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Movie Review: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Mike Tyrkus

For a film series that has included seven entries (to date) and spanned nearly three decades, the “Mission: Impossible” films starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt have proven themselves to be one of the more enduring and popular franchises of all time. The latest in the series, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, succeeds in spades, giving the property not only fresh and vibrant feel, but perhaps the best offering since the impossible missions first began.

Once again, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team find themselves on a harrowing mission with the safety of the entire world in the balance. This time out, the threat comes from an advanced artificial intelligence that has determined that the best course of action to save humanity is to assume control of it. Now, with only his team to count on, Hunt must keep control of the AI out of the hands of those who would abuse it while simultaneously disrupting the AI’s own machinations and plans.

Christopher McQuarrie returns to handle directing duties (he also helmed and penned the last two entries in the series – “Rogue Nation” in 2015 and “Fallout” in 2018), and his hand is just as effective as it has been in previous entries. There is a smoothness to the nonstop kinetic action that never feels as though the narrative is pausing to catch its breath or supply additional expository setup. In short, the action does the talking and McQuarrie is comfortable letting it do so. It also helps that he has penned the last three films, as well as co-written this entry along with Erik Jendresen.

Fraser Taggart’s cinematography is exceptional given that the film rarely slows down enough to allow the viewer to take in everything that is passing by onscreen at any given time. It is a testament to Taggart’s work as well as Eddie Hamilton’s editing that the viewer is never lost or cast aside to make way for the next big stunt – everything in the film is there to serve a purpose and that pays off throughout.

Yet again, Cruise effortlessly moves through the film as Hunt. He is both likable and believable in the role and that makes it even more engaging. Series stalwarts Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg return as Luther Stickell and Benji Dunn respectively and help with the cohesion of the entire series in that regard, besides carrying their own weight of the story throughout. Similarly, Rebecca Ferguson’s return as Ilsa Faust allows the film some additional character and plot development that it would miss otherwise. As the newest addition to the “family,” Hayley Atwell’s Grace seems to be a formidable agent in training to rival Hunt himself. This provides a welcome respite from the usual one-man show the previous entries have been.

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell in “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” © Paramount Pictures

Although Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is just that, the first part of the supposed end of the series, it manages to infuse the property with an invigorating and wildly entertaining new attitude that it seems a shame to consider that some might choose to not accept more missions of this kind.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com
An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

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