The best intentions often come back to haunt you. Mission: Impossible — Fallout finds Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team (Alec Baldwin, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames) along with some familiar allies (Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan) in a race against time after a mission gone wrong. Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby join the dynamic cast with filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie returning to the helm.
AN EPIC PERSONAL TALE
Over the past two decades, Tom Cruise has produced, starred in and performed in the most mindblowing stunts in the Mission: Impossible films, a global cultural phenomenon that has grossed more than $2.8 billion worldwide, making it one of the most successful franchises in movie history. Now he returns for a sixth film in his role as Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team leader, Ethan Hunt.
According to Cruise, Mission: Impossible — Fallout is a culmination of all of the previous films in the series. “You’re going to see characters brought back and storylines brought to a conclusion,” he says. “At the beginning of the film, the book The Odyssey was chosen for a very specific reason. The journey my character, Ethan Hunt, and his team go through is an odyssey inspired by and reflective of that story. It’s an epic personal tale, and there are enormous emotional stakes for the characters.”
Cruise, who launched the franchise in 1996, brings an unparalleled understanding of what makes a Mission: Impossible film work, observes screenwriter and director Christopher McQuarrie. “Tom is the keeper of the flame. He’s an instinctive, very emotional filmmaker. He knows Ethan Hunt, and he knows what makes him an appealing character on a truly instinctive level.”
McQuarrie believes one of the reasons the franchise remains so popular is Cruise’s insatiable desire to make each film more thrilling and intense than its predecessor. “It never stands still,” says the director, who also directed 2015’s Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation. “But most importantly it never forgets the audience. Tom is first and foremost an entertainer. Everything he’s doing in the movies is to take you places you’ve never been, to show you things you’ve never seen, and to put you in the experience right there with him.”
For Mission: Impossible — Fallout, McQuarrie was eager to explore a darker and more human side of the film’s central character. “Ethan has always been a bit of a mystery,” he observes. “This time I wanted to be more inside his head and feel his connection with other people. The title refers not only to nuclear fallout but also to the fallout of all of Ethan’s good intentions. He has walked into a situation beyond his control, and he has to go through it even though he knows he’s being manipulated.”
At the heart of the story is a wrenching decision Hunt makes that comes back to haunt him, explains producer Jake Myers. “In the beginning, we find Ethan in a tough place. He has made a mistake, and he’s encountering elements from his past that have emotional connections. He has to decide: Does he save his friends and family or save perhaps millions from the destructive forces he’s up against? He has a lot of soul searching to do.”
Cruise embodies his character in a way that few action stars ever have, adds Myers. “Tom not only brings great drama to the role, but he has the physical ability to do things another performer would not, both by his training and his daring. I think you can probably separate most other action franchises from their stars, but without Tom there really isn’t an Ethan Hunt, at least not the one audiences worldwide have so wholeheartedly embraced.”
A DIRECTOR RETURNS
At Cruise’s request, McQuarrie became the first filmmaker ever to return to direct a second Mission: Impossible film. “One of the signature elements of the franchise is that there has been a different director for every movie,” McQuarrie explains. “When Tom asked me to come back and direct this one I said I would do it on the condition that I could maintain the spirit of that tradition by completely changing the visual language from the previous film. I want people who watch Rogue Nation and Fallout to feel like two different people directed them.”
McQuarrie, an Oscar winner for his screenplay for The Usual Suspects, continued to make adjustments to the story even as filming progressed. “Chris keeps the script alive,” says Henry Cavill. “He’s a very good writer and extremely intelligent when it comes to characters. He is excellent at putting them into enormously stressful situations that they survive by growing, adapting or evolving. I quite enjoy that as an actor because you are constantly moving and adjusting, much like humans in real life.” Rebecca Ferguson agrees: “It’s a completely new way of filming for me. I love it because it keeps you on your toes. You just have to let go and be in control of your own character.”
THE SUPER TEAM
At the heart of each Mission: Impossible film is the tight-knit group of extreme espionage specialists that make up the IMF team, led by Ethan Hunt.
“People come and go in the formation of this team, but there’s a core mentality, and that is something that doesn’t change,” observes Ferguson. “You have the superstar; you have the comic; you have the quirky; you have the beauty; all of the nuances go into creating this incredible piece of entertainment that is Mission: Impossible.”
The individual charisma and dynamism of the actors cast in these roles is part of what makes the films so special, says Cruise. “My favourite moments in movies are when you have great actors hitting their stride. McQ and I work very hard to achieve that — it’s what we love about movies and storytelling.”
Ving Rhames has played the character of Luther Stickell since the first Mission: Impossible film in 1996. “McQuarrie described my role as being ‘the soul of the film,’” recalls the Golden Globe-winning actor. “At first I didn’t know quite what he meant, but I think it’s a certain consciousness that I give to Ethan. In this film, for the first time, there is a physical altercation between them. It happens sometimes with people who care about each other. I think it humanises Luther and you get to see more of the fabric of his personality.”
As Cruise explains it, Luther was initially supposed to die in the first film. “I didn’t want that to happen,” he says, “not only because Ving was so good, but because of Ethan and Luther’s relationship. There’s something about him playing this character that is so engaging, and I think you see that through all of these movies. There’s a great dynamic with Ving in this one.”
One of the most beloved characters in the three most recent Mission: Impossible films is Benji Dunn, played by Simon Pegg. “These films always try to stay ahead of the audience,” says Pegg. “They are full of intrigue, betrayal and double crosses. But there is also always a degree of levity. You can’t be that tense for two hours without having an aneurysm. It’s good to be able to relax for a moment and laugh. A lot of the time that’s where Benji comes in.”
Making his second franchise appearance is Alec Baldwin as former CIA Director Alan Hunley, who has recently been named secretary of the IMF. “We absolutely had to have him come back,” says McQuarrie. “People often ask me who the funniest person on the set is. Everybody is a lot of fun to work with, but there’s nobody funnier than Alec Baldwin. He is such a delight to work with.”
FORMIDABLE FOUR
Mission: Impossible — Fallout features four powerful female characters played by four formidable actresses: with Michelle Monaghan returning, the cast also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Angela Bassett and Vanessa Kirby. “We were blessed to have four incredibly strong women in this film,” says McQuarrie. “We were determined to bring a more feminine side to this movie and also to give each of those characters’ distinct identities by creating strong, grounded roles.”
At the beginning of each of his collaborations with Cruise, McQuarrie poses a question. “I ask him, ‘What do you want from this story? What’s one thing you want to do?’ This time Tom said, ‘I want to tie up the story of Julia. People are still asking me about Julia.’ So, we began with that.”
Julia, as fans of the series will know, is Ethan’s wife, played by Michelle Monaghan. The character was introduced in Mission: Impossible III and appears to die between the events of that film and Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol. She made a brief appearance in Ghost Protocol, when it was revealed that her death was staged in order to protect her from the murderous forces intent on hurting Ethan.
Monaghan was happily surprised to learn that her character would return in Mission: Impossible — Fallout. “I had no idea there were plans to bring Julia back and I was so excited,” she recalls. “The character is wonderful, and their love story is something fans have latched onto. Ethan let her go to keep her safe and out of harm’s way. For me, that’s the ultimate expression of love. In this story, you see them back together, but in a much different way.”
Rebecca Ferguson’s character, former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, shares the first name of Ingrid Bergman’s character, Ilsa Lund, in Casablanca, a nod to the similarities McQuarrie sees between Rebecca Ferguson and actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Era, according to Cruise. “Rebecca is incredible. She is very charismatic and athletic with a dynamic presence that uniquely holds the screen.”
With her own objectives and unique approach to spycraft, Ilsa is initially at odds with the IMF team. “She works mostly for herself and to achieve what she needs to,” says the Swedish actress, whose recent film credits include The Greatest Showman, The Snowman and The Girl on the Train. “We all have our different goals and agendas in this film. Sometimes they interact, and sometimes we put sticks in each other’s wheels, and that creates intense momentum.”
Ferguson and Simon Pegg, who had become friends on Rogue Nation, instantly renewed their rapport on set. “Rebecca is a brilliant actress and plays a great character,” says Pegg. “I like the fact that Ilsa is a match for Ethan both physically and mentally and she isn’t just there to be rescued. It’s great to see strong female characters emerging across the movie landscape. It’s way overdue.”
Mission: Impossible — Fallout introduces August Walker, a CIA agent played by Henry Cavill who is forced upon Ethan by CIA director Sloane. “He’s something of a wild card in our story,” says McQuarrie. “There’s a great deal of friction between him and Ethan, which comes to a boil over the course of the movie.”
The CIA’s top assassin, Walker also harbours his own dark agenda, says Cavill. “He’s a cleaner; he takes out the people you can’t capture. But beyond that he’s an anarchist.”
Cruise has high praise for the Man of Steel star’s performance in the role. “He is very powerful; he’s athletic, charismatic and holds the screen. People will see that he is not pulling any punches. McQ wrote a unique role for him; he is just a great antagonist.”
The part required Cavill to endure a number of extremely uncomfortable situations during the shoot, according to McQuarrie. “He had the utterly thankless job of being in every freezing-cold, horrible, punishing environment imaginable with very little protective clothing,” says the director. “From being in an open helicopter travelling at 100 miles an hour 7,000 feet over a glacier in the dead of New Zealand winter to hanging off a 2,000-foot cliff in Norway. He was always positive, always diving in headfirst. Henry is an absolute gentleman and a fantastic actor. He was a joy to work with and had a great sense of humour.”
IN THE CENTRE OF THE ACTION
Although McQuarrie intentionally gave the film a distinct look, he knew it was essential to maintain the core values of the iconic action franchise. “Mission: Impossible is all about practical stunts, practical action and real locations with as little green screen as humanly possible,” he says. “Tom is ready and willing to do just about anything we can conjure up. So you have to find ways to put the camera where you can see that your star is actually performing these stunts, so everything is designed around putting Tom in the centre of the action.”
Every Mission: Impossible film features Cruise performing one unforgettable, death-defying stunt. In Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol, it was climbing Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest skyscraper. In Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, it was hanging from the door of an Airbus A400M Atlas military transport plane as it takes off.
For Mission: Impossible — Fallout, Cruise and McQuarrie ratcheted up the excitement by devising a series of unforgettable stunts guaranteed to leave audiences breathless. “Tom spent over a year preparing for this movie,” says McQuarrie. “There was a lot of speculation about what the stunt would be. I had to clarify that he was preparing for a sequence of stunts. There is more danger in this sequence than I have ever seen; Tom was constantly in peril.”
As outrageous and thrilling as the stunts are, they avoid crossing over into unrealistic superhero territory, says stunt coordinator and second-unit director Wade Eastwood. “This is not one of those cartoon movies where guys fly 600 feet off the roofs of cars and land on their feet. We create action that is still real. I think that’s why audiences relate to his character in these movies. Ethan Hunt is a human being. He knows what he’s got to do. He doesn’t always pick the easiest way to do it, but he throws everything at it, so we have to create action and stunts that can wow the audiences while also giving them a laugh and being believable.”
I am looking forward to Mission:
Impossible — Fallout because... Tell t2@abp.in
