Espionage and Special operations expert: ‘Mission: Impossible’ nails “the risk of a bomb vest in public”

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Espionage and Special operations expert: ‘Mission: Impossible’ nails “the risk of a bomb vest in public”

‘Mission: Impossible,’ the famous action-spy franchise starring Tom Cruise over the course of four decades, has always gone all out with over-the-top—and often reckless—action, treating audiences to some of the best moments in cinematic history when it comes to action set pieces. However, some ‘M:I’ films have also featured highly realistic scenes, especially during moments when characters must deal with particularly critical situations. This is according to Andrew Bustamante, a former CIA officer and expert in espionage and military operations, who highlights a very specific scene from the 2015 film ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.’

‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ and the Bomb Vest

In a video, Andrew Bustamante has broken down the pros and cons of the Tom Cruise-led franchise in terms of realism, using many of its most iconic scenes. He believes this particular scene is the best, giving it a 9 out of 10 for realism. It’s the tense scene from ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ in which Ethan Hunt has a ‘run-in’ with the villain Solomon Lane while Benji straps on a bomb vest, acting as a go-between in the negotiation.

A scene where the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife, keeping the viewer on the edge of their seat as they watch the tragedy that a single misstep could unleash. The antagonist forces Hunt to meet with Benji, who is being held hostage and is wearing an explosive vest, in the middle of a crowded London café: “My favorite scene from [the 12 highlighted] is actually the bomb vest scene,” says Bustamante.

The espionage expert goes on to explain that “you could actually see the whole process of a negotiation come to life as well as see the risk that’s posed by a bomb vest in public. These are very real situations that CIA officers deal with every day, far more often than we deal with knife fights or gunfights or sex exploitation operations,” says the former CIA agent.

While the ‘Mission: Impossible’ films often push the limits of what’s humanly possible—with a fully committed Tom Cruise risking his life and physical well-being on numerous occasions—the truth is that they also feature small scenes where realism comes to life, heightening the tension in ways that are far more subtle and less flashy.