A slick, globe-trotting action thriller that turns impossible stunts into the point of the movie. It’s especially strong when it leans into physical comedy, clear set-piece design, and escalating tension rather than spy-movie lore.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Action · Thriller
Wed · 2h 13m
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg
Overview
Ethan Hunt and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States. An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.
Director
Brad Bird
Cast
Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg
Curator Review
Verdict
A slick, globe-trotting action thriller that turns impossible stunts into the point of the movie. It’s especially strong when it leans into physical comedy, clear set-piece design, and escalating tension rather than spy-movie lore.
Best for
fans of high-stakes stunt-driven action
viewers who like clean, readable set pieces
people who enjoy light humor inside serious thrillers
audiences looking for a crowd-pleasing blockbuster
Skip if
you want dense espionage plotting over spectacle
you dislike implausible but expertly staged action
you prefer slower, more grounded thrillers
Overview
Ghost Protocol is the point where the series fully locks into a modern blockbuster rhythm: lean, fast, and built around a handful of spectacular set pieces that keep topping themselves. The Kremlin fallout gives the story urgency, but the movie’s real engine is momentum, with each mission forcing the team into a new kind of physical problem to solve.
Worth noting
Brad Bird brings an animator’s sense of clarity to the action, so even the biggest sequences are easy to follow and fun to anticipate. The Dubai climb is the obvious showpiece, but the film is full of smaller pleasures too, especially the comic timing and the way Ethan Hunt is treated as both a super-agent and a guy constantly improvising under pressure.
Bottom line
It’s not the deepest entry in the franchise, but it may be one of the most purely entertaining. If you want a blockbuster that feels engineered for maximum suspense and rewatchable thrills, this is an easy recommendation.
Top Letterboxd reviews
sophie (4★) · 8919 likes
tom cruise: hey, dare me to climb the tallest building in the world? me: umm... well, no... tom cruise, putting his shoes on: i can't believe you're making me do this me: TOM NO PLEASE STOP tom cruise, beginning to climb: you're so stupid haha
Angela Ferraguto (4★) · 5768 likes
I think one of the reasons they really start to peak at 4 is Ethan starts to actually be funny? His physical comedy is so good in this. Directing Benji in the prison breakout. The shrugging at the goggles. Getting stuck outside the hospital barefoot. Doesn't say a word, it's all in his face and you crack up. Perfect. Extremely Jackie Chan. It's like he stopped trying to be James Bond and realized we want Police Story.
Roberto_ (4★) · 5138 likes
me: scientology is bad tom cruise in his 50s: *scales burj khalifa in dubai* me, signing papers to join scientology: i'll have what he's having
roby (4★) · 3849 likes
Tom Cruise tries to kill himself every 7 minutes and 23 seconds. I actually timed it.
demi adejuyigbe (5★) · 3341 likes
This movie is outstanding and the Dubai sequence is obviously the most memorable for good reason, but the thing that really impresses me every time is the Kremlin hallway sequence. A perfect example of feasible, well-designed futurism, and it’s shown to us in action so well that they never have to stop and explain how it works or why it would break down with multiple eye lines. Even makes for a great gag! Love this shit. Sandstorm sequence rules, jailbreak
Themes
espionage, team dynamics, global chase, nuclear threat, improvised problem-solving, high-wire suspense, physical comedy, institutional betrayal