Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Josh Holloway
Running Time: 133 min
Certificate: 12A
Synopsis: The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization’s name.
Action? Check. Quick quips and stylish comebacks? You know it. Tom Cruise hanging off edges and clinging onto buildings like a man mad? Absolutely.
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has been locked up in a Russian prison for killing people he wasn’t supposed to and doesn’t have a way out. But thankfully there’s a crack IMF team out to save his skin before he ends up bouncing a stone against a prison wall for the rest of his cramped life. The opening breakout scenes comprise of humour, close combat fighting and a very unique way out for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and a friend he wants to take on the journey. You know it’s not going to be straight forward but luckily his IMF team of tech virtuoso Benji (Simon Pegg) plus the astute and feisty Jane (Paula Patton) help aid his eventual escape.
When the film really starts to kick off, the IMF team believe they are on a mission to stop the Russians finding nuclear codes but there’s something suspicious going on and before they know it, the Kremlin blows up and they’re the key suspects. Now the team only have one choice, to go rogue and find the people who framed them and pick up government analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner) on the way to support them.
Like its predecessors, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL is an ensemble piece and although Cruise is at the front, there is no doubt that Pegg, Patton and Renner are a crucial part of the narrative. Whilst Paula Patton’s stunning Jane outwits opponents with both her looks and intellect, Benji (Simon Pegg) offers a mix of perfect comic timing entwined with being the ultimate back up for all their technology needs. Jeremy Renner is a new face to the franchise but does fit in perfectly, the rumours that he’s being considered for BOURNE-type roles after THE AVENGERS could be a very safe bet indeed. 
Brad Bird’s first venture into live action is bold and he passes valiantly. Those fast cut action sequences you know so well from THE INCREDIBLES are ever-present in this non-stop action thriller. The Burj Khalifa in Dubai for example is a unique moment in recent film history. We’re all very much aware that Mr Cruise does his own stunts but this will test the best of you with vertigo and without knowing, you will be clinging onto whatever you can find.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL is essentially what you’d anticipate but this isn’t remotely a negative. Whereas some recent action-thrillers try to be clever and look for that (sometimes obsessive) twist, M:I-4 knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to alter the formula. When you blend in a great cast, who all work off each other and the fact that everyone has a part to play then you’ve got all the right ingredients for an impressive addition to the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – Ghost Protocol is released on the 26th December in the UK. It’s directed by Brad Bird and stars Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Tom Wilkinson, Miraj Grbic and Josh Holloway.
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