A large part of this is down to the careful structuring of its action sequences to build a sense of propulsive momentum. In fact, arguably the biggest issue with Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was that McQuarrie was too writerly, working too hard to sell the idea of Ethan Hunt as a compulsive workaholic.įallout perhaps gets the balance right. McQuarrie’s scripts for his Mission: Impossible films are decidedly writerly in a way that Mission: Impossible II and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol are not, and in a markedly different manner than Mission: Impossible III. Perhaps reflecting his own background as a writer, his two Mission: Impossible films tend to play rather heavily with the idea of what a Mission: Impossible film actually is, even if they aren’t quite as ponderous or self-conscious as the recent James Bond films. That said, there is a sense that McQuarrie is approaching the material in his own unique way. Whether he has or not is still a matter of heated debate some would argue that Mission: Impossible is an ode to Tom Cruise as auteur or to the stuntman as auteur. However, in a high-stakes action series, there was always a question of what McQuarrie could bring to the series to put his own distinct slant on the series. McQuarrie doesn’t necessarily have a distinctive style, although he has a long-standing relationship with Cruise from his work as director on Jack Reacher and as writer on Valkyrie and The Mummy. McQuarrie is primarily known as a writer rather than a director, with only a handful of director credits to his name. However, there was some tension when Christopher McQuarrie was recruited to direct the fifth film in the franchise and returned to direct the sixth. The fourth is a string of incredibly impressive and kinetic action sequences strung together with Brad Bird’s patented sense of pacing and spectacle. Abrams film that comes in and very consciously tweaks the formula while drawing attention to its own plot mechanics. The second is very much a John Woo film, complete with slow motion black leather and white doves. The original is very much a Brian dePalma film, leaning heavily into themes of identity and Hitchcockian tension. The Mission: Impossible series has always had a bit of an auteur quality to it, with individual writers and directors bringing their own styles to bear on a given installment. One of the most striking aspects of Mission: Impossible – Fallout is how thoroughly and how completely it rejects the idea of morally compromised blockbuster protagonists.
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