(2011) 4 Jeremy Wheeler Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol could very well be the series' best installment. While the 1996 De Palma reboot, with its master-class intrigue and superb action set pieces, still holds up well -- as does J.J. Abrams' third entry with its character-driven story (we'll leave M:I--2 in the gutter where it deserves to stay) -- there's no denying the top-notch quality of this slam-bang fourth film. Director Brad Bird (Ratatouille, The Incredibles) makes an effortless transition to the live-action arena, where his focus on character still holds strong, but he's not afraid to pummel his lead actor to a pulp in thrilling ways. In theaters, the presentation is helped by bravura IMAX scenes that could be Hollywood's best use of the large format to date. While each entry so far has stood on its own plot-wise, film number four continues the tale of a married Ethan Hunt (played once again by Tom Cruise), who, as the movie opens, is busted out of a Russian jail where he was imprisoned for taking revenge for the apparent death of his wife (Michelle Monaghan). Once out, Hunt and fellow team members Benji (Simon Pegg), Jane (Paula Patton), and information analyst Brandt (Jeremy Renner) head off on their newest mission: preventing a Russian terrorist (Michael Nyqvist) from unleashing a nuclear war against the United States. Set in three locales that give the globe-trotting flick a glossy James Bond feel, Ghost Protocol is a classy production, the scale of which is matched only by its edge-of-your-seat sequences. Cruise jumps fully into the action, giving 110 percent and proving that even at his age there are few other actors who would attempt to do what he does (including hanging from the tallest building in the world). Thanks to a well-written script, his teammates are also given ample screen time and are allowed their own hero moments time and again. Yet it's the invisible Bird at the helm who really deserves credit here. Working with veteran De Palma editor Paul Hirsch (who also worked on the first film), the duo weave together action beats that consistently take the viewers' breath away. And the film is fun. This isn't a charmless Jason Bourne spy film -- this is a grip-the-sides-of-your-chair-and-walk-away-grinning-from-ear-to-ear type of ride. In other words, choose to accept this mission by all means.

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

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genres

sub-genres

category

Feature

alternate title

Mission: Impossible IV

directed by

Brad Bird

countries

USA

release date

December 16, 2011 (USA - IMAX)
December 21, 2011 (USA)

run time

133 min.

produced by

Bad Robot, Skydance Productions

released by

Paramount Pictures

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cast

Tom Cruise: Ethan Hunt

Paula Patton: Jane

Simon Pegg: Benji

Jeremy Renner: Brandt

Michael Nyqvist: Hendricks

Vladimir Mashkov: Sidorov

Samuli Edelmann: Wistrom

Ivan Shvedoff: Leonid Lisenker

Anil Kapoor: Brij Nath

Léa Seydoux: Sabine Moreau

Josh Holloway: Trevor Hanaway

Pavel Kriz: Marek Stefanski

Goran Miraj Grbic: Bogdan

Ilia Volok: The Fog

Goran Navojec: Burly Russian Prisoner

Pavel Bezdek: Prison Guard

Ladislav Beran: Control Room Guard

Jan Filipensky: Control Room Guard

Jiri Kraus: Control Room Guard

Ales Putik: Control Room Guard

Tomas Valik: Control Room Guard

Pavel Cajzl: Prisoner

Randy Hall: Prisoner

Vitaliy Kravchenko: Scraggy Tooth

Andrey Bestchastney: Kremlin Senate Building Desk Guard

Michael Dopud: Kremlin Subcellar Hallway Guard

Martin Hub: Kremlin Gate Security Guard

Ivo Novak: Russian Agent

Anastasiya Novikova: Russian Hospital Nurse

Marek Dobes: Russian News Anchor

Claudia Vasekova: Russian News Anchor

Brian Caspe: British News Anchor

Petra Lustigova: Anna Lisenker

Daniel Clarke: Alex Lisenker

April Stewart: Swedish Translator

Gina Hirsch: IMF Operator

Ghalib Al Saady: Dock Worker

Andreas Wisniewski: The Fog's Contact

Mustafa Alyassri: Doctor Setting Sidorov's Nose

Michael Rys: Russian Sub Captain

Dmitry Chepovetsky: Russian Sub Ensign

Dawn Chubai: San Francisco News Anchor

Nicola Anderson: Julia's Friend

Keith Blackman Dallas: Julia's Friend

Tammy Hui: Julia's Friend

David Stuart: Julia's Friend

Sabrina Morris: Julia's Friend

crew

Brad Bird: Director
Bryan Burk: Producer
J.J. Abrams: Producer
Tom Cruise: Producer
André Nemec: Screenwriter, Co-producer
Josh Appelbaum: Screenwriter, Co-producer
Robert Elswit: Cinematographer
Lalo Schifrin: Composer (Music Score)
Michael Giacchino: Composer (Music Score)
Tim Simonec: Musical Arrangement, Conductor
Paul Hirsch: Editor
Jim Bissell: Production Designer
Grant Van Der Slagt: Art Director
Helen Jarvis: Supervising Art Director
Michael Diner: Art Director
Tom C. Peitzman: Co-producer
Tommy Harper: Co-producer, Unit Production Manager
Ben Rosenblatt: Associate Producer
Dana Goldberg: Executive Producer
David Ellison: Executive Producer
Jeffrey Chernov: Executive Producer
Paul Schwake: Executive Producer
Elizabeth Wilcox: Set Decorator
Michael Kaplan: Costume Designer
Rosemary Brandenberg: Set Decorator
Gary Rydstrom: Sound/Sound Designer, Re-Recording Mixer
Geoffrey Hansen: First Assistant Director
Thomas Gormley: First Assistant Director
Alyssa Weisberg: Casting
April Webster: Casting
Coreen Mayrs: Casting
Heike Brandstatter: Casting
Michael McGee: Sound Mixer
Nancy Bishop: Casting
Stewart Bethune: Production Manager
AFX Studio: Makeup Special Effects
Amy Beresford: Visual Effects Producer
Andy Nelson: Re-Recording Mixer
Ann Goobie: Location Manager
Anne Carroll: Department Head Hair
Carmen Butts: Hair Styles
Dan Bradley: Second Unit Director
David Anderson: Makeup Special Effects
Dawn Leigh Climie: Costume/Wardrobe
Dean Eillertson: Properties Master
Dustin Cawood: Sound Effects Editor
Eva Morgan: Production Coordinator
George McCarthy: Visual Effects Editor
Gregg Smrz: Stunts Coordinator
Heather Anderson: Makeup Special Effects
Industrial Light & Magic: Visual Effects
James Tyson: Costumes Supervisor
Jeffrey Lynch: Second Assistant Director
Jennifer Horvath: Additional Editing
John Knoll: Visual Effects Supervisor
Karen Jarnecke: Production Coordinator
Ken Fischer: Sound Effects Editor
Kimi Webber: Script Supervisor
Kris Peck: Properties Master
Lauren Rodriguez: Special Effects Supervisor
Michele Burke: Makeup Supervisor
Mitchell Amundsen: Second Unit Director Of Photography
Monica Huppert: Department Head Makeup
Nancy Thompson: Costume/Wardrobe
Owen Walstrom: Stunts Coordinator
Richard Hymns: Supervising Sound Editor
Teresa Eckton: Sound Effects Editor
Will E. Files: Sound Effects Editor