(Review originally written at 30 April 2004)
The main problem with "Mission: Impossible II" is the simple and uninteresting story that is filled with many plot holes.
Not even John Woo can save this movie but at least he still makes it interesting to watch. His style is wonderfully present and the action scene's are truly a work of art. The use of slow motion is superb!
Apart from the story the movie also suffers from several other problems. One of them is the cast. Tom Cruise is in his element again as Ethan Hunt but Dougray Scott plays a stereotype villain, he does it in a good way but it's just too simple. I like Richard Roxburgh villain role much better. John Polson's character Billy Baird is nothing short of irritating and on top of that unnecessary. Other problem is that there is absolutely no chemistry between Cruise and Thandie Newton's character, which is I think mainly to blame on the boring and not so talented Newton.
Still there are plenty of elements present that make this movie worth watching. Like I said before, all of the action sequences are superb and feel like poetry in motion. The cool soundtrack from Hans Zimmer also make the movie a lot more pleasant to watch. Also the non-stop action ending doesn't disappoint as it in the end turns into an old fashioned good vs. bad guy, mano a mano fight without any weapons. I also quite enjoyed Anthony Hopkin's uncredited small role as mission commander Swanbeck.
Disappointing, especially compared to the first movie but still somewhat watchable because of the Woo-ism. I'm Still looking forward to part 3.
6/10
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