Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, seventh in the film series, elevates the action genre to exhilarating heights, and validates Tom Cruise as the top action star.
When a Russian submarine sinks under mysterious circumstances, it’s just the opening machinations of a powerful, sentient, artificial intelligence known as The Entity coveted by every foreign power including the U.S. More importantly, there is a key that controls The Entity which attracts buyers including a deadly assassin, Gabriel (Esai Morales), and a skilled thief, Grace (Hayley Atwell is marvelous). The Entity represents the ultimate villain in a brave new world and, with its ability to mimic or obfuscate reality, proves formidable to Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his Impossible Missions Force (IMF) making it to resort to unconventional methods. Determined to stop The Entity, Ethan goes after the key which leads to a wild pursuit across Europe as he is confronted with an unthinkable scenario and forced to improvise and outwit a coldly efficient enemy with the fate of the civilized world in the balance.
Cruise and the filmmakers continue to find ways to thrill audiences with incredible stunts and elaborate action sequences that go way beyond the norm. The story, which leans into science fiction, methodically builds as a mystery especially in an expanded prologue, and from there, the tension never lets up. Old faces return with surprises and betrayals that result in sacrifice and loss in an already convoluted narrative that continually raises the stakes culminating in a head spinning climactic set piece aboard a runaway train.
At
163 minutes, this film never lags and boasts impressive production values all
working in concert with an intricate screenplay by cowriter/director
Christopher McQuarrie to make a thoroughly
engaging adventure/action/thriller of the highest order. And it’s only Part
One!
*****
of ***** stars
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