Released Date : 10 Jul, 2023
Avg. User's Rating : 4.5/5
Story: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team are tasked with recovering a chaotic weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.
Review: An AI gone rogue threatens to disrupt the world as we know it, and the key is a hotly sought after commodity that Ethan Hunt and the IMF must find. This key is the MacGuffin for a prescient plot, but audiences aren't watching the 'Mission Impossible' movies for their exciting storylines. Since 'Ghost Protocol' (2011), Tom Cruise has been on his own mission as an actor and entertainer - to outdo himself with daring stunts in every entry. 'Dead Reckoning Part One' is no different, with Cruise riding a bike off a cliff, as heavily promoted in the trailers. Naturally, this may seem like the centerpiece of the film, and while it looks jaw-dropping on a big screen, the action packs a lot more punch throughout its nearly 3-hour run-time. The pacing of the screenplay is a bit choppy, but the film is thrilling, especially in its climax.
Once again, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie's need to constantly challenge their respective boundaries results in some increasingly tense set pieces. Coupled with the iconic theme of the franchise, they succeed in pushing you to the edge of your seat. Additionally, the plot raises the stakes for Ethan and his team, including Benji (Simon Pegg), Luther (Ving Rhames) and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson). Hayley Atwell is brilliant as Grace and a charming addition who pairs brilliantly with Cruise's Ethan, both dramatically and comedically. In fact, this might be the funniest MI film in the franchise so far.
Of course, the star of the show is Tom Cruise, whose running antics are terrifying despite his advancing age. His commitment to mostly stunts allows the fight choreography to breathe and the film is all the better for it.
In this year of adrenaline-fuelled action films, it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish one from the other, but Cruise makes sure he stands out from the rest. That the franchise still has enough life left in it without feeling too full after seven films says a lot about Cruise and McQuarrie's passionate dedication to action-oriented blockbusters.
