Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

One of the greatest action heroes in cinema history is back! Tom Cruise, along with the returning director of MI: Fallout, delivers such a banger. The latest installment in the espionage spy thriller franchise brings even more high-octane chases, elaborate disguises & of course, reality-defying stunts.

Ethan Hunt & the IMF team are up for their most Impossible mission yet! An action-packed race against various forces, including someone from Ethan’s dark past, to stop a deadly new weapon from falling into the wrong hands that can impact all of humanity.

The character development, as written by Christopher McQuarrie & Erik Jendresen, is one of the best in all of MI history and their interactions with one another were shown incredibly well. The story is more dark and emotional than the previous installments. The character of Grace, played by Hayley Atwell, is an excellent addition to the crew. Her performance was absolutely stunning. From her first encounter with Ethan at the airport you can clearly say that their chemistry is gonna be special. The crew dynamic of Hunt and his friends is better than before. Ving Rhames (Luther Stickell) & Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa Faust) are returning back as Ethan’s wingman and femme fatale British agent, respectively. Simon Pegg (Benji Dunn) had much more involvement this time around and provides the much-appreciated comic elements in the movie.

In terms of cinematography, the beautiful wide as well as tracking shots looked exquisite. I got very ‘Brain De Palma’ vibes from the camera work with all the Dutch angles, paying homage to the first Mission Impossible film.

The stunts and action sequences were very well choreographed. McQuarrie has done a great job with the various chase sequences as even with a lot of action happening on the screen and multiple characters involved it never felt jarring or difficult to keep track of. The minimal use of CG, expected with Tom Cruise flicks, is much appreciated. The stunts, though not as grandeur as Fallout, are very well performed and will constantly keep the audience excited.

The sound design and mix are phenomenal and combined with the score from Lore Balfe, it just enhances the experience of the film. The Mission Impossible theme (By Lalo Schifrin) is one of the iconic themes in history but Balfe made it his own with the addition of the Marching Band, which took it to another level.

The main villain of this story, an AI gone rogue, referred to as the Entity brings a flair of suspense and unknown to the film as throughout the film its real motives are never really clear. It is ever present and can access any electronic device and media which possesses a whole new set of challenges for Ethan and his crew. The film portrays this quite nicely as the AI is shown to be always a step ahead of the IMF which always keeps the viewers at the edge. Though this take feels modern and fresh it doesn’t have the same impact as some of the previous antagonists as it's never really physically present there. The performances by Esai Morales (Gabriel) and especially Pom Klementieff (Paris) are exceptional but in the end, they just feel like hitmen for hire serving as stand-ins for a villain who has no corporeal form.

The pacing of the movie is good for an almost 3-hour long movie, but that is not to say that it has no downtime. It is clearly evident that McQuarrie put a lot of thought while placing and using each set piece. From start to finish the various sequences, like the airport cat and mouse chase, the car chase in Rome and the train sequence, are brilliantly stitched together so that there is hardly any downtime. The buildup scenes may feel like mere infodumps but are still a vital part of the story as it helps the audience gain some knowledge about the mysterious antagonist. The short moments of comic relief are very well done and don’t interfere with the mood of the scene.

TSHC SCORE: 8/10

CONCLUSION:

Tom Cruise once again delivers an entertaining and rip-roaring cinematic experience. Even though the movie feels a bit long, it still kept the viewers hooked. McQuarrie has created an amazing new edition to the series and for sure, has got us excited for Dead Reckoning Part Two. If you enjoy action-filled spy thrillers, then MI: Dead Reckoning Part One is a must-watch.

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