Tom Cruise returns in another action-packed movie from the franchise that fans believe is the'‘definition of perfection'
08:00, 28 Nov 2025
Death-defying Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, is back doing what he does best in one of the greatest films in the franchise tonight (Friday) on E4.
The fifth instalment of the series, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, also stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, and Alec Baldwin. Hunt and his disbanded team of IMF agents must fight an international group of rogue government agents, known as The Syndicate.
True to form, the film features white-knuckle action and, as became standard in the series, stunts performed by Cruise himself, including one that left him utterly terrified.
The action opens with Ethan being forced to watch a murder before being gassed and left unconscious, and then tortured. Following the IMF’s previous actions in Russia, the agents have been disbanded and merged with the CIA. Ethan is a fugitive after escaping capture, aided by another undercover agent.
Fighting against the corrupt Syndicate, Ethan must prevent an assassination, but he is framed for it himself, making him a fugitive on the run. As with all of the Mission Impossible films, the action scenes dominate, and Cruise performed one of the hairiest he’s ever taken part in for this movie.
When it was released in 2015, he spoke about one stunt in particular where he hung from a plane. "I was actually scared ****less," he said as he revealed he was attached by a harness, which left him shaking against the aircraft. He explained: "I was in a harness, on my side, that was kind of loose, so you can see the vibration of my body against the plane." He was also hit by a piece of debris during the filming, which he thought had broken his ribs.
With a worldwide gross of $710.9 million, it became the eighth-highest-grossing movie of 2015 and was a smash hit with critics and fans alike. Some believe it is the best instalment of all and have shared their reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, where it has a score of 94%.
"The pinnacle of action-thrillers, Rogue Nation might just be the best Mission Impossible," wrote one. "Works MUCH better than I remembered, the twists and turns of the screenplay are exemplary and the episodic-ness aspect of the movies, which I stated as a complaint for the fourth movie, feels so organic and natural here. Really close to bumping my score up; what a blast."
Another praised its ‘perfection’ and Cruise’s scary stunt: "Rogue Nation is a perfect action film, blending jaw-dropping stunts with razor-sharp direction. Tom Cruise’s fearless commitment, especially in the unforgettable plane-hanging sequence, sets the tone."
A third agreed: "This is one of my 2 favourite Mission Impossible movies of all time, together with Fallout. This film is just perfect for me. The best actor of all time, Tom Cruise, really knows how to make an amazing movie. The action scenes, the cast, everything about this film is awesome. The storyline, everything is perfect. This is definitely one of the best films I have ever seen in my entire existence. This movie is a definition of perfection."
Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation airs on E4 at 9pm tonight (Friday, November 28).