Mission: Impossible - Fallout review: If you choose to accept them these Missions just keep getting better and better

Tom Cruise hanging from a cliff in one of his many stunts in Fallout.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (PG-13)

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie

Starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Vanessa Kirby
Caution: Some spoilers ahead!

As I sat in the theater watching Mission: Impossible - Fallout I was in awe of how the franchise continues to up the ante on suspenseful, entertaining action movies while telling intriguing stories. This is a series that has existed for more than 20 years and is still seemingly somewhat under the radar. Yes, they've made loads of money, but there seems to be a disconnect with movie goers who define the series on the first movie and the first movie alone.
The first film (1996 directed by Brian De Palma) was decent with an iconic moment in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) hangs from the ceiling on a wire. The second film (2000 directed by John Woo) is the worst installment in the series and may be what kept some people from continuing the series. However, there was a noticeable shift in quality beginning with the third film (2006 directed by J.J. Abrams) with Phillip Seymour Hoffman giving an excellent performance as the arms dealing villain. Since then each film has been better than the last with more and more thrills each time. Brad Bird directed the fourth film (Ghost Protocol, 2011) and Christopher McQuarrie has helmed the fifth and sixth installments (Rogue Nation, 2015 and Fallout, 2018).
The sixth installment of the impressive series is a classic edge-of-your-seat action movie. The action sequences include skydiving, a major brawl in a men's bathroom, a motorcycle chase with cops in hot pursuit and the climactic, breath-taking helicopter chase/battle.

Pegg, Ferguson, Cruise and Rhames in Kashmir, for Fallout's climax.

This is the first movie in the series in which the plot actually feels like a direct sequel to the previous movie. The Syndicate, the evil terrorist group from the fifth installment, is still active even after the capture of leader Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). The syndicate is an international collection of spies and secret agents who are either missing or presumed dead. With Lane in custody facing his crimes in trials all over the world, a group of Syndicate members continues their work of terrorism in his honor calling themselves The Apostles. Ethan Hunt and the Impossible Mission Force, (including Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Alec Baldwin) uncover a plot in which the mysterious John Lark looks to obtain plutonium cores for eventual use in nuclear bombs in a plan to contaminate the water supply for a third of the world's population. The attempted prevention of this plan brings Hunt and IMF to Berlin, Paris, London and eventually Kashmir which is a state in northern India in the Himalayas. Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), the MI6 spy who was working as a mole in the Syndicate in Rogue Nation, returns in Fallout with a mission of her own which intertwines with the IMF mission and could prove to derail it as well. Faust is an absolute badass and I was extremely happy to see her return.
While all of the films work on their own Fallout would be most enjoyed after watching from the third film on. A romantic arch involving Ethan and Julia (Michelle Monaghan) begins in the third movie and adds emotional depth to that film as well as the fourth and sixth films. Plus, Solomon Lane returns to have a substantial role in Fallout and it helps to have seen Rogue Nation to really immerse yourself in Harris' eerie and magnetic performance.

Cavill and Bassett in Paris.

Erica Sloan (Angela Bassett), the new director of the CIA, doesn't trust the IMF because of their history of rogue missions which, at times,  contradicts the CIA's plans. Because of this, she sends CIA assassin August Walker (Henry Cavill) to monitor Ethan and the IMF on the mission to keep The Apostles from obtaining the cores. Bassett and Cavill are good additions to the series and they start as small antagonists who could impede on the work of the IMF. Though they take extreme risks the IMF almost always achieve the grand goal and get the bad guy.
An often-used, some would argue overused, plot point in the series is the reveal that someone has been wearing a mask to look like someone else. The first film's climax reveals Cruise to be wearing Jon Voight's face and there are about six mask reveals in the second movie which in that film gets old really fast. Since then the mask wearing has been a constant and at least one mask reveal has been used in every movie. I think they definitely keep it creative and even laugh at themselves a bit. In the fourth movie (Ghost Protocol) there is a point when the team attempts to create a couple masks but the machine breaks and disallows them to use them. And in Fallout Cavill's use of the suitcase with the mask-making equipment inside as a weapon renders the machine useless and they once again need to go without a mask. Bassett even refers to the IMF as "a bunch of grown men in rubber masks playing trick or treat." They've kept the angle fresh and besides the second movie each mask reveal has worked well in my mind. The two in Fallout are probably the most interesting and enjoyable in the whole series. The second mask reveal was rather predictable and the moment the fooled villain realizes the mask has been used the classic look on his face says "how could I fall for that?"

Cruise making the building to building jump.
He actually broke his ankle during this stunt.

Cruise continues to do crazy stunt after crazy stunt which really enriches the shots because it allows the camera to get closer to him during said stunts than you normally would with a stunt person. This gives the action sequences authenticity as we watch Cruise skydiving, dangling from a helicopter or making a long jump between buildings. As usual, he does a lot of sprinting, running on rooftops and motorcycle riding all of which have happened in past films. His performances are consistently poised and powerful and he gives Hunt an unmatched presence.
Rhames, the only person besides Cruise who appears in all six films, has a larger role in this one and proves himself to be a reliable asset to any movie he's in. Pegg, in his fourth Mission movie, seemingly gets a bigger role each time and never fails to make us laugh and keep the stories somewhat realistic with his every man quality. He's one of my favorite actors working today.
A new character in the series is Alanna Mitsopolis aka the White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). She is a black market arms dealer who becomes an integral part of the story and could easily appear in later films.
Overall, the cast is exceptional and the story moves at a fast pace and keeps you interested. I would suggest not holding on to realism in any of the movies but especially during the climactic helicopter chase which is at once both totally ridiculous and an absolute joy to watch. I think this is the best film in this amazing series and if they make a seventh movie, which I would imagine they will, I feel comfortable expecting that one to top this one.

The helicopter scene in Fallout. Absolute amazing stuff.