Ivan Radford | On 27, Jan 2024

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames
Certificate: 12

You’d think that seven films in, the Mission: Impossible franchise would be running out of steam. When Dead Reckoning: Part 1 arrives on our screens, though, it isn’t just building up steam – it’s jumping on board the Orient Express for fisticuffs and a stunt involving a bridge that, even when you know it’s coming, is jaw-dropping to witness. And did we mention AI? Oh yes, that’s along for the ride too.

The AI in question – “the Entity” – is introduced in a wonderfully tense opening sequence on a Russian sub, the Sebastopol, which underscores the global stakes of what’s about to unfold – and, handily, explains that it might be possible to control the artificial intelligence using a two-part cruciform key. Soon enough, up pops Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who is tasked with tracking down both halves of the key before the wrong people get hold of them. They include French assassin Paris (an entertaining, intimidating Pom Klementieff), US Director of National Intelligence Denlinger (a delightfully sinister Cary Elwes), US Intelligence agent Jasper (a stoic Shea Wigham), slippery arms dealer the White Widow (the always-scene-stealing Vanessa Kirby), CIA director Kittridge (the brilliantly Henry Czerny) and the enigmatic silver fox Gabriel (Esai Morales), who is for all intents and purposes is the human face of the Entity.

If that sounds like two attempts at presenting physical objects to represent the all-seeing, all-knowing threat of a virtual cyber-villain, you’re not wrong, but director Christopher McQuarrie (who co-wrote the script with Erik Jendresen) understands that Mission: Impossible works best when dealing with grounded, tangible stakes. And while chasing a magic item around the globe might seem like classic MacGuffin territory, McQuarrie knows that his real MacGuffin is Tom Cruise – and he’s happy to chase and chuck him all over the place in increasingly ridiculous set pieces to keep the plot moving.

Cruise, for his part, is as committed, confident and charismatic as ever. You wouldn’t think he’s been IMF-ing for 17 years, and he clearly relishes the chance to lean into his comedy skills – between an absurd Italian Job-esque chase through Rome and some close-up magic in an airport, this is the funniest Mission: Impossible film to date. It recaptures the cartoonish fun of Brad Bird’s Ghost Protocol, thanks to the ensemble chemistry generated by SImon Pegg’s nervous Benji, Ving Rhames’ enigmatic Luther and Rebecca Ferguson’s slick Ilsa Faust. The latter reminds us that she’s the closest the franchise has come to a legitimate Ethan successor in a role that lets her be resilient, vulnerable and determined in the face of ridiculous odds.

It’s testament to Hayley Atwell, then, that she almost whips the entire film out from under all of them as Grace, a criminal who is invited to join the IMF team. Atwell’s sparky energy gives Grace a near-desperation of someone always on the edge but resourceful enough to find a way out of the stickiest situations. She and Vanessa Kirby, in particular, have great fun as counterparts to each other, especially as they wind up on the Orient Express for the rollicking finale.

McQuarrie assembles the parts of each set piece like a child playing with Lego, with a mixture of joy and clinical precision. Throughout, he keeps circling back to the notion of choice, positioning each action our heroes take as intentional decisions in the face of a computer that claims to know everyone’s fate. At the same time, he packs the dialogue and screen with nods to key moments from the franchise’s history that make this the Mission: Impossiblest Mission: Impossible film yet. If that means some elements almost feel like they’ve been created via algorithm, it’s a fitting touch, as we watch these sprightly characters jump through fiendish hoops that feel increasingly calculated, all just to stay alive and keep each other alive – Cruise’s penchant for practical stunts reinforces the real peril and stakes at hand. Do they choose to accept their mission? You betcha. The question left hanging by this surprisingly satisfying Part 1 is what exactly that choice will be in Part 2.

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