Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) ½
cast: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, and Rade Sherbedgia
director: John Woo

The first "Mission: Impossible" in 1996, also being produced by Tom Cruise seemed have been set on self-destruct. Meaning more explicitly when the film wrapped hardly a soul was left standing of the once famed IM Force. Not even our dear Mr. Phelps (Jon Voight, in a good performance) made it out--rather being cast as the turncoat villain that sets up his own team.

And as confusing as the plot was and as hard to follow as it might have been "Mission: Impossible" had the feeling of classic nostalgia from a series that lasted throughout the '60s, '70s, and briefly in the '80s.

Now in the new millennium everything is still impossible, but hardly anything feels like a mission anymore. Rather a pseudo James Bond entry hiding beneath the "Mission: Impossible" label a film trailer that already alerts audiences that director John Woo's film is to be nothing like its predecessor...at all.

I personally have watched director and action kingpin John Woo for quite sometime now. Recently I had almost given up on him. It is evident that John Woo is at a breaking point with two unbearable TV movies.

But now everything feels different. John Woo never seems to be coming up with anything different--rather anything new. He carries around a bag of magic tricks and symbolism and simply applies them to whatever project he's working on.

If you guessed front man Tom Cruise would share a scene with white doves, be involved in a motorcycle chase, and slide across a floor with two handguns give yourself a pat on the back. You've already figured out what Woo has up his sleeve even though this bag of magic tricks is considerably slicker than his North American television outings.

Tom Cruise returns as master of masked identities Ethan Hunt. This time Hunt is at odds with former IMF member Sean Ambrose (Scott) who plays another turncoat team member. Ambrose's ambition is to obtain a new virus that was accidentally created when a bio--"something or other" was developing a cure for influenza.

This new disease melts down cells in the body and takes affect within twenty hours of contact--turning deadly in thirty-four.

Hunt's newest contact (Anthony Hopkins in a non-descriptive cameo) matches him up with Nyah Hall (Netwon) who happens to be a sexpot thief.

Is it an unwritten rule in Hollywood that female thieves always have to be gorgeous?

Hunt and Hall soon fall in love in a very Bondish sort of fashion, further detailed in script when Hunt learns that Hall is Ambrose's former lover. Rejoining the cast from the original is heavyweight Luther Stickwell (Ving Rhames) and an Aussie newcomer (Polson) who travel with Hunt to Australia to track down Ambrose before he obtains the virus and the only known cure for it.

"Mission: Impossible 2" is so different from its predecessor and the television series it was based from there is sure to be dismay. A number of hardcore fans complained that the Cruise/Wagner produced and Brian De Palma directed 1996 original strayed too far away from its roots to be considered faithful.

Those same people are sure to eat John Woo's film alive. For its nearly two-hour time length Woo plays the part of romantic puppet master for almost the entire first half of the film. Aside from an interesting car chase scene (which again feels Bondish), nearly an hour into the film nothing much of interest has taken place.

Hardcore Woo fans that were put off by the director's Americanized actioneer "Broken Arrow" need to stay far away for their own good. It takes nearly an hour to jump into all the theatrics of good ole fashion "Mission: Impossible" mumbo jumbo. Not to mention that there is very few action sequences.

While I acknowledge the fact that "Mission: Impossible 2" is a film that has a nice look with a well-to-do cast and some interesting techno scenes and one crazy motorcycle outing (not to mention a loveable but predictable moment involving masks towards the climax). John Woo's film feels nothing like what we came for or expected, nor does it feel like anything new for an action film composed by the once heavy-handed director himself.

You begin to feel like someone else, a director that operates like a broken record, is wearing a genuine John Woo mask. If so we can only hope the true John Woo is located quickly.