Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (12)

TOM Cruise is now 53 but you will not find any jokes about his age in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.

Known for performing his own stunts and still looking every bit the action hero, the Hollywood actor excels in the fifth instalment of the spy thriller series.

There are no knowing nods to his advancing years like in the recent films by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

But that is not to say Rogue Nation has no humour – there is even a gag about the 5ft 5in actor's height and another at the expense of the earlier films and their obsession with masks.

With this film, directed Christopher McQuarrie, and 2011's Ghost Protocol, the team behind Mission: Impossible seem to have got the tone just right.

The stakes are high and the stunts, set pieces and action sequences are incredible but equally important are the likeable characters, the lighter moments and the snappy dialogue.

Simon Pegg seems to have a bigger role in every film as nerdy tech agent Benji and newcomer Rebecca Ferguson is good as double agent Ilsa Faust.

Rogue Nation sees Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his Impossible Missions Force (IMF) take on the Syndicate, a shadowy organisation of operatives as skilled as they are.

They are lead by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris) who always seems to be two steps ahead.

The only downsides are a number of small plot holes but they do not detract from the experience.

And at times Harris, who was chilling in the likes of Harry Brown and Southcliffe, comes across as a bit of two-dimensional baddy.

But this thrilling and well-paced film is one of the best in the series.

DAVID MORGAN