20 Things You Didn't Know About Mission Impossible 2
6. The Original Cut Was Over Three Hours
The beginning and end of MI2 are really entertaining and easily the best parts of the movie. The middle? Not so much.
Poorly paced and dreadfully dull at times it often feels like there was lot that John Woo wanted to put in the movie that had to be cut. And that's because that's exactly what happened. Woo's first cut of the movie clocked at a staggering THREE AND A HALF HOURS, before being told by the studio to edit it down to a more reasonable two hours.
This is probably why the film can feel so rushed and yet so slow at the same time. It does make one wonder what exactly was cut though. My moneys on more slow mos of doves.