Opinion Weekdays #3: The Bathroom Fight Scene in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Is Amazing
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ is finally in theaters. The movie has a 97% certified fresh score on RottenTomatoes and has been praised by critics and fans throughout.
Not gonna lie, I’m really freaking confused about ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’. On the one hand, you have this wildly technologically advanced film with some of the best action sequences we’ve ever seen. On the other hand though, I still think that story should be center of everything.
And I did find problems with the story ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ tells. I thought that it was just a little bit too chaotic and maybe slightly overly complicated for the average movie goer. And this is mainly because of a ‘twist’ in the middle of the second act. At times I also thought the story was a little bit too difficult to follow.
But ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ maybe gets a free pass? Yes, the story is not the best, but the stunts and the action sequences are. And this is, above all, an action film and perhaps it’s main goal should be to showcase amazing action? Maybe it should simply be a really good and entertaining popcorn flick? If so, then ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ definitely deserves the praise.
Personally, I still value story. But that’s just me. Most people who go to a movie like this one just want to see greats stunts and that’s completely fine and, perhaps, even better than putting too much focus on the story.
But let’s talk about the stunts.
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ may honestly have the best action sequences of all time. There really so much to talk about; everyone is stunned by that helicopter sequence, by the amazing HALO jump (which is one continuous gorgeous shot by the way and that’s one of many reasons to watch this film on IMAX), and the fact that Tom Cruise drives a motorcycle against traffic.
And yeah, those are all amazing. But no one is talking about the bathroom fight scene.
Wow. F*ck me, honestly. Listen, this is maybe the best hand-to-hand fight scene ever captured on camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUbb5l0lYT8
Three reasons why.
One, the choreography is flawless and brutal. Above everything else, most praise should go to the fight coordinator for coming up with this beautiful piece of art. The scene is also directed really, really well and the actors have executed all the moves perfectly and do a fantastic job at keeping everything realistic. Overall, just great choreography: and that’s the most important thing.
Two, no f*cking cuts. Goddamn it, what really grinds my gears nowadays is the use of constant cuts and overall terrible editing in fight scenes. Most of the times, the trick is to cut the shot right before a hit happens. The next shot then begins right after the hit has happened. This way, the camera doesn’t actually show the punch or the kick or the hit or whatever. Just through fairly smart (but lazy) editing, the viewers are left with the perception that they’ve seen a hit. And that really bugs me. Just put some work into it, make a good sequence that actually showcases good stage combat, and shoot that. No gimmicks. Just pure goodness. The bathroom scene in ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ has no unnecessary cuts and perfectly showcases the brutality of the fight.
Three, the lack of music. Sometimes the lack of music intensifies the setting more than the use of it. We’re so used to that generic ‘tension soundtrack’ is all action films nowadays so the lack of that is actually a fresh breath of air that makes the scene more interesting and enticing.
Overall, that bathroom fight scene is a freaking amazing scene. And ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ is a great action film all throughout. I’m seeing it again tonight not because I loved it that much, but because I want to see those action sequences on IMAX. It’s worth it. The stunts are all f*cking amazing.
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Did you see ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ yet? What did you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comments section below! Don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE this article if you enjoyed it and also to SUBSCRIBE to Our Movie Life!
As always, thank you so much for reading,
Pouty Boy
article makes a big deal about “no cuts” and then the VERY first punch in the clip is shown through a cut