STACK NZ Dec #69

DVD & BD

FEATURE

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Christopher McQuarrie chose to accept the challenge of writing and directing the fifth film in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, ROGUE NATION.

(which he also penned) that’s considerably more dense, dramatic and serpentine

S ince its leap to the big screen in 1996, the Mission: Impossible franchise has been kept fresh and energised by handballing the films to new directors each time – from Brian De Palma and John Woo, to J.J.

than action-oriented predecessor Ghost Protocol . Not surprising,

given that McQuarrie is also the guy who wrote The Usual Suspects . The writer-director’s association with Cruise was instrumental in his landing the job on Rogue Nation .

Director Christopher McQuarrie

Abrams and Brad Bird. While Tom Cruise remains the constant, each successive filmmaker puts their own stamp on the missions he undertakes, thus warding off the potential for franchise fatigue. Screenwriter and sometime director Christopher McQuarrie grabs the ball for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation , delivering a propulsive and inventively shot espionage blockbuster from a screenplay

The pair had previously worked together on the 2012 thriller Jack Reacher – as well as the Cruise vehicles Valkyrie and Edge of Tomorrow , which McQuarrie scripted – and their collaboration on the new Mission: Impossible film takes the franchise to a whole new level. “Tom really has been the core of Mission: Impossible in every sense – and he’s so inherently involved in the character and the storyline that he has a unique sixth sense we all rely on,” says McQuarrie. “I love to work with him, yet we approach filmmaking in two different ways. I’m all about logic, order and problem solving. Tom is all about emotions and challenge building. And together that really seems to push us both.” “Chris has an incredible mind,” adds Cruise. “He’s an extraordinary writer and filmmaker and to see his sensibility applied to this genre is something I was excited about. What Chris and I share is that both of us have that need to make

every moment the best it can be.” McQuarrie’s approach to the fifth Mission: Impossible installment

DECEMBER 2015

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