Movie Review: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN / Staff Writer

Posted: July 11th, 2023 / 11:40 PM

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE | ©2023 Paramount Pictures

Rating: PG-13
Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Cary Elwes, Henry Czerny
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie & Erik Jendresen, based on characters created by Bruce Geller
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Distributor: Paramount
Release Date: July 12, 2023

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING PART ONE gives us a villain known as the Entity. The Entity is an artificial intelligence that isn’t just self-aware. It’s capable of tapping into any online electronics on the planet (or circling it, as with satellites) and can make anyone see, hear, read, and consequently believes whatever the A.I. wants.

Exactly how disastrous this can be is encapsulated in the opening sequence, set aboard a Russian military submarine.

Since rogue A.I. is currently at the center of real-world concerns, we’re primed to take it more seriously than we might have back when the whole subject seemed more hypothetical. As it is, we’re not surprised when the U.S. (and every other world government) wants to control the Entity.

IMF operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is initially sent to get part of the literal and figurative key to the Entity from his old ally, former MI-6 agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson, in her third film in the role).

When Ethan feels he’s not being fully briefed on what’s going on here, he corners his handler, Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny, returning to the character he played in the original 1996 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE). Ethan informs Kittridge that he, Ethan, doesn’t want to control the Entity, he’s going to kill it, and we’re pretty much on his side. He may break his personal speed record in going rogue, but even Kittridge has come to expect this by now.

So, Ethan and his loyal team, computer expert Luther (Ving Rhames) and practical objects whiz Benji (Simon Pegg), are among the several interested parties searching for sometimes one and sometimes both halves of the key. Almost nobody knows exactly what the key does, so information about it is also crucial.

The action races around Europe, with the Entity interfering dipping its virtual hand in every step of the way. It also has a lethal human disciple in the person of Gabriel (Esai Morales), who at least claims he knows what the key does and what the Entity wants.

The screenplay by director Christopher McQuarrie (who also helmed the last two MISSIONs) & Erik Jendresen actually stands up to some scrutiny from a logic, if not plausibility, standpoint. There are moments where we wonder why the Entity doesn’t just do X, but since we do know that it manipulates people, and we don’t know its endgame, it may simply be getting its pieces into place. (The chessboards we see in various settings are not random decorations.)

We’re apparently meant to overlook a glitch involving eye color. It’s not clear why the filmmakers chose to do this (it’s not like it made things easier on them or the performer involved), and we wait in vain for an explanation.

It’s also probably wise not to closely parse a story point about people Ethan cares about. Viewers can likely think of a few candidates who fit that description that the Entity ignores (at least at present).

Pacing is solid, toggling between character and physicality. There are no dull stretches; multiple crises are usually unfolding simultaneously. McQuarrie stages a sequence about a train that we haven’t seen before. (It’s perhaps a second cousin to something in BULLET TRAIN, but the duration, intent, and impact are all different; it’s also clearly parallel development.)

The filmmakers and Cruise are also confident enough at this point to have a physical sequence that’s intentionally and effectively comedic, with the normally heroic Ethan flummoxed by equipment that more ordinary people manage easily. The script handily provides someone who hasn’t heard of the IMF before, so that the organization and its functions can be related for newcomers to the films (again, handled with smart humor).

Cruise is solid. Rhames and Pegg provide likable backup. Ferguson impresses as the capable Faust, Hayley Atwell is appealing as a new character, and Pom Klementieff displays so much joy behind the wheel of a vehicle that we envy her simply for that. Morales has conviction as his true believer character, and Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis command our sympathy as two dogged if weary agents tasked with catching Ethan.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE fulfills its mission of being entertaining, engaging, and showing us a few new tricks in the “how do they get out of this one” handbook.

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