Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (12A)

Dir: Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny

Tom Cruise continues to prove that he is the king of the modern blockbuster with the latest instalment of this consistently brilliant franchise.

One year after the stratospheric success of Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise is back once again to save the summer blockbuster. With poor-to-average big-budget releases so far this summer, including: The Flash and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the summer blockbusters of 2023 have been somewhat underwhelming. At 61 years of age, Tom Cruise, along with frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie, spearheads this enthralling franchise, which like it’s leading man – shows no signs of slowing down.

Every instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise has become synonymous with a keynote stunt performed by Cruise himself – whether that be him scaling the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol (2011), or clinging on to a plane during take-off in Rogue Nation (2015). Dead Reckoning Part One is no different, as the latest “impossible” stunt has been widely promoted in the films marketing campaign. The latest keynote stunt has already become a legend: the one that Cruise reportedly did six times in one day before he was satisfied with the outcome. The stunt itself, sees Cruise as Ethan Hunt, ride a motorcycle off a cliff before deploying a parachute – in order to land on a speeding Orient Express. This stunt ultimately sets up the film’s final action set-piece aboard the famous locomotive, and serves as the most breath-taking final act of the entire franchise to date. These levels of commitment by both Cruise and McQuarrie is a testament to how far they are willing to go, purely for our entertainment.

The film opens up within the claustrophobic confines of a Russian submarine – ‘Sevastopol’. The state of the art sub has been designed to become “invisible” to sonar – impossible to detect. Much to the surprise of the Russian Navy officers aboard the sub, they are approached and fired upon by an unknown enemy which ultimately leads to Sevastopol’s demise.

We then catch up with our heroic IMF Agent – Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise). Ethan learns from IMF Leader Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny), that the enemy behind the submarine attack was something known as “The Entity”. An artificial intelligence that has become sentient, so much so it takes on an almost supernatural persona. In order to take control of “The Entity” and the power that comes with it, a two-part key is required to be able to unlock it’s source code. With it being seen as the ultimate weapon, a race is on between all the world’s governments – to find the key so they can dominate a new world order. Hunt believes the weapon to be too powerful and sets out with his IMF team to destroy “The Entity” before it falls into the wrong hands.

Dead Reckoning Part One may be the seventh instalment of the franchise, but it feels as fresh as ever. The film serves of a timely reminder of the dangers of artificial intelligence, in a year when we have seen the rise and controversy of software such as ‘Chat GPT’. The film is also and action packed banger, with increasingly farcical action set-pieces that are almost borderline slapstick at times. No modern franchise manages to balance silly and serious as well as Mission: Impossible and that is even more evident here. Yes, many of the gadgets, masks and scenarios are a little farfetched at times, but thanks to the performances of the cast and McQuarrie’s direction, it never feels too far beyond the realms of possibility.

As well as Cruise’s charismatic presence and wild stunt work, the large supporting cast all have their moments to shine here too, which make it not just the most heart-pounding, but also the most hilarious entry in the franchise. Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Rebecca Ferguson all return as Hunt’s IMF team and provide great emotional and comic support for the character as the tension and stakes begin to rise. Vanessa Kirby returns as notorious British arms dealer Alanna who had a “moment” with Ethan in the previous film. Newcomer, Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy) is a badass, Harley Quinn inspired, martial-arts expert who operates as a henchman for Hunt’s long term nemesis Gabriel (Esai Morales), who is working with “The Entity”. The main supporting performer though is Hayley Atwell as Grace. Grace is a professional pickpocket, unknowingly recruited by “The Entity” as a means of preventing Hunt from destroying it. Atwell has most of the comedic moments in the film, as her character – whilst capable – is well out of her depth.

This is supposedly the beginning of the end for Ethan Hunt and his IMF team, with next year’s Dead Reckoning Part Two serving as a final outing for Cruise as the character. It will be a sad day when this franchise concludes, unlike many other long running action franchises this is one that has not overstayed it’s welcome. I am more than happy to continue watching Tom Cruise perform death-defying stunts well into his seventies and I cannot wait to see what he has install for us next time.

Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One is now showing in Cinemas