By: Kimberly Grant
Say what you will about Tom Cruise as a person. But his ability to give his all to a good movie is a gift. Cruise’s latest blockbuster film happens to also be the latest installment in the Mission Impossible franchise.
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part 1 will be in theaters on July 12.
Death Came Knocking
The plot of this latest Mission is focused on a cyber attack that’s coming from the AI itself. Think of it as a machine taking over the world story set in the present. Written by Erik Jendresen, and Christopher McQuarrie (based on the tv series of the same name by Bruce Geller), Dead Reckoning taps into the real-life fears of society. It also gives a face to the boogeyman who has no regard for human life in the form of Gabriel (played by Esai Morales), who’s main objective seems to be to kill those closest to IMF Agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise).
With climate change increasingly becoming a bigger issue, nuclear arms in multiple countries accelerating in their creation, and AI being more and more human every day, this film is absolutely timely. It taps into real-life nightmare scenarios and hands it to our favorite IMF hero to stop it. Because this is a part one, it’s safe to say that Ethan doesn’t necessarily get the opportunity to save the day quite yet.
Despite the two hours and 43 minutes run time, Dead Reckoning ends in a way to ensure that audiences go back to the theaters to see part two. Directed by McQuarrie, a frequent collaborator of Cruise, Dead Reckoning is lousy with action. “Lousy” being a kind term. Although that 20-minute car chase scene does feel a bit…much. Thankfully, the action will have you on the edge of your seat in suspense and it’s not as totally unrealistic as the Fast and the Furious action sequences.
Cruising Into Yet Another Blockbuster
To be expected, Cruise does his own stunts. He was 57 years old when filming first began on this film. Alas, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a tremendous delay in that Cruise was 59 by the time the film wrapped production. He’ll be 61 years old by the time the film hits theaters. Talk about “not slowing down”.
The great thing about Cruise’s career isn’t just that he can and will do his own stunts. It’s that he’s managed to pick mostly great movies to star in; including Dead Reckoning. Not only is he good at picking good films and doing his own stunts, he’s a great actor, too. Cruise’s Hunt hasn’t lost his humanity and he makes the people around him feel safe and unjudged. It gives me hope that some of Ethan will rub off on Cruise.
Talented 7th
Dead Reckoning will be the seventh film in the franchise starring Cruise. It’s not as many films as the Fast and the Furious franchise, but these are much better films. The film brings back Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell and Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn. Both actors have been IMF agents in the franchise since the beginning and it’s nice to see them still playing their parts. Rebecca Ferguson reprises her role as Ilsa Faust and Henry Czerny returns as IMF boss Eugene Kittridge; who I don’t trust.
New characters to join the Mission Impossible party are Pom Klementieff as deadly Paris, Hayley Atwell as master thief Grace, Vanessa Kirby as the White Widow, and Cary Elwes as US Intelligence boss Denlinger. All talented. All entertaining to watch on screen.
Adding to the talent of the ladies mentioned above is the wardrobe. None of these women are dressed to be sex symbols or arm candy. Their characters get to be fleshed out and none of them play the damsel in distress. It’s refreshing.
The Proof is Key
A major component of the film’s plot revolves around a cruciform key that looks like a golden Catholic symbol with no one knowing what it unlocks. The key (pun intended) to Dead Reckoning’s appeal is that the audience only knows and understands one piece of the puzzle and gets more information at the same time as the characters. My guess is the other pieces will fall into place for part two.
In the meantime, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning is a wild ride of a movie that doesn’t fail to disappoint. Cruise has once again proven why he’s still an A-List actor who’s worth a lot of money. Like with all of his projects, Cruise and his cast have managed to release a great film that has a lot of heart, humor, a tremendous amount of action, and women who kick ass.
Like action films? You can read my review of Indiana Jones & the Dial of Destiny.
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