Rogue Nation

Note: Originally written in August 2015

It's a rare quality, for a movie to not take itself too seriously, yet provide an exceptional level of precisely laid out thrills, filmmaking brilliance and storytelling grit. The good ole Hollywood action flick was meant to fill into these shoes; though of late we've seen movies waver into either being too serious or being outrageously silly and shoddy. Christopher McQuarrie showed that there is still some hope for the 'classic well made action flick' lovers in his largely undiscovered yet brilliant 'Jack Reacher'. Rogue Nation is his indubitable spot in the limelight. It surely is nothing more than a string of action set pieces woven together by a meek plot about saving the world. Yet, each of these set pieces is so stunningly crafted, that I have actually blurted out more 'whoas' and 'wows' in the theater for this flick than Mad Max: Fury Road. The sound design, cinematography, editing and stunt choreography come together in perfect unison to elevate these action pieces to a spectacular echelon. Joe Kraemer's music has its moments of brilliance. Simon Pegg delivers some rather delightfully funny notes. Rebecca Ferguson kicks some serious ass. (yay to more serious female roles; cue - Imperator Furiosa). And the movie has so many surprises that aren't shown in the trailer, for goodness sakes. And one last note. Tom Cruise - last action Hero. Period.

Catch more on the flick at IMDB and Letterboxd.