Latest news with #ImpossibleMissionForce
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
I watched every Mission: Impossible movie back-to-back so you don't have to. This is how it went
Just over seven days ago I stumbled into a workplace conversation that led me on an epic, albeit not exactly life-changing, journey. 'And he literally just drove straight off a cliff, no second thoughts! I don't think this guy is going to be done until he's dead!' That was the comment that pricked up my ears and, to be fair, conversations like that aren't too far off some of the things you'll hear coming from the breaking news and crime desks. But this was a culture convo – colour me intrigued. The dots joined themselves quickly. They had to be talking about the latest Mission: Impossible movie, starring the guy whose midlife 'crisis' seems to involve collecting specialist equipment licences like they're Pokemon cards. Plane, boat, bazooka – you name it, Tom Cruise is qualified to do it. There are eight of these films over almost 30 years but I had not seen even one. My mission, I was soon informed, 'should I choose to accept it', was to watch all eight of them in one week and report back. Me being me, I devised a nerdy ratings system to help illustrate my thoughts on the exploits of elite Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise), rating each film out of 10 for the following categories: Villain: The bad guy. Team: The elite team of IMF agents Hunt assembles. Bosses: Hunt's always got some no-good, button-pushing suit breathing down his neck. Mask reveals: Having Hunt hide then dramatically reveal his identity is a series hallmark. Action sequences: Cruise's stunts get more insane with every passing film. Impossibility: Just how Impossible is this Mission? Romance: He never misses on the streets but Hunt is hit-or-miss between the sheets. Plot: You know what this is, folks. Cold open: All eight films open with a splashy sequence before the iconic opening credits roll. They range in length from about three minutes to nearly 30. Equipped with a plan and a lot of snacks, my cinematic journey began. This is what I discovered.
The Age
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
I watched every Mission: Impossible movie back-to-back so you don't have to. This is how it went
Just over seven days ago I stumbled into a workplace conversation that led me on an epic, albeit not exactly life-changing, journey. 'And he literally just drove straight off a cliff, no second thoughts! I don't think this guy is going to be done until he's dead!' That was the comment that pricked up my ears and, to be fair, conversations like that aren't too far off some of the things you'll hear coming from the breaking news and crime desks. But this was a culture convo – colour me intrigued. The dots joined themselves quickly. They had to be talking about the latest Mission: Impossible movie, starring the guy whose midlife 'crisis' seems to involve collecting specialist equipment licences like they're Pokemon cards. Plane, boat, bazooka – you name it, Tom Cruise is qualified to do it. There are eight of these films over almost 30 years but I had not seen even one. My mission, I was soon informed, 'should I choose to accept it', was to watch all eight of them in one week and report back. Me being me, I devised a nerdy ratings system to help illustrate my thoughts on the exploits of elite Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise), rating each film out of 10 for the following categories: Villain: The bad guy. Team: The elite team of IMF agents Hunt assembles. Bosses: Hunt's always got some no-good, button-pushing suit breathing down his neck. Mask reveals: Having Hunt hide then dramatically reveal his identity is a series hallmark. Action sequences: Cruise's stunts get more insane with every passing film. Impossibility: Just how Impossible is this Mission? Romance: He never misses on the streets but Hunt is hit-or-miss between the sheets. Plot: You know what this is, folks. Cold open: All eight films open with a splashy sequence before the iconic opening credits roll. They range in length from about three minutes to nearly 30. Equipped with a plan and a lot of snacks, my cinematic journey began. This is what I discovered.
Pink Villa
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Box Office: Soaring demand for The Final Reckoning prompts BFI IMAX to add 9am shows, delay How to Train Your Dragon debut
Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is proving to be an IMAX sensation in the UK, particularly at the iconic BFI IMAX in London. With demand surging and nearly all shows sold out, the cinema has opened additional 9 a.m. screenings. In an unprecedented move, it has also delayed the debut of How to Train Your Dragon from June 6 to 9, allowing The Final Reckoning to dominate the premium screen for an extended three-day window. Despite ticket prices ranging between approximately USD 32.30 to 37.70 and being non-refundable, fans are still showing up in large numbers, turning the film into an IMAX phenomenon, something Dead Reckoning never achieved during the Barbenheimer-dominated summer of 2023. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, The Final Reckoning, for those uninitiated, is the eighth installment in the long-running Mission: Impossible series and serves as a direct sequel to Dead Reckoning Part One. Cruise reprises his iconic role as Ethan Hunt, alongside Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett. This time, the Impossible Mission Force faces off against a rogue artificial intelligence known as The Entity, as it threatens to wreak global havoc. The film's production journey was ambitious, lengthy, and expensive. Originally intended to be shot back-to-back with its predecessor, production was disrupted by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike and eventually wrapped in late 2024. Filming took place across several countries, including England, Malta, South Africa, and Norway. With a reported budget of USD 300 to 400 million, it ranks among the most expensive films ever made. The Final Reckoning premiered in Tokyo on May 5 and later screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was released worldwide on May 23 to critical acclaim and has grossed USD 227.1 million globally, ranking as the eighth highest-grossing film of the year so far. It also recorded the franchise's biggest opening weekend to date. To promote the film, Tom Cruise made headlines in early May when he climbed to the roof of the BFI IMAX. In a fitting honor, he was also awarded the prestigious BFI Fellowship, solidifying his last of the Hollywood stars status both on and off screen.
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: In the new ‘Mission: Impossible,' Rolf Saxon is the secret weapon, a ‘coffee guy' no more
Every movie franchise has its worker bees, the supporting players working somewhere along the bit-part spectrum. Three, maybe four lines of dialogue. Lines such as: 'Such as?' or 'Here, I got you these,' spoken to the more dynamic and prominent characters we're supposed to be watching. Statistically speaking, these bit-part mayflies of the movie world have next-to-zero odds of returning for a sequel. But next to zero is not zero. And a faintly absurd long shot just came in for the actor Rolf Saxon. You may not know Rolf Saxon's name, which is Rolf Saxon, but you may know about his latest film. 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' the super-expensive $400 million franchise finale (though who's to say), now off to a strong $200 million global box office launch in its first weekend, a record for the eight-film series. Twenty-nine years ago, Saxon, a veteran stage and screen actor who makes his home in northern California, was hired for a small role with four lines of expedient dialogue in the first 'Mission: Impossible,' directed by Brian De Palma. Remember the CIA break-in scene, with Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt lowered by wires into the impenetrable maximum security vault? Remember the CIA analyst, a tall fellow with glasses and the vaguely beaten-down air of an ill-fated company man, whose coffee is spiked with drops of something nasty but not fatal by Emmanuelle Béart? That's Saxon. The character's name is William Donloe. His lines: And that's all he says, though Donloe comes and goes a fair bit, wordless, puzzled and sometimes puking, in that still-dazzling suspense sequence. Last we hear of Donloe, Impossible Mission Force director Kittridge, played by Henry Czerny, orders him banished and 'manning a radar tower in Alaska by the end of the day. Just mail him his clothes.' Seven 'Mission: Impossible' films later, a crazy thing happened. Donloe came back, and Saxon with him, in a greatly expanded supporting role. In 'Final Reckoning,' he brings a steady, reassuring presence to a character now given the larger dimension of a beautiful marriage (Inuit actor Lucy Tulugarjuk plays his wife), some hardy sled dogs and a useful role in saving the world at the film's first climax. (It has two, maybe three.) Saxon, who turns 70 in July, has worked extensively on stage in England and the U.S. and on TV and larger screens for decades. In 'Final Reckoning,' what sounds like a one-joke nostalgia callback to a character of little narrative importance becomes something more, and not a joke. 'A total fluke,' he says of Donloe getting a second chance in the franchise. 'It just kept getting better and better and better.' Our conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Q: When the first 'Mission: Impossible' came around, where were you in your career? A: I was doing the David Mamet play 'Oleanna,' touring around Wales. I got a call from my agent, saying they wanted me to audition for a Tom Cruise movie. I said great, I took a three-hour train ride to Pinewood Studios near London and I met with Brian De Palma for three and a half, four minutes. I thought, well, that was a waste. I thanked the casting director for calling me in, but told her I didn't think it went very well. And she said, 'No, no. No! Oh, no. He loved you! You were in there the longest of anybody.' Q: So you got the part. How long was the gig? A: They offered me the gig, but I had another film job to finagle a little, to make them both work. It meant working three or four weeks, seven days a week, which was fine. Great, actually. Three weeks on 'Mission,' then another week or so finishing up while I did this other film. I was younger then. Q: At that point in your career were you thinking, well, good gig, small part, big movie? Or did you have anything like a hope of it turning into something more? A: No! I mean, I got to do a Tom Cruise movie directed by Brian De Palma, and to be honest, if it hadn't been for those two, I probably wouldn't have gone in for the audition, because it meant six hours on the train back and forth from Wales and I had a show that night. Donloe was a tiny part, walk-on stuff. That's how it started, although it did develop a little bit more as shooting went on. Q: How so? A: I was very at ease on set, having a good time, and I was sort of messing around one day, you know, cutting up, making people laugh. I don't even remember how. But then I got a tap on the shoulder from the first assistant, who said: 'Mr. De Palma wants to speak to you.' Q: And he fired you. A: (laughs) You're joking, but believe me, that's what I thought was happening. The look on the first assistant's face — we're still in touch today, a great guy — seemed to indicate exactly that. All he said to me, as we walked over to De Palma, was: 'Watch me. Watch when you're talking to.' So he stands behind De Palma and De Palma says to me, 'I saw you messing around up there.' And I say, 'Yes, sir.' And he says, not smiling at all, 'Yeah. Everybody seemed to be enjoying that.' And I started to say something, and right then Chris, the first assistant, who's standing behind De Palma, just does this (holds his finger up to his lips in a 'shush!' gesture). So I didn't speak. De Palma says, 'Uh, well, could you do that again, whatever it was you were doing?' And I said sure, and he said, 'Because I have an idea for something. After lunch we'll film for an hour or two.' So that afternoon, and then the next morning, we improvised all the throwing-up bits, and Donloe running to and from the bathroom. And that came from just messing around on set. Most of it ended up on the (cutting-room) floor, but it was fun. Q: You barely talk in that entire scene, which for a lot of people was the best thing in the first movie. It makes Donloe seem like an accidentally crucial figure. A: That's De Palma. I'm forever in his debt for that scene. A masterful filmmaker. Q: And you had no reason to hope, any time over the last 25 years, that Donloe might find some excuse to return to the 'M:I' universe? A: Only in my own mind (laughs). I did draft a letter years ago: 'Dear Tom: What about if we did this?' Some ridiculous excuse to bring back Donloe, you know. Then I thought, who am I kidding? I crumpled it up and threw it away. And then years later this happens. Q: You've told the story of how you got word from your agent that Christopher McQuarrie (director and co-screenwriter of several 'M:I' films, including 'Final Reckoning') was setting up a Zoom meeting to talk to you about the movie, and you were convinced it was a friend of yours, punking you. A: Right, and then I'm on the Zoom call, and there's Christopher McQuarrie. He offered me the job within two minutes, and we spent the next hour talking about where (the script in development) could go, and what could happen. I didn't see a final script until about three days before leaving to do the project, two and a half years later. I was hired in July 2022, and I finished in May 2024. The pandemic, which we were still recovering from, plus two strikes (the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild strikes), all meant massive, expensive hiatuses. I was probably on set four, maybe five months total, mainly in London, and in Norway (doubling for St. Matthew Island in the Bering Sea). Q: I gotta say, watching you bring Donloe back in such a satisfying way is like a victory for all the actors out there. A: Very gracious, thanks. I mean, I can't remember a part of that size coming back 30 years later. I've never heard of such a thing. And originally I was supposed to be in only one section of the new film, the Alaska segment, when there was a very different storyline. The idea that this is happening to me at my age, at this point in my career, well. It's cool. Q: This is your biggest part in a big-budget studio film? A: By far. I've done some smaller roles in other big movies. I was in that film with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, what was that called … Q: The one with the laser-wire acrobatics, right … A: Oh, golly, this is what age'll do to you. (Interview devolves momentarily into two men in their 60s trying to remember a movie title). Q: 'Entrapment!' Just looked it up. A: That's it! (laughs) Q: Also, you're in the opening of 'Saving Private Ryan.' A: (pause) That one hurt. I had a wonderful part in that film at first. Tom Hanks played the good guy and Lt. Briggs, who I played, was the adversary, this (jerk) in the platoon nobody liked. And then the first 20 minutes of the film were rewritten, and a lot of us lost material as a result. I lost the most. Couldn't go to the premiere. I couldn't face it. Q: Maybe 'Final Reckoning' is karma coming around for you. A: Maybe. Maybe. I've been very lucky.
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Does Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning have a post-credit scene?
Does Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning have a post-credit scene? Moviegoers will be heading to the theaters this holiday weekend to check out the latest entry into the Mission: Impossible franchise with Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning premiering Friday. Tom Cruise's latest movie is jam-packed with action, nostalgia and tense situations as nearly three decades of Ethan Hunt and the Impossible Mission Force comes to a close. But how long do you have to stick around once the credits start rolling? MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Does Ethan Hunt die in Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning? While movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe used to corner the market on post-credit scenes, the recent and wildly popular vampire horror movie Sinners featured both a mid-credit and post-credit add-on. So does Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning have a scene after the credits? No, you can feel free to grab your snacks and head home.
