One of the pleasures of the “Mission: Impossible” series, and there are many, has been the way the various directors and producers Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner have utilized a revolving door supporting cast, allowing characters to drop in and out and building up the roster for the IMF over the years.
Jeremy Renner was added to things in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” and he returns in the same role in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” which opens in a mere seven days. This time around, he spends much of his time facing down Alec Baldwin, the ultimate man-eater of a co-star. Cue the familiar theme song as that particular countdown plays out, and as the fuse burns, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to check out this short video about Renner and his character.
I'll have my review of the film up either tonight or tomorrow, and I can say this much now: Renner has fun in what could be a thankless role for some people, and he once again seems to have found a home on a team that I hope continues to run missions for many more films. Between this and “The Avengers,” he's become a pretty invaluable supporting player who genuinely adds support. Christopher McQuarrie seems to have approached this determined to make the most of every member of the team, and he has great fun letting Renner dangle in bureaucratic hell as he struggles to keep the IMF from being completely wiped away.
Not bad, Mr. Renner.
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” opens July 29th.