In Mission: Impossible 2, Dougray Scott plays Sean Ambrose, the film’s principal villain. Ambrose is a rogue Impossible Missions Force agent who betrays his mission and attempts to exploit a deadly biological weapon.
At the beginning of the story, Ambrose disguises himself as Ethan Hunt’s cover identity, Dimitri, in order to deceive scientist Vladimir Nekhorvich. He then steals Bellerophon, the treatment for the engineered Chimera virus, and escapes. The crisis forces Ethan Hunt to recruit professional thief Nyah Nordoff-Hall, who is Ambrose’s former lover, to infiltrate his operation.
Ambrose is not simply an outside criminal: his background as an IMF agent explains his knowledge of espionage, disguises, surveillance, and Ethan’s methods. That personal and professional connection gives the conflict a rival-agent dimension. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, is the hero, while Nyah is the undercover operative placed closest to Ambrose.
The film was directed by John Woo and released in 2000 as the second entry in the Mission: Impossible series. Common mix-ups include Nyah Nordoff-Hall, who is Ambrose’s former partner and Ethan’s ally, and Jim Phelps, the antagonist of the first film.