Yeah, the Sydney aspect heightens my enjoyment of this one (I was on a plane to Sydney to work the 2000 Games the week after I watched this in theaters). The Matrix shot there for the cityscape and George Lucas filmed the prequels inside studios there (saw him going to the movies down at Fox Studios) but not many Hollywood films actually set themselves in the city unfortunately.
The knife stunt was done with a real knife, which was suspended by a carefully measured wire to ensure Tom didn’t lose an eye. 🙂
The Mission:Impossible series takes a big jump up in intensity with the next film and beyond. Can’t wait for those!