MI: Fallout

Okay, I've come to terms with being a Tom Cruise fan. My wife teases me any time I pause and watch one of his films on TV when browsing the channels, but the Mission Impossible series is incredibly rewatchable.

I went in to Mission Impossible: Fallout (number 6 in the series) with high expectations, and can honestly say I was not let down. There are several action sequences -- well I can't think of one that wasn't, actually -- that took my breath away and I laughed from the way they blew me away.

The last few MI's have featured showcase action pieces --  the Dubai tower scaling and the airplane ride from the last two -- and Fallout's is ostensibly the HALO (High Altitude Low Open) jump, where Tom himself does the work. Apparently they took 120+ takes to get the full jump.

It comes fairly early in the picture and is a lot more thrilling than the trailers lead you to believe. Shot in one single camera motion (or so it appears) from jump to landing, it's nothing short of heart-stopping.

Fallout doesn't have just one set piece, though -- it has several amazing sequences. The bathroom fight scene with Henry Cavill and Lian Yang is just jaw-dropping. The chase/breakout of Ethan Hunt's nemesis is amazing, and the helicopter scene is already legendary.

Can we talk about how Tom Cruise has become this country's Jackie Chan? No one does what Tom Cruise does. He throws himself into the work and puts his life on the line and it *works*. It's so engaging to know it's really him doing these crazy (and they are crazy) stunts -- while being impressive beyond words. This guy is freaking 56 years old. Damn.

The supporting cast is also spot-on. Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg and Alec Baldwin all bring it. (Baldwin has some of the best lines, truly.) Sean Harris might be the creepiest villain in the entire series. And I think I have a thing now for Vanessa Kirby, who is just stunning and mesmerizing and pitch-perfect in a callback to the first MI.

Christopher McQuarrie has come a long way from his roots in writing the Usual Suspects to be a premier director who has his hands firmly on the pulse of the MI series.

I don't know how long Tom can keep this up, or if he'll die making MI 7, but I'll be on board for that one for sure.