Movie Analysis: “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation”
Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of watching movies:
To be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct. Moreover people who work in the movie business constantly reference existing movies when discussing stories you write; it’s a shorthand way of getting across what they mean or envision.
But most importantly, you need to watch movies in order to ‘get’ how movie stories work. If you immerse yourself in the world of film, it’s like a Gestalt experience where you begin to grasp intuitively scene composition, story structure, character functions, dialogue and subtext, transitions and pacing, and so on.
Let me add this: It’s important to see movies as they get released so that you stay on top of the business. Decisions get made in Hollywood in large part depending upon how movies perform, so watching movies as they come out puts you in the same head space as reps, producers, execs, and buyers.
This week’s movie: Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, story by Christopher McQuarrie and Drew Pearce, television series by Bruce Geller.
Our schedule for discussion this week:
Monday: General Comments
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Takeaways
For those of you who have not seen the movie, do not click MORE as we will be trafficking in major spoilers. If you have seen Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, I invite you to join me in breaking down and analyzing the movie.
To help steer the discussion, here is a plot summary from IMDb:
After intercepting nerve gas being sold to terrorists, Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt is convinced he can prove the existence of the Syndicate, an international criminal consortium. Reporting to an IMF substation to receive his next orders, Ethan is captured by the Syndicate, but escapes a torture chamber with the help of disavowed MI6 agent and Syndicate operative Ilsa Faust. Meanwhile, CIA director Alan Hunley and IMF agent William Brandt appear before a Senate oversight committee , and Hunley succeeds in having the IMF disbanded and absorbed into the CIA, guaranteeing that Ethan will be captured within the day.
Six months later, Ethan is still on the run. Unable to find the Syndicate without help, he enlists former colleague Benji Dunn, arranging for him to attend Turandot in Vienna to search for Solomon Lane, whom he suspects is the leader of the Syndicate. Despite stopping three snipers, the Austrian Chancellor is killed by a car bomb.
Brandt recruits former agent Luther Stickell to find Ethan and prevent Hunleys team from killing him. Using a likeness of Ilsa left by Ethan, Brandt and Luther are able to track Ethan, Benji, and Faust to Morocco, where the three are infiltrating a secure server underneath a power station. After having stolen what they believe to be a ledger containing the names of all Syndicate agents, Ilsa takes the drive and a chase ensues. Ilsa manages to escape, but Benji reveals he had already made a copy of the data.
Ilsa returns to London, and attempts to pass the file to her handler, Attlee, who compels Ilsa to return to the Syndicate and finish her mission. She returns to Lane, only to find that Attlee has wiped the drive, which in fact contained an encrypted red box, property of the British government which required the Prime Ministers biometrics to be unlocked. The former IMF agents confront Ilsa, but when Lane’s men abduct Benji, they are told they must deliver a decrypted copy of the drive to Lane.
Brandt contacts Hunley and reveals their location. At a charity auction, the two try and prevent Ethan from attacking the Prime Minister, whom they and Attlee take to a secure room. Ethan, having posed as Attlee, reveals himself and has the Prime Minister confirm the existence of the Syndicate, a classified project to perform missions without oversight, though the Prime Minister insists that he cancelled the project before it could leave the planning stages. When the real Attlee arrives, Ethan subdues him and he admits that he had been covering up the existence of the Syndicate since Lane hijacked the project and went rogue.
Luther discovers the file actually contains access to billions of pounds. Ethan memorizes the data and destroys the file to force Lane to release Benji and Ilsa in exchange for what he knows. He goads Lane, drawing him into the open and luring him into a bulletproof cell where he is taken into custody.
Some time later, Hunley and Brandt return to the oversight committee, where Hunley secures the reinstatement of the IMF, claiming that his previous efforts to have it disbanded were all to allow Hunt to go undercover. The committee, though skeptical, approves, and Brandt addresses Hunley as “Mr. Secretary.
Here are some links to background articles and analysis about the movie:
Review: Entertainment Weekly
Review: Indiewire
Review: Los Angeles Times
Review: New York Times
Review: The Hollywood Reporter
Review: Variety
Interview: Christopher McQuarrie (Film Comment)
Q&A: Christopher McQuarrie (Deadline Hollywood)
Reality’s Rogue Nation: Mission Impossible 5 Analysis
If you have found interesting features about the movie, please post in comments and I will add them to this list.
What are your general reactions to and thoughts about the movie? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?
I hope to see you in comments to start our week-long conversation about a movie that as of today has generated $373M in worldwide box office revenues with many critics suggesting it has reinvigorated the M:I franchise. Our point of focus: The story.
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