I agree the exposition was seamless, and (!!) spoken slow enough for me to understand exactly what was being covered! That might sound silly, but SO many times, the exposition dialog in action films and thrillers is said so quickly, I miss most of it. It's difficult because they're often tossing around non-sensical tech words and when strung together quickly it's easy to fall behind in listening - particularly if there's a score underneath. Nicely done though in this film, and not once did I feel things "slowed down." Except for in the Opera scene, which I referred to in the General Comments section. ;-)

Hi Scott, I hope it's not too late for this - I don't think it's been posted in the series. Jeff Goldsmith's nearly two hour podcast with Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise. http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2015/07/tom-cruise-christopher-mcquarrie.html It's almost entirely about the making of MI5, from the writing to the post, to the premiere. Goldsmith has interviewed McQuarrie several times before, including during his previous gig at "Creative Screenwriting" and those interviews are goldmines of screenwriting tips, and Hollywood battle stories. Apart from being a terrific screenwriter, McQuarrie is an amazing raconteur. (My wife, who has zero interest in the nuts an bolts of screenwriting and Hollywood will happily listen to McQuarrie talk about pretty much anything). But for me the real revelation of this particular interview is Tom Cruise. He's there for almost the whole two hours, and isn't giving the junket, pro-forma answers. He's thoughtful and smart, and he clearly loves the process of making movies. And he's fascinated by story. If your followers are interested they should try to find Goldsmith's podcast with McQuarrie about Valkyrie - which includes the story of his unproduced screenplays, and how he hooked up with Tom Cruise, as well as hilarious stories about The Usual Suspects. Also worthwhile is Goldsmith's podcast about Jack Reacher. Anyway, I hope this is of some interest.

Here's a link to the Valkyrie one. Set aside lots of time, once McQuarrie starts talking you won't be able to stop... https://huffduffer.com/filmflam/15431

Thanks, Markahm, for both of these. McQuarrie is a gem among contemporary screenwriters. And let me add what Goldsmith has done and continues to do with his Q&A series is a real boon to the online screenwriting community. I look forward to listening to these.