Movie Analysis: “Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation” — Themes
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
By the way, I saw the movie Sunday night and immediately tweeted something to Christopher McQuarrie, the film’s writer-director:
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.
I’m going to go right at what I think is the central theme of the MIRN and it’s right there in the title: Going rogue. Essentially every single major character in the story goes rogue:
* The Syndicate came about through the rogue efforts of British government official Attlee, then run with by Solomon Lane.
* The congressional oversight committee disbands the IMF because it is portrayed by Hunley as a rogue outfit. The result of that decision is for Ethan Hunt to disappear for six months and go rogue himself.
* Hunt enlists Benji Dunn, Luther Stickell, and William Brandt to join him as a rogue ‘shadow’ version of IMF operatives.
* Ilsa Faust is a rogue element throughout the story, seemingly an ally to one side (The Syndicate), then to Hunt, then to the British government, and if she had her choice to go off on her own. She even attempts to lure Hunt to head off with her, a kind of ultimate rogue action whereby she and Hunt, trained in espionage and secret ops, would create some sort of alternate life for themselves.
Interestingly whereas the actions of The Syndicate and Attlee are apparently motivated by ideological and political concerns, the rogue IMF team seems to be driven by much more personal dynamics. At first, Hunt sets his mind on nailing Lane because he kills Record Shop Girl in cold blood while Hunt stands by, trapped and unable to stop him. And when Benji gets kidnapped, while there are certainly geopolitical considerations, the purest emotional rationale among the IMF group is to save him because Benji is their friend. [Indeed, friendship is a second theme which plays in the movie.]
I think this distinction — Bad Guys motivated by politics and ideology / Good Guys motivated by justice and friendship — helps deepen the audience’s allegiance to Hunt and the team. And to me, this is a sign of good writing. It would be easy just to assume the audience will be on Hunt’s side, but that’s the cheap way out. McQuarrie sets all these rogue players into motion, but makes sure we feel a connection to the IMF team and why they are going rogue.
How about you? What themes do you see at play in the movie?
Please join me in comments to further analyze Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation.
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