John Woo has a sense of humour. How do we know this? Because throughout
Tom Cruise's narcissistic bid for superhero status, Woo
self-reflexively uses his recognised tropes: slow-mo, double-gun
action and, most effectively, doves flapping around at inopportune
moments. The fact that the director is clearly aware that this is a
Cruise movie - not a Woo movie - saves it from total inanity and
redundancy. It looks great, it sounds very loud and everyone
(including Brits Scott and Newton) are relegated to background
status. Not so much a sequel as a bicep-bulging exercise in
reinvention.
