Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One: Film Review
Behold, cinema! Tom Cruise is back doing all of his own death-defying stunts as Ethan Hunt in the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, Dead Reckoning: Part One.
This time around, Hunt and his Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team – Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) – go up against their most powerful adversary yet; an artificial intelligence known as The Entity. It has become sentient and is able to hack into any digital device and compromise it, meaning the truth is at risk. They accept a mission to find two halves of a cruciform key before terrorist Gabriel (Esai Morales), who wants to use them to control the rogue AI and the digital world.
Now that’s how you make action! Director Christopher McQuarrie and co set the bar for how action should be done. John Wick: Chapter 4 and this movie are definitely top for the best-executed action sequences this year, although Mission has the edge just because Cruise throws himself into such crazy stunts. I sometimes tune out during action scenes but these were so engaging and entertaining that I was utterly hooked. They are also gloriously cinematic and spectacular and filmed in gorgeous locations around the globe.
Cruise has done a lot of wild stunts in the name of the Mission: Impossible franchise over the years and yet he still manages to surprise. Everyone knows about the motorbike jump, which is awe-inspiring, but I also really enjoyed the technically tricky car chase in Rome and the spectacular train sequence. It’s incredible to think that Cruise did all that for real and most of the stunts are filmed practically in-camera. Hats off to all involved.
Admittedly, the film isn’t as strong outside of the action sequences. The plot is minimal – it is all about finding the halves of this key – yet I’m still not sure if I completely followed it. However, the concept is very timely in this modern era of AI and misinformation and the dialogue is really funny in places. In fact, I laughed at this film way more than I expected to! I don’t remember the franchise being quite so playful.
It’s impressive what Cruise will do in the name of cinema. He really outdoes himself here and shows off so many different skill sets – even some cool close-up magic! He forms an entertaining partnership with Hayley Atwell‘s Grace, a slippy, ambiguous character who becomes an ally. Their car chase sequence is hilarious! I liked that Grace isn’t simply a badass; she is vulnerable and out of her depth at times. Atwell really shines here, although Vanessa Kirby is also having fun. Rebecca Ferguson is done dirty as Ilsa, sadly.
Summer blockbuster season has truly arrived! Mission: Impossible 7 is a cinematic spectacle that absolutely flies by, leaving you excited for part two.
In cinemas Monday 10th July