Tom Cruise is 53. I repeat: Tom Cruise is 53. In seven years he will officially be eligible for retirement and a cushy 401(k) plan. That will probably be what¡¯s going on in the minds of most people who watch ¡°Mission: Impossible ¡ª Rogue Nation,¡± the latest but not last installment in the ¡°Mission: Impossible¡± franchise.
The series has provided Tom Cruise with arguably his most iconic role: Ethan Hunt of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). Despite the urge to riff endlessly on this organization¡¯s name and the series¡¯ colossal American ego, the franchise is a cinematic phenomenon that I hope will be around forever. Like a really good restaurant, it satisfies your culinary cravings without overdoing it on the calories. All is right with the world, because Ethan ¡ª like a master chef who works his magic every night ¡ª has made it so.
When the film series first came out in 1996, Hunt was a boyish idealist. Over the years he toughened under the strain of betrayals and travails: a botched marriage, violent deaths of trusted teammates and other tragedies.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.