09 Mar Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015)

The Woman

After the disaster that I consider ‘Barbie’ and the very mixed feelings I have about ‘Wonder Woman’, I’ve been sensitive to how women are often portrayed in action films, how I feel about it, and what would be better.

I completely forget what came after this movie in the series, so I cannot say whether Cruise and Company introduce a romance, but here I am comfortable with the role she plays.

Yes, she is made to be appealing. There are a couple bathing suit scenes, and one with her in a glamorous dress. But at least to my mind this is not sexualised; she’s instead a worthy partner. It is made clear early who she’s serving, and she ends up in a similar state to Ethan, disowned by her agency.

This matters to me, because though this is a bit of a puzzle movie, none of us viewers believe we are given clues. We just sit back as predicaments and twists occur. So there is none of what I call folding; we sign up for a ride and are carried along. In these kinds of films, at least for me, the craft is in the characters.

And when you have a man-woman collaboration where each is an equal partner, and they jointly respond as a team when the world shifts, it resonates with me. In this case it is better; they never are a team in the sense of Ethan and his real gang. It is an opportunistic thing, an intense intimacy of advancing in the face of danger.

Contrast this with Jason Bourne and ilk.

I have not yet seen Dune 2, but I believe the world will replace the old worlds (Middle Earth, Star Wars, Harry Potter) with the Dune universe very soon and this actress will become an icon.

Posted in 2024

Ted’s Evaluation — 3 of 3: Worth watching.

IMDB