2023 seems to be the year of the “Part 1” blockbusters, in that big-budget movies like Fast X and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are basically telling half a story, with the remaining half expecting to be released in a year or so. Looking specifically at Fast X, it was doing too much with a tone that loses the balance between sincerity and ridiculousness, a sign that maybe it’s time for the series to pump the brakes. However, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which has a similar set-piece to Fast X where there is a high-speed chase through the streets of Rome, proves that Tom Cruise will stop running and his franchise never loses momentum.
With Mission: Impossible is currently going through the Christopher McQuarrie era as the director having now helmed three instalments in the series (and a fourth one to be released next year), McQuarrie always tries to put a different spin with each film, even if there is a checklist of things you expect from the series.
Dead Reckoning Part One is specifically about the dangers of artificial intelligence, and how everyone is determined to weaponize it for their idea of the greater good. As Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team must track down this dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands, he is also confronted by a familiar face from his past.
Story and characterization have always been secondary to the spectacle of Mission: Impossible, McQuarrie, who co-wrote the script with Erik Jendresen, has always injected more plot with his installments, to the point it has almost become an ongoing narrative. Especially with the team dynamic between Ethan Hunt, Ving Rhames’ Luther Stickell, Simon Pegg’s Benji Dunn and Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, we have enjoyed the company of these characters, whether it is Benji always putting Ethan in the extreme situations that sets up the amazing stunts, or Ilsa always fighting for her freedom.
While you have some returning faces, including Vanessa Kirby reprising as the White Widow, there are some new faces that leave the impression, most notably Hayley Atwell as the mysterious thief Grace. Initially serving as a foil to Hunt, they eventually allied with each other as Cruise and Atwell have such a great chemistry, especially during the car chase in Rome that is both thrilling and hilarious.
While the threat of AI in this film is menacing and scarily relevant by today’s standards, there are still physical threats that Hunt and his team do confront. Although Pom Klementieff shines as the silent assassin Paris, there isn’t much development towards Esai Morales’ Gabriel, especially as a villain with ties to Ethan’s past. No doubt questions are raised and will most likely be answered in Part Two.
Given the amount of publicity surrounding the stunts as a way of promoting the film itself, witnessing them on the big screen is a cinematic delight and proves why Cruise is a true movie star. However, as impressive as the action is, some of the most intense sequences can be conversations between two people. There are a lot of nods to Brian De Palma’s 1996 original, not just with the return of Henry Czerny as the beloved Kittridge, but also the Hitchcock-styled set-pieces, where dialogue and shifty handiwork are the tools. There is even a climax that takes place on a train, which also continues the series’ tradition of complicated heists.
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