Strange. Very strange. And I'm not talking about the movie.

After all the hype and buildup I rushed along to opening night, expecting to queue for an hour just to be among the first to brag I'd seen the latest blockbuster, the latest Cruise. But in the end I had time to slip away for a few games of Police Trainer at the local arcade just to get me in the right mood (the damn thing wasn't shooting straight tonight either).

Sorry! Back to the movie.

Nathan Hunt's mission, should he choose to accept it, is to save the world, again. This time from an ex-colleague-gone-bad who's stolen the antidote to a lethal virus and is intent on selling it to the highest bidder. Trouble is he doesn't have access to the virus and if he can't set the little monster loose on an unsuspecting public, the cash-paying world doesn't actually need the antidote. Yet.

So, the race is on. And what a race it is. Full-on action all the way.

After Reardon (Scott) steals the antidote, sacrificing a 747 full of people in the process, Hunt (Cruise) must track him down and retrieve the goods as quickly as possible. Trouble is no one actually knows what the goods are at this stage. But that's not important.

The quickest way to find Reardon is to get his old girlfriend (Newton), suitably fitted with a tracking device, to fall back into his arms. She's not exactly keen on the idea and neither is Hunt. It would seem our hero has been beguiled by her womanly wiles and fallen in love. But in the interests of saving the world, a woman has to do what a woman has to do. The mission -- lie to him and go to bed with him. The qualifications - she's a woman -- all the training she needs.

So after tracking down the dad guy and nutting out what he's actually up to, all agent Hunt has to do is beat him to the virus and destroy it. Riardon on the other hand, having worked closely with Hunt in the past, knows exactly how the agent will tackle the problem. Backed by that knowledge and a small army it seems Hunt's number is up. But no. The one-man killing dynamo isn't lying down without a fight.

Mission Impossible 2 is not as corny as the original. The stunts are bigger and more breathtaking but at the same time more believable (remember Jean Reno flying the chopper through a tunnel tied to the back of a train!!!). The, by now, famous dueling motorbikes is quite spectacular and the fight scenes are masterfully choreographed, as you would expect from director John Woo. I loved the gunplay and could just about picture myself on the range with an old trusty, rusty Browning, emulating the hero.

Reportedly, Tom did most of his own stunts and although the safety precautions would obviously have been huge, I admire the guy for trying. The Aussie adoptee did well.

Newton is seriously easy on the eyes but, I'm sorry, the cockney, Spicegirls accent was a real turnoff for this true blue green Paddy. And speaking of Paddies, if this is the first time you've seen Brendan Gleeson grab The General on video for a much better (and different) performance. And speaking of accents, there's a veritable smorgasboard of irritating fake ones to choose from.