top envelope and might be fine if they stopped there, but the beach fight that follows doesn't really work. I like Woo and I like Cruise, but their styles just don't mash perfectly. I’m glad the series didn’t return to this well again, once is plenty enough
8. “Bathroom Carnage: Fistfight with Lark” -Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- Commentary: This sequence represents a large step forward for the franchise regarding its fight choreography. Previous films have largely just favored shootouts over fights (the exception being the beach fight finale of MI2), but this has decided to make a fight one of its centerpiece sequences. Thankfully, they have taken their time to setup the fight and give it a memorable location. There is a mysterious "buyer" who has supposedly gone into the restroom of a major event. It's a modern and sleek looking all white bathroom. Ethan and Henry Cavill (Walker) survey the area and after other patrons leave, they identify the "buyer" knock him out and drag him into a stall so they can do their "fake face" thing. Eventually the buyer comes to and the fight is on. It's physical and brutal, making use of many props in the bathroom, and destroying much of it along the way. Thankfully, despite the intensity, the camera is kept back, giving a nice wide view of the action, everything making sense. I love that Ethan isn't portrayed as an expert fighter. Cavill gets a really nice moment here with a great beat to show off his boxing/punching skill. Still, the two man team is unable to take the buyer down with skill, so Cruise resorts to just football tackling him through a wall. Even that doesn't ultimately work, and Ilsa makes the save. In the grand scheme of fight sequences, it’s very good, but a little short and a little dependent on a dues ex-machina ending. It stands far above any other MI fight sequence, but in the world of fight cinema it's merely very good. 
7. “Finale: Train, Tunnels, & Turmoil” -Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Commentary: This is one of the more underrated action sequences of the franchise. Like the CIA heist sequence earlier in the film, the gambit of Hunt having something of high value and trolling it out to bring out the bad guys while hoping it “doesn’t get out in the open” is a template the series would go back to over and over. Watching this sequence again, I’m struck by how good the top of the train stuff looks even decades later. It was the first time, in the cinema in 1996, I’ve ever seen “top of a train” action be so impacted by the wind - the way the face and clothes are visibly impacted is such an important part of the sell here. Once you can get past the ridiculousness of the helicopter following the train into the tunnel, the rest of the sequence looks so visually real that I can’t help but find it immensely compelling. That the sequence manages to wrap up Phelps, Kittridge, and Max at the same time without ever feeling like we are away from the main attraction on the top of the train makes it all the better.GRADE: A-
These are great action sequences with some minor issue(s) holding them back. They are typically best in their film and potentially best of the year.
6. “Stealing the Noc List from the CIA” -Mission: Impossible (1996)
- Commentary: This sequence not only went on to spawn a million imitations but would become the basic template for so many of the heist sequences throughout the rest of the series. The setup is all “there’s no way this can be done” but we are going to cleverly chip away at each defense through technology and clever subterfuge. The high-wire act is this sequence’s unique contribution to the genre and is perhaps challenged only by the Burg Khalifa sequence from Ghost Protocol as the most iconic visual sequence for the franchise. De Palma does a wonderful job amping up the tension and drama and Cruise sells the physical difficulty of the acrobatics perfectly. As great as this sequence is, there are a couple of faults that are difficult to look past (even with the passage of time). For instance, the biggest moment of tension, the sweat drop going across Ethan’s glasses and threatening to hit the floor is resolved by Ethan catching the sweat with an outstretched palm – an act that is physically impossible given his spread eagle nature and closeness to the floor. Additionally, the logic and luck of how they acquire the sign-in password by waiting above the computer attendant makes no sense and is so much luck that the “grounded” nature they are going for here is undercut. Still – despite these and other flaws, this is one of the best “action” heist sequences of the series and in cinema.
5. “Chasing Ilsa in Morocco: Cars & Motorcycles” -Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- Commentary: This exotic car chase sequence is great evidence that Rogue One saw itself as the Mission: Impossible take (and one upping) a Bond film. The sequence is an amazing adrenaline filled car and motorcycle chase through the streets and hills of “Morocco” but filtered with the "I'm a superman, but not immune to failing in funny ways" schtick Ethan adopted from Jackie Chan. Beginning in the aftermath of Ethan's "death" after being drowned getting the information he needed, Ilsa proceeds to steal that information from Ethan and take off on a motorcycle. Of course the bad guys find her and she swipes them down with her motorcycle and the chase kicks off. Ethan, barely coming to, gets up and gets in his BMW along with Benji and joins the chase. This right here is where the chase shines. The quality of stunt driving and camera work through the streets here is second to none. Seriously, if they would have taken this theme and just played it out longer with more layers and this might be the best chase of all time. There is one particular stunt where Ethan takes out two bad guys on motorcycles coming along side him by pulling the hand brake and doing a 360 turn - and it's done practical and it looks GORGEOUS. I love this exotic, stunt, driving, perfectly placed camera work, section of the chase. Unfortunately, the chase has the unfortunate distinction of being kicked down from a masterpiece status to just “really really good” with one idiotic stunt – Hunt’s car doing multiple somersaults and landing with a thud and yet everyone coming out unscathed. In fact, Ethan gets up, gets on a motorcycle and has another amazing chase section, but this time on a motorcycle in the hills. Again, the camera work and stunt work put you right there, high speeds, full faces, it's great. There's more CGI cars than I'd prefer (a necessary evil), but this stuff is great too. So great that it’s a real shame that they decided to make that one stunt so unbelievable because everything else feels so intense, grounded, and enhanced by Hunt’s “I’m recovering from death” obliviousness. GRADE: A
Great action sequences that can compete for best of the year and best of all-time.
4. “Vatican Valuables: Kidnapping Owen Davian” -Mission: Impossible III (2006)
- Community: This is easily the standout sequence of the entire third film and the best beginning to end heist in the entire franchise. It’s often overlooked in the forgotten third film, but this heist is thorough, flashy, fun, and unfolds with enough grounding, practicality, and real life locations to give make it stand out from it's peers. It’s not as iconic as the CIA heist, but it’s more comprehensive, fun, and (within the tone of the film’s universe) logically consistent.
3. “Vienna Opera House Assassination Goes Sideways” -Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
- Commentary: This sequence is such a breath of fresh air into the franchise as there is really nothing quite like it. Instead of being centered on a heist, this methodical sequence is about hunting an assassin and allowing multiple parties to unfold their mysterious agendas to the beautiful backdrop of the Vienna opera. The entire sequence plays much closer to a contemporary take on mashing together Hitchcock (think the opera sequence from The Man Who Knew Too Much) and the more methodical old school Bond sequences featuring a mysterious femme fatale. Commitment to letting the sequence play out slowly, a painterly cinematography, Hitchcockian unfolding of the story, and contemporary action sensibilities make this a standout sequence in the franchise and the best sequence in all of Rogue Nation.
2. “Burg Khalifa: Breaking into the Server Room” -Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
- Commentary: This sequence (before the heist gets underway) is best considered and evaluated as a stunt spectacular and on that level – it’s a jaw-dropping masterpiece. Ethan needs to get to a secure room in the Burg Khalifa skyscraper and is forced to scale the outside of the building to do it. Thankfully, the sequence is not intercut to death with other plotlines and is allowed to mostly play itself out. The whole thing is a visual feast and if CGI was used you can’t tell; it feels as real as possible. The added comedic level and gadgetry breaking at the most opportune moments really works here. As far as pure stunt sequences goes, this is the gold standard of the entire series. 
1. “Paris Mayhem: Ambush, Chase, and Escape” -Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
- Commentary: I really enjoyed this sequence in the cinema, but have grown to appreciate it more and more with each viewing. This sequence is a perfect example of blending all the major franchise action staples into one major sequence - heist, stunt, chase, action. Essentially, the team is their to heist Solomon Lane. Even though we know Hunt has a plan, the audience hasn't been let it on it yet, giving the whole thing a sense of mystery. We also know there is a mole at work, Ilsa in the picture, and several different agendas at play. This makes this sequence a kind of twin to the wonderful "Vienna" sequence from Rogue Nation - multiple interweaving agendas and a mysterious act about to happen. To capture Lane, Hunt and his newly aligned bad guy crew (for now anyways), plan to divert the armored car onto a riverside lane and ram it into the water. From there, Hunt's crew is ready to capture Solomon Lane underwater and take him away. This entire sequence feels like a nod to The Dark Knight's Joker transport sequence - even the music sounds like it. Hunt high tails it out of there in the van as the police chase him down. He rams his van into a narrow alley and switches over to motorcycles he has already placed down. This brings in the second phase of the sequence - the motorcycle chase. The bad guys Ethan just burned, the police, and Ilsa are now after him.
The director, McQuarrie, and his action team has really perfected the art of just where to place the camera on these chase sequences. Of course there are several views, but the one used a lot, that puts me right there is when the camera is placed about 10 ft. in front of Cruise in his car or on his motorcycle and rather than at eye level is at bumper level looking at an angle to his eyes. Then the camera bobs and weaves along with Hunt giving a great sense of movement while still giving the viewer a clear view of the setting and location. It gives a full view of the actor and doesn't feel as static as the normal dashboard POV looks we often get. It's used often and well here and will also move in for closeups at times as well. Throw in that the takes of Ethan driving in real locations are often long and extended and this is some really amazing stuff. Yeah - a lot of the cars on the road are CG, but it's getting harder and harder to notice to be honest. The motorcycle chase ends with a big crash and roll stunt and Ethan finds a spot to catch a ride on a boat with Benji and Luther (who have Solomon). This is where the normal "heist" scene would end - but remember, there are other agendas at play besides the cops getting to them. The scene then enters phase 3. After removing a microchip from Lane and getting new getaway cars, a random place spoils the plans a bit and the bad guys catch up. The chase to escape some bad guys and Ilsa, on a motorcycle with an automatic weapon, is now underway in a car and we get even more superb chase beats. My favorite beat is when Hunt uses the handbrake on his BMW to spin the car 270 degrees down some stairs and change directions when he stops. It's so freaking cool.
The action and stunts are blended seamlessly between stunt filled car/motorcycle chase scenes and shootouts. The sequence goes on for about 20 minutes and is a masterpiece of action that moves the plot forward and throws multiple enemies and obstacles at our hero. It feels like it progresses through multiple stages and at each stage throws a new obstacle – from the Dark Knight ‘esque heist of Solomon Lane, to the motorcycle chase, a gun standoff for some emotional gravity, and then a final car chase against Ilsa. The entire thing ends with a bit of drama over taking the tracking chip off Solomon Lane that plays like an homage to the original films tracking of the fake "noc list". High energy, beautiful cinematography, great stunts with real physical motorcycles and cars (there’s a lot of CGI cars to enhance, but most of the actual stuff is real). This represents the best elements of the series and is my choice for the best action the Mission: Impossible franchise has to offer.
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