"Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation" has all the hallmarks of an action-movie blockbuster: A never-aging hero, a lovely lady in revealing clothing, car chases, intrigue, explosions and more.
What it also contains, however, is a surprising line that sticks a finger in the eye of modern liberalism. It is just one line, to be fair, but it is a line that could make a person stop and think.
Not that you'll be stopping or thinking much during this rollicking, riveting action film that keeps the pace moving and action jacked up for one of the best thrill rides of this summer movie season.
Tom Cruise is back in the leading role, with old friends from the franchise, including Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames, along with the lovely newcomer Rebecca Ferguson and brilliant villain Sean Harris. In particular, Harris takes this action film a step above the usual fare by giving audiences a Moriarty-like foil to Cruise's Ethan Hunt character. "Rogue Nation" offers even more evidence to my theory that the key to an entertaining action movie isn't the superhero in the title, but the villain waiting for him (or her).
In this installment of the "Mission: Impossible," Hunt's Impossible Mission Force, or IMF, has been disbanded by an arrogant CIA director, played by Alec Baldwin, who sees the IMF as the loose cannon of America's intelligence community. But just as the bad news is being delivered to our intrepid IMF heroes, an international cadre of super-secret bad guys called "The Syndicate" rears its ugly head. Now Hunt has to recruit his old IMF buddies away from the CIA to go rogue and hunt down The Syndicate, which Baldwin's CIA doesn't believe even exists.
The rest of the movie is intrigue, impossible stunts, brutal fist fights, car chases through exotic locations, heist capers, betrayals and everything else that makes an action movie … well … awesome!
Yes, it's brutally violent, and yes, it includes a few gratuitous bikini shots, and if that means it's not for you, then this film is not for you. But if action-movie stunts and intrigue are your diversions of choice, then you can rarely find a more entertaining flick than "Rogue Nation."
And for the most part, the central themes of "Rogue Nation" are simple: It exalts the loyalty of friends who will brave even death to stick by your side, and it warns that government can be corrupted and is not to be trusted.
There is also, however, this one little line, which Hunt tells the villain at the very climax of the plot.
Hunt tells the baddy, to illustrate the flaw in the villain's thinking that turned him from loyal spy to criminal mastermind, that though he could relate the pain of killing innocent people, "You blamed the system instead of yourself."
Blaming the system instead of accepting personal responsibility is the hallmark of modern liberalism, at least the sophomoric liberalism of the masses. Blame capitalism when you can't get a job; blame institutional racism instead of confronting the causes of criminal activity; blame a lack of school funding instead of a failure of parenting; blame special interests instead of ill-informed voters electing corrupt politicians; blame religion when you can't accept moral constraint, and on and on.
It's America's fault. It's big business' fault. It's lobbyists' fault. It's God's fault. It's a nation of victims, and the culprit is a white, privileged, one-percent, capitalist, imperialist, theocratic, sexist system.
"You blamed the system instead of yourself."
Yes, it's just one line in a movie that's about as philosophical and deep as a puddle, but in a medium like the movies, which has the power to shift and shape our culture, it's worth taking just such a moment to discuss how we can really change America for the better: Shall we bemoan everyone as victims, or shall we encourage people to take responsibility for their own future?
With a presidential election right around the corner, you can bet more than just a "Rogue Nation" will be talking about the answer to that question.
Content advisory:
- "Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation," rated PG-13, contains eight or nine profanities and obscenities.
- The film has no significant romantic storyline or sex scene, but does flash some skin, including bare-chested guys, a woman who steps out a pool in a bikini, a woman swimming in tank top and panties, a dress with a high slit that repeatedly shows off a lot of leg, a couple of innuendos and a scene where the female lead takes off her shirt (seen from behind), showing off a bare back, a rear pantie shot and some brief side-boob.
- The movie is brutally violent in several, extended scenes of hand-to-hand combat. There's also gun and knife violence, fatal car crashes, explosions and all kinds of action in general, including scenes of extreme peril. Despite what would in reality be a high body count, however, there isn't much for gore or bloodshed.
- The film has no significant religious or occult content.