Welcome back to the blog readers. I recently say the newest installment in the Mission: Impossible series, subtitled Dead Reckoning Part One, and I wanted to share my SPOILER-FREE thoughts. I got on board the Mission: Impossible train with 2011's Ghost Protocol, and each film since then: Rogue Nation (2015) and Fallout (2018), has only gotten better and Tom Cruise has gotten crazier with his stunts. What craziness would good old Tommy Boy whip up for us this time? Stick around to see what I thought.
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay by McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen, and stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Cary Elwes, and Frederick Schmidt. In the film, the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) find themselves in the middle of a global race to obtain control over a sentient artificial intelligence, as well as being pitted against someone from Ethan Hunt's past.
Before we get into the review, I want to take a second to talk about the current SAG-AFTRA strike. I am aware with what is happening with content creators and all that, but I just want to let you all know that I will not be changing what I do here at all. I do stand in solidarity with the writers and actors, but how else is their work supposed to be promoted? Actions speak louder than words, and I choose to talk about this work to promote the actors and the writers. Whether you agree with my stance or not, I do not plan on joining either guild myself, so there are no consequences for me. This whole platform I created was something for me and me alone, and that is what I am here to do.
Now, let's get to the actual review. Action films, as you know, are my cup of tea. But an action film that also promotes a powerful message? Take all my fucking money. Now with that being said, I have just one question for Tom and Chris. How the fuck do you keep making these films and they wind up getting better and better? This really blows my mind here. This film is a level up in every way from Fallout, and I contended Fallout to be one of the best action films ever made. Definitely worth the COVID-influenced wait.
I want to commend three performances, the first of which is series rookie Hayley Atwell. Atwell is best known for playing Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but has flown under the radar since her last appearance in Avengers: Endgame (2019) that included a brief cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). This film really proves that Atwell can really act. Her character is one that was described as being "morally ambiguous," and I believe Atwell's powerhouse performance makes the character believable in a world "full of lies." I cannot wait to see more of her character in Dead Reckoning Part Two, whenever it comes.
Tom Cruise gives possibly his best performance as Ethan Hunt yet. He has been on a roll since last year's Top Gun: Maverick. He plays a different version of Ethan than we are used to seeing, and that is one who is forced to wrestle with his emotions, one who is forced to choose what is more important to him: his friends or the mission. I really love how there are consequences for his choices in this film, and paired with the story, would be one hell of a sendoff to Ethan Hunt (although recent comments have noted otherwise). I just love this 2020s version of Tom Cruise. We'll revisit him a bit later.
The final performance I wanted to point out was that of Esai Morales. I really bought into his character Gabriel, and the way he plays the mustache-twirling villain type, and it was all due to Morales's uncanny charisma. He makes you feel the disdain for his character, and without using any spoilers, makes you dislike his character. I also appreciate how his story was connected to Ethan's, and it seems as if destiny brought these two together for one final showdown. I am so glad he will be returning for Dead Reckoning Part Two, because he is such a compelling character.
I want to talk about the message of the film for a little bit. As you all saw in my last post, I briefly went into why I believe artificial intelligence is a threat, and it is almost like this film was released as a companion piece to that post. As I said previously, the MacGuffin of the film is a key that will unlock the housing of a sentient AI that has already infiltrated major world systems and caused chaos. Just like James Cameron's Terminator series, I fear this is a glimpse into the future if we continue to embrace and advance artificial intelligence. Like I said in my last post, the world need to wake up and realize how destructive AI can be. We are running out of time here.
It would not be a modern Mission: Impossible film without its action. This film sees a similar setup to this year's John Wick: Chapter 4 (my top film of the year so far), in that there are only 3 major set pieces in the entire film, and the rest is character work. There is one minor set piece in the Arabian desert, but it lasts no more than 5 minutes. The three set pieces are a long car chase in Rome, a fist (and sword) fight in Venice, and a final battle on (and in) the Orient Express in the Swiss Alps. The action is once again top notch, and like the aforementioned fourth John Wick chapter, it is thrilling, edge-of-your-seat fun that I could go back and re-watch about forty times. The bar has been set high folks.
Now the reason you are here. Yes, we will be talking about THAT scene. Spoiler warning if you have not seen the film yet. For some background, Gabriel hijacks the Orient Express, increasing its speed and disabling the brakes so it cannot be stopped. This leads to the IMF's plan being thwarted, and Benji leads Ethan Hunt up a mountain, where he decides that the only way to get on the train is by riding the motorcycle he is on off an inclined cliff and parachuting while he is in the air. Tom Cruise, the madman he is, performed the stunt himself multiple times which was documented in a YouTube video released in September dedicated to the stunt. This is now the fourth Mission: Impossible film in a row in which he nearly killed himself in the name of entertainment. In Ghost Protocol, he traversed on the side of the Burj Khalifa with nothing more than a harness. In Rogue Nation, he hung off the side of an ascending plane. And in Fallout, he performed a HALO jump with Superman himself, Henry Cavill. The only thing that will shock me more in Dead Reckoning Part Two would be if he fights a dragon monster with just his fists. Nothing else he can do will surprise me anymore, not even shooting a film in space (yeah, he wants to do that).
And one final thing I want to point out is Lorne Balfe's score. Lorne Balfe has quickly become one of my favorite composers in the world right now, and this score is living proof. He knows how to add tension in a scene. Take the party in Venice for example. Balfe's score undercut the tension of what was happening in the scene so perfectly. It was basically a masterclass in how to compose music (as if I know anything about that). I truly believe Balfe should absolutely one hundred percent be nominated for Best Original Score (although I know damn well he will not be).
To conclude my thoughts, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is a thrilling film that levels up on action, character work, and overall enjoyment in a way never thought possible, leading to the M:I series becoming one of the best action series ever. Thank you all so much for reading, and I will see you for my reviews of the fifth episode of Secret Invasion and Oppenheimer.
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