7 Impossible Mission: Impossible II Stunts

The poster for Mission: Impossible II says it all. Clearly there is going to be a lot of fire and explosions. Although this is my least favourite of the series, there are some crazy impossible stunts, and some ‘meaningful’ pigeons, or not.

John Woo, director for this instalment introduces a very different style to the first film, using a lot of slow-motion and a lot of over-the-top action. It was John Woo who wanted to add ‘depth’ to the characters and deliver a film with more meaning. In an interview he expressed that he felt part 1 was missing these elements. Watching Mission: Impossible II, makes me wander what happened to that initial train of thought, because it does seems that any attempts to add depth and meaning, didn’t really make an impact. Rather we are presented with an extensive array of action, that ultimately proves forgettable.

Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only two returning cast members and the focus isn’t really on the mission in this one, but rather it introduces a love interest into the mix. I enjoy watching a love interest develop in a film, but it just seems like the direction wasn’t clear on this one. Are we watching a romantic action spy thriller, or is it a romantic drama? Hence, the story elements of Mission: Impossible II fall short, plus I really didn’t feel the chemistry between Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton.

There are still some unbelievable stunts and ‘things’ that take place in this film, here are seven of them:

1. Tom Cruise’s Free Solo Climbing in Moab, Utah’s Dead Horse Point State Park

This scene is probably my favourite in the entire film, it’s fun and crazy. Although he did wear a harness, there was no safety net. He also tore his shoulder performing the crazy leap from one part of the cliff to the other. Plus the pairing of the song, Iko Iko with this visual feat is enough to get you up and dancing.

2. The Knife-To-The-EyeBall Stunt

That is a real knife only a quarter-inch away from Tom Cruise’s eyeball. Enough said…

3. What Hollywood Seems To Do Best, Explosions

A lot of different things get blown up in this film.

4. Tom Cruise, The Leaping Master

Tom Cruise’s mother is apparently an avid adrenaline junkie, which explains why he has no problem with jumping out of helicopters and buildings.

5. The Gun In Sand Stunt

There is nobody in the universe that can kick a gun out of the sand, catch it in mid-air, make a 180 turn, dive to the ground and shoot the villain, except Tom Cruise.

6. Tom Cruise And Dougray Scott Hugging In The Air

So, these guys are supposed to be enemies, but they hug whilst propelled from their motorcycles, which they willingly drove into each other. Right…

7. The Tom Cruise and Thandie Newton Joy Ride

This is probably the most comedic stunt, involving a voluntary car chase. These two choose to flirt at high speeds, with expensive vehicles, whilst driving along some seriously dangerous roads.

Mission: Impossible II is not the franchise’s brightest moment, but it still has instances of entertainment. For more great movie lists, please check out ThatMomentIn.com!

— mad max 2 —

Mad Max is The Road Warrior! It is rare to find that a sequel supersedes it’s predecessor, and that is what Mad Max 2 manages to achieve. It’s my favourite instalment, and coincidentally, it is Mel Gibson’s too. Will Mad Max: Fury Road set the bar higher?

After the success of Mad Max, George Miller was well and truly on the scene, and had numerous offers of work in Hollywood, but his heart lay with the beast he had created, and it was his keenest desire to make a sequel. With a much much larger budget he would be able to create and achieve larger and greater things. He used the budget wisely and was able to create an action masterpiece.

Broken Hill, South Australia would prove to be the desolate waste depicted in the film. The location only chosen because it hadn’t rained there for four years, but as celestial mercy would have it, it rained during the production, nevertheless, climate did not stop George from completing his madness. It’s interesting to note that for the upcoming film, the same location was sought, but again, it rained and the desolate land, wasn’t desolate anymore, it was lush and green, so Namibia was chosen as a more dry and appropriate place. Some of you may be aware that there is a museum dedicated to Mad Max in the outskirts of Broken Hill. A truly dedicated fan has set up shop, and apparently 100’s of thousand visit annually. From what I’ve heard he has a replica Interceptor, which he drives himself, and he has a dog, named Dog, just like Max!

I think that this film is so impactful and intense, that it’s difficult to find people that do not know about it, or at least, heard about it. When films become so iconic and influential, it is our responsibility as FilmMunchers to look back and glean from these films, and try to identify the hallmark of cinema in them.

For me the hallmark would have to be the realism of the sets and ‘equipment’ created. At a time when computers were infantile, and not used for the generation of a computer generated image, things had to be built, physically. When we look at the ‘devices’ created by George Miller and his creative team, it is truly amazing to observe. It is metallic and brass beauty, junk turned into art. The desert compound in the film boasted to be the most expensive set ever constructed in Australia, and ironically the explosion that destroys it, boasted to be the largest explosion ever too! Creation and Destruction married equally, wow!

Another hallmark is the stunt work. To illustrate how wild these stunts were, in one scene, a particularly dangerous stunt was going to be performed. In order to prepare for the possibility of it going wrong, the stunt driver was instructed to fast for 12 hours, so that if he had to be rushed to hospital, he could be operated on, immediately! In other stunts, people were injured, and in some instances bones were broken. One of the stunts that went ‘wrong’ was keep in the final cut. Does art have a price?

Sound is another hallmark of this film, not only is the score amazing, and apt, it was the very first film in Australia to be recorded in the then, state of the art, Dolby. Innovation! The new! The Bold! Did I say, the score is just amazing!?

What do you think FilmMunchers, will Mad Max: Fury Road live up to its predecessor?

Purchase a copy here.

TRIVIA COOKIE: James Cameron has mentioned that Mad Max 2 was one of the films that influenced and helped give birth to The Terminator. Interestingly, George Miller has stated that Akira Kurosawa’s films influenced him. The interwoven network of film, and the internationality of it, presents it’s beautiful face, once more!

— john wick —

The Matrix, The Matrix, The Matrix. John Wick re-unites Keanu Reeves, Daniel Berhardht, Randall Duk Kim along with the directors Chad Stehelski and David Leitch, all of whom had some role to play with the Matrix trilogy. This is interesting because the movie’s story is no where near what the Matrix’s is, nor are the action sequences, but there is an usual feel to it, as if it was Matrix-y-ish. Some of the scenes have a greenish colour to them, reminding us of the Matrix, there is also a scene in which a hand fight takes place in the rain, reminiscent of the Agent Smith vs Neo final battle sequence. Or it could just be that whenever I see Keanu Reeves in a movie, I think of him as the iconic, Neo, The One.

I’m a fan of Keanu Reeves, I think he can act, but what can you do when you’ve already played the role of your life? Has Keanu Reeves played the ultimate role, in the Matrix? Some may be inclined to think so, others like me are keen to see how much this man can really push himself in an acting capacity. There are moments of intensity in the film, but his performance is nowhere near oscar consideration, unfortunately. Did he give it his all? Turns out that about 90% of the stunts performed in the movie, were done by ‘Neo’, thats awesome, considering the nature of this film, its mainly concerned with action, if you didn’t know.

If you’re interested in an aesthetically pleasing appetiser, this movie is that, nothing more. It is photogenic, and the action sequences look great, but ultimately it tries to be a touch deeper than most action movies, but it fails, you want to feel for John Wick, but instead of presenting him a touch vulnerable, he is the exact opposite, nobody is stopping John Wick, he is a ‘legend’, except he is real, and he will win. You might find yourself smiling every now and then, but your deeper emotions won’t be tapped.

Credit must be given to the directors of this film, their story is inspirational, they both started in the film industry as stunt men, one of them was a stunt double for Keanu Reeves in the Matrix movies, and after a while, they were able to form a company that would go on to do stunts for a large number of action movies. This is their directional debut, and for a first go, its good work. It must be rewarding for them to have come so far in the film industry, it will be interesting to see what else they have to offer.

I love this image of John Wick and his dog, again this film has some great stills, worth watching if only for that!

Good watch, but not nourishing enough.

TRIVIA COOKIE: Total kills, 119.

I must add this final remark. Think is the name of the song played in one of the scenes, its a beautiful song, performed by Kaleida, listen to it with the bass up!

https://soundcloud.com/kaleidamusic/think