Product Details

• Actors: Tom Cruise, Dougray Scott, Thandie Newton, Ving Rhames, Richard Roxburgh
• Directors: John Woo
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Special Edition, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: May 1, 2001
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (470 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005AACC
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,145 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #7 in	Video > Action & Adventure > Action Directors > John Woo
  #7 in	Video > Action & Adventure > Action Stars > Tom Cruise
  #84 in	Video > Action & Adventure > Espionage

• This is item 2 in The Mission: Impossible Feature Films Series.

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker
It should have been a treat. The director is John Woo, the man who took the gravity out of gunfights. The screenwriter is Robert Towne, who wrote half of the movies that made Jack Nicholson a star, and the leading lady is Thandie Newton, whose face could make a thousand ships do pretty much anything she wants. But this much-vaunted sequel to "Mission: Impossible," which hops from Australia to Spain and back again, is neither happy nor hip. It goes through the motions of the multinational action thriller, and, although those motions are as flamboyantly excessive as you would expect, the result is more gruelling than pleasurable. If the new flick has a core, it is Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as the leader of a team of spies. The sense of teamwork, however, has dropped away, and the plot-indeed, the whole movie-becomes an homage to the grim cockiness of Cruise, and, in particular, to his indestructible physique. The first film was merely incomprehensible; this one is unnecessary. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Blown away... by sheer stupidity., September 10, 2004

By	kittygalore (Harbor City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mission - Impossible II (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

I was shocked when I saw the first Mission: Impossible movie, because I had gotten a copy of M:I-2 as a present a couple years beforehand and was not at all impressed. Summary: Hunky guy is recruited with a pair of sunglasses in a rocket. Must recruit cute British-Oriental girl but he sleeps with her before even knowing what she's going to do, which is to get back with her ex so they can find out about a super-sinister virus created to make a market for an antidote. Ex-boyfriend has stolen it and is planning to auction it off, etc. Spy team's sloppy tradecraft gets Cute Girl caught and after an elaborate series of events (how is it that Hunky Guy is considered cool and original when Ex-boyfriend knows his infiltration plan down to the tiniest detail?) Cute Girl makes herself into the only specimen of the virus. Hunky guy shouts "I won't lose you!" and proceeds to kick and punch his way to victory (oh and did I mention there's lame motorcycle jousting?). Cure is administered. Happy reunion. Fadeout.
Listen for the cool Metallica song in the credits. It's the best part.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "Mission-Stay Awake", November 13, 2000

By	The Dapper One (Dallas, Tx USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mission - Impossible II (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

This movie in a word, dissapointing. I expected so much more from director John Woo, whose earlier film Face Off was outstanding and action-packed. MI2 though suffers from a deplorable lack of action, at least early on anyways. Although, it's visually stunning at times, there's really nothing here to grab you. I thought this film had very little to do with the Mission Impossible series, and more resembled John Woo's normal action films. The main problem with the film, is that it's main character, Ethan Hawke, played by Tom Cruise, gets involved in a very, long and drawn out relationship with his female co-star. The film spends far too much developing the relationship between the two, and far too little time giving us action. I also don't agree with the other reviewer's opinion that the first Mission Impossible was forgettable. The first film was much truer to the series, and was a very sharp, smartly-acted film. It had action when it was necessary, within the bounds of the story. I'd highly recommend the first film, and only recommend this one, if you need it as a companion piece. This is definitely not a film you'll watch over and over.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mission: Tom Cruise's Ego, October 18, 2001

By	James C. Dascoli (Millburn, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mission - Impossible II (Widescreen Edition) (DVD)

This movie was made for two reasons and two people only: Tom Cruise and his ego. From the opening unrealistic scene of Tom Cruise mountain climbing and jumping from rock to rock in the arizona desert you knew this movie was all about Cruise. Jump to Cruise chasing after some beautiful woman in a fast car (completely ripped off from James Bond) and he of course he falls in love with her 5 minutes after he gets her in the sack. And shock shock his boss needs Cruise to 'use' her to get his man. Now we get to see the anguished Cruise, followed by the superhero action Cruise.

Why even bother naming this movie Mission Impossible? It was cocktail/top gun/days of thunder with high tech gadgets. Last I checked the actual series and even the first movie was supposed to be about a team. There were at least three requisite pulling off the fake face routine and by the third time not only was there no suspense it was obvious for even a third grader to figure out.

As far as the directing is concerned, yes John Woo is a great director, but he must have shot half the movie in slow motion which made the movie seem ponderous and self indulgent. It's incredible that off all the movies John Woo made this is the only one that is obviously controlled by the star, and the funny thing is I like a lot of Tom Cruise movies. The one star is for the music but even that got on my nerves by the end. For Tom Cruise fans only.