What are your top 3 Brandt moments in Ghost Protocol? And top 3 in Rogue Nation?
Oh my gosh, what a choice! I suppose I can't just say "EVERY MOMENT HE IS ON SCREEN," can I? I am the William Brandt channel, I chew on a tree when he happens, so it's hard to pick but...
Hmmm.... I guess if I had to pick...
This is one of the hottest moments ever put on film if you ask me, which you did, and I'm obviously correct. The speed at which he reacts to Ethan is so unexpected, and it comes so perfectly after that moment earlier where we saw him suddenly kicking Moreau's bodyguard's ass and went "wait, what...?" I think it shows that as far as team members go, he may be the closest match to Ethan in terms of skill.
I mean this whole scene is incredible, and I think Jeremy Renner does an excellent job of showing how deeply Will feels his failures and his guilt in some very subtle, effective acting.
But I could watch this scene on loop forever.
2. "IF I WERE YOUR HERO WOULD YOU BE MINE..."
For every moment Will hesitates before and after this, this is the time that counts. Like I said in my "essay," Will literally held Ethan's life in his hand. We owe this man for everything Ethan is able to do after, because if he didn't have that reaction time and skill (and the ability to jump into action when it counts), Ethan would have been considerably less pretty a few seconds later.
And then Cobalt would have started a war, etc. etc...
This gif is hypnotic for real.
Okay this scene, not just for that remarkable ass, but because I love how he has to psych himself up for it, how nervous he is, and then well... he does it, and immediately gets mixed messages about it. I also think the way he gets back up the fan... silo... thing at the end is great, but like... everything about it is charming.
I feel so strongly about it that I got this. And it means other stuff to, but again, that's a whole other post. But doing what you have to do even though you don't want to do it because you need to, because other people are counting on you... that's this scene. And it resonates with me a lot.
It was a hard choice because I love him being salty at Ethan being rude to him in the car when they "meet." I love his back and forths with Benji. I love when he leans against the side of the train and accidentally opens the wall.
Ghost Protocol is my favorite MI movie, and nothing will ever come close.
I'll admit I'm not as up on Rogue Nation as I could or probably should be because there's not enough Will and I have some probably unpopular opinions but that's neither here nor there.
"I CAN NEITHER CONFIRM NOR DENY..."
This salty bitch. Look at him. Look at that beautiful gray suit and that blue tie and his perfect hair forever. He's utterly unfazed and you have a better chance of digging a hole into the Pentagon before you can get inside that man's protective walls around Ethan.
I think people often overlook him because he does a lot of stuff off the field, but again, like in my essay, Will is extremely dedicated to keeping Ethan safe from the inside. He's still the first person Ethan calls when stuff goes bad with Lane, and from that moment he's in it to protect Ethan and their work, even if IMF isn't officially extant at the moment.
The line delivery on this gets me every time.
And y'all, he has a point. Ethan has been acting completely unhinged about shit, and he weirdly trusts Ilsa right from the get-go and lets her blindside him again and again. But whatever. Obviously what's also great here is that as annoyed and frustrated as he is, he's still going to go along with the plan and he's still going to potentially compromise himself and all of them if he can't convince Hunley he's on Hunley's side.
But really I just think it's hot when he's a sassy brat.
3. DRIVE IT LIKE THE CAR YOU WISH YOU'D RENTED
Obviously him and Luther bickering in the car itself is charming, but him following Ethan and Benji, watching them flip, then straight up KILLING ONE OF THE MOTORCYCLE DUDES WITH THE CAR which NO ONE ADDRESSES or even CHECKS IF HE'S DEAD because Will is too busy making sure Ethan and Benji is okay and gently touching Ethan to reassure himself he's in one piece oops my bias is showing.
I'd love to see him in more car chases. I'D LOVE TO SEE HIM IN ANYTHING. I do also love the scene with the Prime Minister and how well he plays it, and how good he and Ethan look working together.
There's a fantastic fic by @missionbrandt called "Used to This" which deals with Will's feelings during "Rogue Nation," and it's basically my canon for what's going on with his side of the story. Highly recommended, especially if you have similar predilections to me in the pairing kind of way.
So there you go! Now that I've told you mine, you tell me yours. ;)
