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“When people see
the movie, they’ll think, ‘Oh, that must have hurt’. And they’re right!”
Tom Cruise |
Director John Woo. “Tom loves to have close contact with his audience. That’s why he does everything himself. He never wants them to be disappointed,” says Woo of the star’s determination to do as many of his own stunts as possible, including the cliff-climbing sequence (opposite) and the motorcycle joust (preceding pages).
M:I-2 is not Newton’s first appearance with Cruise: she previously worked with him on Interview With the Vampire. But Ving Rhames is the only character other than Cruise’s Hunt to return from the first Mission: Impossible.
“The interesting thing about Ving is the dichotomy between who you think he is going to be and who he really is,” notes the producer. “Luther Stickell is the computer genius, the guy with the heart of gold. But he also has a very dominant and imposing physical presence. The audience loves him.”
Just as Brian De Palma had brought his own signature suspense sensibilities to the original Mission: Impossible, Cruise and Wagner wanted another top flight director with an equally intense vision on the new film.
“There was no doubt in our minds that John Woo was the first choice,” says Wagner. “Tom and I are both huge fans. John has incredible passion for his work. He happens to be the greatest action director in the world, but he is also enormously concerned with the human struggle, vulnerabilities, conflicts and romance. He is also very much a humorist.
John and Tom are a dynamic combination.”
“John is unbelievable,” agrees Cruise. “He’s taken the concept of Mission: Impossible and turned it into mythology. His action has a combination of reality and surrealism that makes the emotion in his pictures very real.”
From Hong Kong to Hollywood, Woo has changed the face of the action genre with his brilliantly choreographed and character-driven rollercoaster rides through tales of crime and punishment. From Hard Boiled and The Killer to Broken Arrow and Face/Off, the director has single-handedly shaken up the epic thriller format with high-energy visuals and heart-stopping stunt work.
“I always like to do something new, something I’ve never touched before,” says Woo. “This seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that. One of the most important aspects of the story for me was the human element: I wanted to make it full of drama - emotional and charming. I loved the idea of the two men being in love with the same woman. It gave the story much more emotional depth.
“In order to make the concept contemporary, we had to bring the technology into the 21st century,” he continues. “We used lots of computer specialists to help us find a hi-tech design that would give the film an exciting look. We also wanted to create a new image for Tom. The new look was totally Tom’s idea, with the longer hair and clothes. In this movie, he looks very elegant, charming and sexy.”
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