Movie · 2000 · Adventure, Action, Thriller · 2h 3m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 1.2/10 (893.9K ratings)
Expect the impossible again.
Overview
With computer genius Luther Stickell at his side and a beautiful thief on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.2/10
IMDb: 6.1/10
Letterboxd: 2.66/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 58%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 6.1/10
Director
John Woo
Production
Paramount Pictures, Cruise/Wagner Productions
Cast
Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandiwe Newton, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh, John Polson, Brendan Gleeson, Rade Šerbedžija, William Mapother, Dominic Purcell, Mathew Wilkinson, Nicholas Bell, Cristina Brogeras, Kee Chan, Kim Fleming, Alan Lovell, Dan Luxton, Christian Manon, Karl McMillan, Lester Morris
Where to watch
Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, overcooked John Woo action sequel that trades the first film’s espionage tension for operatic gunplay, slow-motion romance, and big, silly set pieces. It’s uneven and often ridiculous, but the motorcycle duel, cliffside stunts, and pure late-90s action excess give it a cult appeal.
Best for
fans of stylized action and operatic direction
viewers who like high-gloss blockbuster excess
people curious about the franchise’s most divisive entry
audiences who enjoy action movies with a strong romantic angle
Skip if
you want the tightest or smartest Mission: Impossible film
you dislike melodrama, slow motion, or exaggerated action style
you prefer grounded spy thrillers over comic-book-like spectacle
you need strong plotting and character consistency
Overview
Mission: Impossible II is the franchise at its most flamboyant and least disciplined. John Woo turns the series into a fever dream of doves, leather, hair, and balletic violence, pushing every scene toward maximum cool whether the story can support it or not.
Worth noting
That approach makes the movie feel both dated and oddly irresistible. The plotting is thin, the romance is overemphasized, and the villain is more concept than character, but the action has a swagger that’s hard to ignore. When it works, it works as pure spectacle.
Bottom line
This is the kind of sequel that many fans defend with a grin rather than a straight face. It’s not the best Mission: Impossible film, but it is one of the most distinctive, and its commitment to being absurdly stylish gives it a lasting cult afterlife.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Matt Ellis (3.5★) · 8397 likes
13 years old: WHOAAAAAAA AAAAAAWWWEEEESSSOOOOOMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEE
22 years old: what garbage, I prefer *art* films
31 years old: WHOAAAAAAA AAAAAAWWWEEEESSSOOOOOMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Scott Anderson (1.5★) · 5663 likes
Slow motion.
Tom Cruise on a motorcycle shooting guns.
Slow motion.
Tom Cruise in a fist fight.
Slow motion.
Explosion.
Car flips over.
Explosion.
Slow motion.
Tom Cruise's hair.
Slow motion.
Explosion.
Slow motion.
SilentDawn (4★) · 5492 likes
77
I've heard all your complaints, and now I will counter: motorcycle jousting.
Patrick Willems (2★) · 4072 likes
It's cool how this movie does something totally different from the first one but also almost every choice it makes is a bad one. Cool doves, though.
sree (1.5★) · 3947 likes
"you mean it'll be difficult""very""well, this is not mission difficult, mr hunt, it's mission impossible"
5 stars
1997 · Action, Crime, Science Fiction · 2h 19m · R · Curator 6.2/10 (728.5K ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
A peak John Woo action film with the same operatic violence, emotional excess, and fetishized style, but with a much stronger hook and bigger payoff.