There’s a certain expectation of scale when you hear a title as long and unwieldy as Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. On this front Tom Cruise’s latest spy outing certainly delivers – an epic global chase against countless factions for the key to a dangerous technology threatening the stability of the world. Despite the abundance of high-octane action the film struggles to compete with the franchise’s heights, providing a brilliant but somewhat underwhelming experience.
Rooted in recent technological advancements, the film’s plot feels more contemporary than any other entry in the series. It consciously taps into current fears, providing not only an up-to-the-minute narrative but also a suitably unstoppable threat for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team to face. Conceptually, the technology’s purpose in the narrative is a bit weird, but I think the film feels cohesive enough in spite of this. Moreover, this villainous technology holds a thematic purpose too – continuing the metatextual message of Tom Cruise supporting analogue methods and doing things “for real”. Expanding out from Top Gun: Maverick’s minor subplot on drones and Cruise’s dedication to practical stunts, the message of analogue methods being better than digital technology is clear. A direct opposition is created between technology and humanity, with empathy being a critical weapon which ultimately aids the film’s protagonists. Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie are clearly concerned about increasing digital technologies not only within VFX-heavy blockbusters, but also its dominance within wider society. It’s certainly not a subtle theme but in a film involving comedic car chases and spectacular train crashes, it doesn’t really have to be.
What drives the plot outside of the aforementioned tech MacGuffin is the film’s stellar ensemble cast. The Mission: Impossible franchise has always featured great characters (including returning favourites like Benji, Ilsa and Luther), but Dead Reckoning Part One absolutely excels at this. I wanted more screen time from pretty much every member of the cast, with newcomer antagonists Gabriel (Esai Morales) and Paris (Pom Klementieff) being particularly entertaining despite their somewhat unclear motives. The sheer volume of characters can be a little overwhelming at times but everyone serves a purpose, contrasting the recent Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny where some supporting cast members felt a little superfluous. The world of espionage that the film creates is incredibly engaging too, with enough shifting allegiances and conflicting factions to fill the Orient Express. However, this brilliant world-building is occasionally sullied by unusually cliché plot points – with Ethan’s half-baked backstory adding little and a certain beat at the end of the Venice sequence feeling rushed instead of emotional. Whilst the plot may have its flaws, the characters and action steer the narrative on course.
Another important aspect of Dead Reckoning Part One is its overall style and presentation, particularly when compared to the rest of the series. The Mission: Impossible franchise is known for having a unique tone in each film, historically favouring auteur directors over a consistent house style. For this entry, McQuarrie (having worked on the last three films of the franchise) seems to have had two critical inspirations. One is the 1970s conspiracy thrillers which inspired the first Mission: Impossible film. There’s a great sense of paranoia and disorientation throughout the film, aided by Fraser Taggart’s cinematography which favours Dutch angles and tight close-ups in conversation sequences. Whilst on rare occasions this proves a little too distracting, the film’s digital cinematography (a first for the franchise) enhances the core emotions of the story and provides some beautiful looking moments. The plot often reflects this thriller inspiration too, featuring corrupt bureaucracy and morals which can seemingly turn at any moment. Yet there’s a second inspiration which seems tonally antithetical – more lighthearted Hitchcock thrillers like To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest. This is most evident in the playful sequences featuring Grace (Hayley Atwell), her relationship with Ethan ripped straight from a classic romantic thriller. This is where the more broadly comedic elements of the plot are present, the innuendo-laden car chase and classic IMF team banter being great examples. The film even recognises the existence of the International Monetary Fund, a franchise joke 57 years in the making. Despite these two seemingly contradictory tones, the film manages to balance them well to create a consistent and intriguing style. The gravitas of serious plot elements and playful fun of the action are allowed to coexist, allowing for some great moments.
Of course, the Mission: Impossible franchise’s main appeal is not its variety of tones or topical thematic construction. Rather the series’ stunt and heist action sequences have always been its selling point, and this entry is no exception. The classic death-defying moments done “for real” (with VFX enhancements) by Tom Cruise are present and correct. For particular highlights, the much-hyped motorcycle jump, mammoth The General/Uncharted 2 style train sequence and chaotic Rome car chase all provided some great action. Geography and clarity are always at the forefront, the spectacle well crafted to structure the film as a near continual chase from beginning to end. Whilst the plot does take a backseat during some of these sequences, the action is entertaining enough to prevent this being a major issue. The construction of these sequences is absolutely mind-boggling and I adore the unwavering dedication and craftsmanship which bring these movies together. But there is one major issue with the action of the film, and most aspects of the film’s construction as a whole: that it naturally will get compared to previous entries in the franchise.
Whilst I did enjoy Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One a great deal, it pales in comparison to its predecessors – particularly 2018’s masterpiece Mission: Impossible – Fallout. As great as the plot and action can get, I couldn’t shake these comparisons as a fan of the franchise especially considering the consistent quality of previous entries. Every flaw that I saw in Dead Reckoning Part One led to me thinking of the other movies – with more consistently breath-taking stunts, more stunning cinematography, more cohesive, ingenious plots and less egregious exposition and twists. The previous three films of the franchise are thus this entry’s worst enemy – as great as the film is, I can only see it as the fifth best in the series due to the sheer quality of the other instalments. Naturally, this comes from my enjoyment of the wider franchise and thankfully Dead Reckoning Part One’s ending feels more complete and thus less frustrating than other similar “part one” movies (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse). Yet for a full Mission: Impossible experience, I'd rather throw on Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation or Mission: Impossible – Fallout than this entry.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One may not be the ultimate Mission: Impossible experience, but it’s still a well made one which lives up to its brilliant behemoth of a title. With a topical central conflict and classic high-octane spectacle, the film provides and subverts enough of the classic franchise formula to keep it unique. Yet it’s impossible to deny that this formula has been done better before, even by the same writer and director. Should this detract from the film’s overall quality? Not necessarily, but it’s provided some conflict within me. I choose to accept that this is personal preference however – I’m still excited to rewatch the film, and especially for the imminent release of its upcoming sequel.
