'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' Review

Synopsis: Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission - not even the lives of those he cares about most.

Runtime: 163 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and action, some language, and suggestive material.)

Who should see it? Fans of Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise.

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie with a screenplay from McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is the seventh entry in the long-running spy series. Mission: Impossible - Fallout broke a Mission: Impossible tradition as McQuarrie became the first filmmaker to return. Flashforward to today, and he is currently in production on his fourth Mission film (Dead Reckoning Part Two). While I somewhat miss the change-off, I think McQuarrie and Cruise work very well together. McQuarrie understands the ethos of Mission: Impossible.

The beating heart of McQuarrie's Mission: Impossible set pieces is that action informs character and vice-versa. Based on Ethan Hunt's response to the most harrowing circumstances, the audience understands his idealogy. Then, compelling conflict is drawn from testing these values and pushing Hunt to his limits. From the very beginning, Mission: Impossible has been about the power of choice. After all, each mission starts with the tagline, "Your mission, should you choose to accept it..." Dead Reckoning faces that dilemma head-on as Hunt and his team are up against their greatest adversary yet. Though I'm sure that sounds like a cliché buzzword, there's an elaborate shroud of mystery around this new threat who has greater ambitions than inciting a nuclear war. And I found that incredibly refreshing.

Over twenty-seven years, Mission: Impossible has steadily progressed from a series of espionage thrillers to stunt-oriented action blockbusters. Since Ghost Protocol, the marketing for each new chapter has focused on how Tom Cruise would be putting his life on the line in more insane and entertaining ways. While that trend continues in Dead Reckoning, McQuarrie also brings the franchise back to its roots. Dead Reckoning contains the relentless thrills of recent entries and the Hitchcockian intrigue of the original. McQuarrie and Cruise take everything you love about Mission: Impossible and dial it up to eleven. In many ways, it's a culmination of everything that came before it. Before proceeding, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge Lorne Balfe's propulsive and percussive score. I've obsessively listened to Balfe's Mission: Impossible - Fallout soundtrack since 2018 and was blown away by his work here. 

Concerning action, Dead Reckoning delivers the goods. The centerpiece stunt this time around involves Tom Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuting in to reach his objective. It's just as crazy as it sounds and will leave you holding your breath when Cruise enters freefall. Cruise also drives one-handed while handcuffed for an extended chase through the streets of Rome, engages in close-quarters combat in a narrow Venice alleyway, speed-flies through a ravine (an advanced and unpredictable form of paragliding), and fights atop a moving train in Norway (perhaps a cheeky nod to the original). Tom Cruise's commitment to practical action has always set Mission: Impossible apart in a crowded blockbuster landscape. What some consider a gimmick is actually the franchise's greatest asset.

In a world where studios have become over-reliant on green screen and digital effects as a cost-cutting measure, Tom Cruise is one of the last movie stars championing good old-fashioned authenticity. Not to say visual effects aren't used in the Mission: Impossible series and don't have their place. There's a common misconception that movies marketed around their practicality don't employ CGI (ie. Top Gun: Maverick, prior Mission entries, or any of Christopher Nolan's films). Mission: Impossible - Fallout had 1,800 vfx shots, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn Dead Reckoning had even more. But these effects aren't noticeable because they're so scarcely used and reinforce the action captured in-camera rather than replace it. A genuine sense of danger is present in the Mission movies because Cruise faced those predicaments. Cruise always finds a way to realize the impossible, and I respect him so much for going the extra mile.

At the risk of regurgitating praise for Tom Cruise, Ethan Hunt is deservedly one of his defining roles. Cruise's desire to push himself further with each new mission is readily apparent. Stuntwork aside, Cruise unleashes his dramatic chops and unrelenting intensity to great effect once more. Dead Reckoning enlists a few fresh faces, but chief among those is Hayley Atwell as Grace. Atwell quickly proves herself to be a noteworthy addition to the ensemble as a central figure with compelling characterization and great rapport opposite Cruise. She rightfully garners much of the spotlight and earns second-billing right under Cruise. I won't say any more about her character for the sake of avoiding spoilers.

Returning to aid Hunt in another rogue crusade, the dependable trio of Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames each have their moments to shine. Par for the course, Ferguson's Ilsa Faust finds herself in the thick of the action as Pegg and Rhames lend technical assistance. Other returning characters include Vanessa Kirby's enigmatic White Widow and Henry Czerny's dubious Eugene Kittridge. Kittridge hasn't been seen since the original Mission: Impossible, so his involvement brings everything full circle in many respects. At Kittridge's disposal, Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis are other great additions to this franchise who I hope to see more of in Part Two. 

On the antagonistic front, Ethan Hunt faces a formidable and mysterious opposing force in Esai Morales' Gabriel. Gabriel is a unique villain for the series with unconventional motives and ruthless efficiency. In Gabriel's right hand, Pom Klementieff's Paris is an especially memorable henchwoman. McQuarrie cleverly ensures the conflict between Ethan and Gabriel is personal while the stakes are monumental. Audiences are clued in just enough to grasp Gabriel's objective and idealogy but McQuarrie holds back any substantial backstory to preserve the shroud of intrigue.

By now, you should know the drill. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see Dead Reckoning on the largest screen possible. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One defies all odds and continues the series' upward trajectory, excelling at everything this franchise is known for. It's action filmmaking at its finest. Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise fire on all cylinders and I cannot wait to see what they have in store for Part Two!

Film Assessment: A+