Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One - 不可能的任務:致命清算 第一章

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (不可能的任務:致命清算 第一章) is an 2023 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby. In this installment, Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, and Pom Klementieff join the fun.



A sub is tricked by an AI and attacks itself. The AI gets on the loose and starts a global bidding war. Ethan Hunt and his IMF team try to track down this AI they call the entity. Along the way, they come around several buyers that want this. Can Ethan get to the bottom of this?



This was a pretty good Mission Impossible film. I had just finished watching Mission: Impossible - Fallout (不可能的任務:全面瓦解) before going to this. Fallout was so good that maybe I shouldn’t have watched it before Dead Reckoning. Dead Reckoning was good in its own right. It takes a AI bend on storytelling. I think the Mission Impossible series has already pushed modern technology themes. In this story, its back to the train and has many intense scenes on the Orient Express.



Tom is Tom Cruise and he doesn’t do any different here. Tom runs and runs again. With death defying stunts and lots of characters trying to get control. Tom plays Ethan Hunt up to be the guy that gets the job done, but not without some scratches.



This is a must watch if you are an Mission Impossible fan.

Top Gun: Maverick - 捍衛戰士:獨行俠

Top Gun: Maverick (捍衛戰士:獨行俠) is an 2022 film. the movie stars Tom Cruise. Does it matter who else is in there? Of course. The supporting cast include Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, and Lewis Pullman. Ed Harris and Val Kilmer make more cameo like appearances in the movie. This movie is a sequel to the orignal Top Gun movie released in 1986 directed by Tony Scott.



Top Gun Maverick takes place years after the 1986 Top Gun movie. Maverick has now become a Navy test pilot. When a test goes haywire, he is assigned back to the Top Gun school for a mission as his last stop. Not to give too much away, how will Maverick take on this new challenge? Will he come out as the Top Gun?

I caught this at a local AMC in IMAX and it was worth it. The sound itself needs a real movie sound system. I can't imagine getting the same experience at home. It was pretty full but no clapping or any ohs and ahs that I noticed. The soundtrack was really good as it did re-use some of the music from the 1986 film. However, one of the things about the music was that it had a "ding", which really made me think about Taco Bell. I did get over it an forgo my desire for a Mexican Pizza.

This movie was originally set for release back in June 2020. Due to the pandemic, the release dated changed many times before setting down in May 2022. The movie itself was mainly filmed in 2018 with reshoots in 2019. That means these actors are 4 years younger than they were when the movie was offically released. I am just glad they got a release date that they did not change.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout - 不可能的任務:全面瓦解

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (不可能的任務:全面瓦解) is an 2018 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Henry Cavill, and Vanessa Kirby. This is the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible film series. The storyline doesn't take place much after the 5th movie, at around 2 years.



The movie starts with Ethan and group trying to get back three stolen plutonium cores in Berlin. However, when the plan fails, the cores are back on the market. Now the CIA get involved and they don't particularly like the IMF. So, they plant an CIA operative that will assist Hunt to get back those cores. They find out about a buy that's happening and go after the cores. But the buy doesn't go as plan and find out about the Syndicate connection. When they go after that connection, all hell breaks lose and Hunt has to save the world again. Can he make it out alive and save the world?

This 6th installment was fun. I think they are trying to top each other with each one. I was gifted 1-5 for xmas and plan on rewatching them again in the near future. I think I have a special place for John Woo's 2nd installment. It's impact of that movie on the action genre was more intense than the other 5. Howevet, action these days are so over the top, its hard to impact anything these days.

This installment had all the elements of mystery, not knowing the whole story until the end, and lots of spy drama. The story does take many twist and turns that confused some of the people I watched the film with. But they still got enough to know the impact of the storylines to the ending.

I highly recommend this film if you like spy action thrillers.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back - 神隱任務:永不回頭

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (神隱任務:永不回頭) is an 2016 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. The supporting cast include Cobie Smulders, Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, and Danika Yarosh.

Jack Reacher is still going around the country kicking butt and putting his brand of justice out there. When a friend of his is framed, Jack's not going to sit back and let this happen. When the system is in on it, Jack must rely on his experience and wit to bring justice to those that are dirty and to clear the name of his friend.

This movie was very similar in feel to the first Jack Reacher (神隱任務) film. I got it via Redbox rental and was entertained, didn't regret renting it at all. It was than available via Amazon Prime and I ended up watching it again.

I like Tom Cruise and his Jack Reacher take. You might too.

American Made - 美國製造

American Made (美國製造) is an 2017 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise as Barry Seal, a airline (TWA) pilot turned pilot for the CIA and the South American drug lords of the late 1970s and 1980s. The supporting cast include Domhnall Gleeson and Sarah Wright, as his CIA handler and wife, respectively.

Barry wanted to be a pilot as long as he could remember. Becoming a airline pilot for TWA in the 1970s, he quickly grew tired of the mundane. The CIA must have sensed this and reached out to him to fly missions for them. First to take pictures, than to arm, and than to train. Along the way, he plays double agent and starts to run drugs for the dealers to the south, particularly famous are General Noriega of Panama and the infamous Pablo Escobar. At home, he makes so much money, he has no way of keeping track of it and starts to live it up.

This was a very entertaining movie. I grew up watching Tom Cruise and his take on Barry Seal was intriguing and kept me engaged. I ended up really liking the film and the history behind it. If you like Tom Cruise, movies with an entertaining take on true figures, this one will be for you.

Jack Reacher - 神隱任務

Jack Reacher (神隱任務) is an 2012 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise. The supporting cast include Rosamund Pike and Jai Courtney. I watched this film via my Amazon Prime membership.

Tom Cruise plays Jack Reacher. Reacher was an expert and very decorated MP during his years in the armed forces. Retired and back in the states, one of the folks he investigated as an MP has done something wrong. The defense lawyer, Rosamund Pike as Helen Rodin, has some daddy issues and takes up the case. Right when Jack Reacher starts his investigation, he's a target and Helen eventually digs too deep too. Will Jack get to the bottom of this and save the day?

Of course! It is a Tom Cruise film. Jack Reacher seems to be a combo of Tom Cruise's MI:4 and Knight And Day characters. Before Tom Cruise had back to back sci-fi stint movies (Oblivion and Edge Of Tomorrow), he took on Jack Reacher. Jack seems to know it all and than doesn't, than does again. Which made for an intriguing film. The addition of Rosamund Pike kept my interest. As a lawyer with daddy issues, she does well in portraying someone on a mission to be herself.

I had this movie in my Amazon watchlist for months. MONTHS! I just didn't want to watch it on my iPad as I do for most stuff. I finally found time to watch it on my real TV and I am sure glad I did. It's a pretty picturesque film shot partly in Pittsburgh.

Oblivion - 遺落戰境

Oblivion (遺落戰境) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, and Andrea Riseborough. The supporting cast include Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Melissa Leo, and Morgan Freeman. The movie is based on a comic graphic novel by this movies' director, Joseph Kosinski.

In 2077, the earth had a war with an alien race called the scavs when they invaded. The nukes were used and the world was in ruins. The population of the earth was moved to a space station outside of Titan, a moon off Saturn. Cruise plays Jack Harper, a maintenance and repair man for drones that patrol the bases. The bases are collecting water and other resources from the earth to build new colonies. Along the way, other humans show up and tell Jack Harper that everything isn't what it seems.

This film was awesome. It was slow most of the time, but it was focused on the characters in their post-nuke days. Jack Harper and his wife have a mysterious background. If you didn't understand it, the twist(s) at the end would not make sense.

Easily one of my favorite science fiction films of all time now. Definately in the top 50. I am definitely considering buying the Blu-ray for it.

Mission:Impossible – Ghost Protocol -- 不可能的任務:鬼影行動

Mission:Impossible – Ghost Protocol (不可能的任務:鬼影行動) is an 2011 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton. The supporting cast include Michael Nyqvist, Anil Kapoor, Josh Holloway, and Tom Wilkinson. Ving Rhames and Michelle Monaghan also make cameo appearances. This is the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible movie franchise. I actually saw this in the theaters. The movie trailers included the 2012 Avengers' and G.I. Joe movies. Awesome time.

Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt. Among those joining him are Jeremy Renner as congressmen's "secret service" agent. The tech person in this movie is Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn. The femme fetal is Paula Patton as Jane Carter. Hunt is extracted from prison and starts a long process to get a notorious terrorist seeking a nuclear weapon head. Along the way, they are set up and have to go at it alone without help. Lots and lots of crazy operations until they catch their guy.

I didn't want to write up too much of the movie due to the roller coaster storyline. You need to be in suspence. Directed by a former Pixar guy, this movie was action packed and it had a pace that just didn't calm down. I loved it. I'd rank this right under Jonh Woo's M:I:2.

Knight And Day - 騎士出任務

Knight And Day (騎士出任務) is a 2010 film. The movie stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. The movie is labeled Action Comedy.

Tom Cruise plays an super agent that's trying to keep an hi-tech battery out of the hands of of the evil guys. On a plane ride back home to Boston, Tom uses Cameron as a mule for security. But they somehow get envolved in a caper. All hell breaks loose as the agency thinks he's rouge and an arms dealer is after him.

The movie was pretty fun for the most part. You can really believe the action because it is so over the top. Because of that, you can go, ok, it can happen since reality isn't the base. Tom and Cameron actually present some chemistry and they make the movie work.

Tom is getting up there in age and can still put it down with the action. Cameron Diaz still gets leading lady roles. But both make it work.

Tropic Thunder - 開麥拉驚魂

Tropic Thunder (開麥拉驚魂) is a 2008 film starring Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Cruise.



The film is a mockumentary of the film industry. The premise is that real actors in a war film are dropped into a real war situation for the sake of making a film.

That war situation is the Golden Triangle with the Flaming Dragon gang as the main antagonist.

Some of the guys get captured by the Flaming Dragon gang who speak Mandarin Chinese.

There's a part of the movie where Robert Downey Jr. attempts to speak Chinese to the captors. The Chinese is barely decipherable. I had to read the subtitles and watch it over about 10 times. How the Flaming Dragon didn't just say, "what the heck are you saying?" is beyond me, they were understanding him. Got to give credit to RDJ for even getting all those Chinese words out of his mouth. I have a hard time these days and I am a native speaker.

Mission: Impossible III - 不可能的任務III

I caught Mission: Impossible III (不可能的任務III) right when it was released on DVD back in 2006. One of the best things about this movie was that they filmed roughly 20% in Shanghai, China. The city of one set of my grandparents. Shanghai will always hold a special place in my heart. I got a chance to visit Shanghai for 2 days back in 2000. I've been pining to get back there and spent at least a week.



So, when the movie moved to the Shanghai portion of the film, I was all eyes and ears. It was quite funny to hear Tom Cruise shout a couple of Mandarin Chinese terms.



You would be better off getting a movie synopsis from Yahoo! Movies or Wikipedia or even the M:i:3 site.



One of the standout features of the film is Maggie Q. Maggie plays one of the agents that supports Tom Cruise on his mission. Maggie actually has a nice roll and is credited with playing someone called Zhen Lei. Maggie Q was not the dragon lady bad gurl or the the eye candy for white guys to drool over. She was part of the team and did her part.



I thought the plot was a little confusing, but I understood it for the most part. I was a huge fan of Alias and thought this was a good vehicle for J.J. Abrams to enter the film market.