5 reasons Rebecca Ferguson stole our hearts
Let’s face facts. The Mission: Impossible franchise is all about Tom Cruise‘s Ethan Hunt – the unluckiest spy in the world – pushing the limits to impress moviegoers.
But if you’ve watched Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, it’s very likely that your hearts were stolen by newcomer Rebecca Ferguson. As the enigmatic Ilsa Faust, she keeps Hunt (and the audience) guessing where her loyalties lie.
While it seems like a Mission: Impossible tradition to swap out its female lead for each new installment, here are 5 reasons they should keep the Swedish-British beauty around.
SPOILERS AHEAD
1. She’s grounded
(Source: Paramount Pictures )
Unlike other movies that have women running in heels - yes Jurassic World, I’m looking at you - Faust displays common sense when she demands that Hunt helps her remove her shoes before she sprints barefoot across rooftops.
And the girl in me likes that she always takes care of her shoes. Her shoes are with her even when she gets thrown out of a car!
2. She’s no damsel in distress
(Source: Entertainment Pictures)
Unlike Thandie Newton and Michelle Monaghan in previous MI movies, whom Hunt had to rescue, it’s the other way round: Faust totally saves Hunt’s ass from certain death. Twice.
To show that it’s no fluke, she also wins a knife slugfest with a thug and wins the day with her signature move: Using her thighs to knock people out.
3. She has badass bike riding skills
(Source: Paramount Pictures )
Girl gets chased by bad men on bike. Good guy goes to the rescue, takes the other bikers out and saves the girl before her bike crashes. Does this movie trope sound familiar? Well, Ilsa Faust just isn’t going to stand for that.
That particular trope applies all the way to the end, when Faust stops Hunt with the ballsiest of moves – disembarking from her bike and standing in the middle of the road right in the path of his bike.
The end result? Hunt crashes his bike and Faust rides off into the sunset unhurt.
4. She is Cruise’s equal
(Source: Paramount Pictures )
In Mission: Impossible 2, femme fatale Nyah’s (Thandie Newton) role was to sleep with Hunt and as well as the villain. In part 3, Jules (Michelle Monaghan) was required to get kidnapped by the baddie and scream a lot.
Ilsa Faust is destined for far greater things than that. She possesses the right blend of cunning, quiet allure and physicality, which allows her to be Hunt’s equal. And the two of them don’t even kiss!
5. She has old school glamour
(Source: Paramount Pictures)
Think of old-time movie stars like Ingmar Bergman and Lauren Bacall, and you’ll know what I mean. Faust is gorgeous, sensual and can reduce you to a quivering wreck with one look from those piercing blue eyes.
And unlike modern day stars, she doesn’t even need to show a lot of flesh to do it (that yellow dress with thigh-high slit notwithstanding). When I grow up, I want to be just like her.
Gillian Ang is the co-founder of Geek Crusade, a pop-culture news website dedicated to tracking all your favorite TV Shows and movies from rumour to screen.#Jointhecrusade for up to date fandom news for Sherlock, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Marvel and DC movies and many, many more. Tweets go out at@geekcrusade. The views expressed are her own.
