Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is in Berlin and on the trail of three missing plutonium cores that could be used to make three bombs. Ethan, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) are double crossed and the nuclear material is stolen by a shadowy group called the Apostles, the remnants of captured anarchist Solomon Lane’s (Sean Harris) group. CIA director Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) insists her agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) go with Hunt and his IMF team due to Ethan’s choice to save Luther in Berlin but let the plutonium cores go. Ethan and Walker parachute into Paris to infiltrate a meeting between a representative of terrorists code named John Lark and an arms dealer known as the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby); but an effort to subdue Lark in a men’s room fails when during a fight he is killed by Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Ilsa’s sudden appearance and her unwillingness to explain it adds more plates for Ethan to keep spinning. To retrieve the cores Ethan must break Solomon Lane out of an extremely well-guarded convoy as he is the price being asked by the White Widow. Ethan doesn’t know who he can trust as there is treachery from the Apostles and possibly within his own team.

Tom Cruise is still a tool. I’ve had that opinion for quite some time due to his adherence to a pseudo-religion made up to win a bet by a hack science-fiction writer and transformed into a money-making cult by its leadership over the decades. Cruise’s calling former Today Show host Matt Lauer “glib” during an interview that strayed into psychology and drugs to treat depression was the moment I truly turned against him. He can believe whatever he wants but I don’t have to support him and his films. At least that’s what I thought and said back then. As with most things my opinion softened over time. While I think Cruise is misguided in his beliefs I will go see his films. If they stink, I’ll say so. “The Mummy” wasn’t great but wasn’t awful, and I said so. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” doesn’t stink and doesn’t fall in that middle ground. It is quite spectacular.

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” manages to take a terrifying reality of the modern world and make it entertaining. It takes the very plausible and frightening scenario of nuclear material for sale on the black market and turns it into a twisty and believable mystery. Granted, parts of “M:I-F” stretch credibility, especially some of the tech and the life-like masks, but the overall bones of the story hold up to scrutiny. Sadly, we live in a world where nuclear material can go missing and those tasked to keep an eye on it have no idea where it might be. This probably happens more than we know (especially from facilities in the former Soviet Union) and I’d prefer to remain ignorant so I sleep at night.

“M:I-F” turns Ethan Hunt into a troubled hero. Hunt is wracked with guilt over the life he shared with his wife Julia, played by Michelle Monaghan, and the danger he put her in. He dreams of a wedding where the vows are perverted into what his actual life is like by Lane and they all die in a nuclear explosion. Hunt saves Luther despite allowing the plutonium to fall into the wrong hands because he believes saving one life is just as important as saving millions. Hunt seems to be paying for his various sins by trying to save everyone practically by himself. It must be tiring to work with someone like Hunt that constantly takes all the weight on his shoulders and causing his partners to share the burden out of a sense of obligation. It also says a great deal about the friendship between the team as they take on these impossible missions with Hunt despite the long odds.

That friendship is believable thanks to a terrific supporting cast of Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg and Rebecca Ferguson. While not technically part of the team, Ferguson’s Faust should be considered an associate member as she’s played a big role in the last two movies. There’s the potential for a love affair between her and Hunt but wisely the filmmakers haven’t fallen into that easy trap. Pairing these super spies working for two different countries would never work as they would A) never be in the same place at the same time long enough to have a relationship and B) Hunt would face the same emotional demons as during his marriage to Julia but compounded by them both being in the field, making each a target to get at the other. And on top of all of that they could never chat about work since everything they do is classified.

Rhames and Pegg are kind of the Laurel and Hardy of the “M:I” series. Rhames is the large and powerful member of the duo. He’s soft spoken but can turn up the pain when needed. Pegg is the twitchy and seemingly incompetent one that comes through when the pressure is on. Together they serve as Hunt’s backup and emotional support team. They work as characters since neither stray too far from what appears to be their natural selves. I can see a Luther and Benji spinoff film…or maybe a Blu-Ray bonus feature.

Naturally what attracts the most interest in the “M:I” series is the stunts. While nothing quite rises to the white-knuckle level of climbing on the outside of one of the world’s tallest buildings or being strapped to the outside of a plane as it takes off, “M:I-F” still manages to impress with the HALO jump and the car/motorcycle chase through the streets of Paris. While much of the jump was really done by Cruise there are clearly parts that are handled with either CG or stunt people. Despite this it manages to be an exciting and harrowing stunt. Cranking up the adrenaline scale is two chases through Paris in a motorcycle and a car. Narrowly avoiding pedestrians, other cars, police vehicles and motorcycle cops, Hunt whizzes through the narrow streets and alleyways of Paris. The motorcycle scenes are shot with Cruise not wearing a helmet. Even a mistake made by a professional stuntman would risk serious injury; but stunt performers are a dime a dozen. There’s only one Tom Cruise. Production was shut down for over a month while Cruise recovered from a broken ankle suffered while jumping between two buildings. The $80-million in added costs, from needing to pay the crew and cast to keep them from taking other jobs, was covered by insurance. Tom Cruise is 56 years old. While he’s certainly not ready for an assisted living facility he should perhaps let the professional stunt performers that normally play the nameless henchmen in his films do the truly dangerous stunts.

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is rated PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action, and for brief strong language. There are numerous shootings and stabbings in the film, but none are bloody. There are also some very violent fistfights that would leave people not in a movie with concussions, broken jaws and noses. There are also a few car crashes. There’s a helicopter chase that leads to helicopter crashes with bodies being thrown and flung out of the craft. Hot oil scalds a character’s face leaving him looking awful. There is a couple of attempted hangings, a man beats up a woman and the death of the bad guy can only be described as unique. Foul language is scattered and there is the one rating-allowed use of “F**k.”

Are there more “Mission: Impossible” films coming down the pike? I don’t know. “…Fallout” seems to put a bow on several dangling story threads from previous entries in the series as well as dealing with Hunt’s guilt over Julia. Could another threat to global world peace and safety be used to lure Hunt and his IMF team back into the field and on the big screen? Sure! Big paychecks can get anyone to do just about anything. Is there really a need? Right now, no. In three years, maybe. Since this sixth film in the franchise had the biggest opening of all the films, both domestically and worldwide, there’s a better than average change we’ll see Ethan Hunt choose to accept another mission. While Tom Cruise is a tool he does make a very entertaining action/adventure movie and if there is another, I’ll see it.

“Mission: Impossible – Fallout” gets five stars.

This week’s films run the gamut from a political documentary to teenagers with superpowers. I’ll see and review at least one of the following:

The Darkest Minds—

Death of a Nation—

Disney’s Christopher Robin—

The Spy Who Dumped Me—

Listen to The Fractured Frame for the latest news in streaming, movies and TV available wherever you get podcasts. Follow me on Twitter @moviemanstan and send emails to stanthemovieman123@gmail.com.