James Bond has the legacy. The Bourne films have the special effects and accolades. Yet, it’s always been the Mission: Impossible (M:I) franchise that reigns supreme in the world of spy/espionage movies.
Its consistent diet of stunning cinematography, elite action sequences, and Tom Cruise almost killing himself has led to an impeccable 27-year run that continues with the series’s 7th entry, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
Dead Reckoning Part One finds Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the IMF team doing their usual and fighting to prevent a global catastrophe. This time, they’re facing off with the Entity, a powerful artificial intelligence (AI) program that has gone rogue and infiltrated all the world’s defense and intelligence systems.
Coming off the series’s lengthiest hiatus since the 6-year gap between Mission: Impossible II and III, Dead Reckoning Part One has a lot resting on its shoulders. It needs to continue M:I’s track record of excellence and keep audiences interested in an almost 30-year-old continuous assignment. Is it up for the mission?
The strength of Dead Reckoning Part One lies in Cruise. He proves again that he’s an action star’s action star who epitomizes what summer tentpoles are all about – going big and fun. Reminiscent of what Indiana Jones brought cinema, his reinvention of the Hunt character continues to be equally deft and human via incredible work doing his own stunts and his comedic timing.
What truly sets this performance apart is 1) Cruise continues to up the ante with every stunt and 2) his ability to intertwine the stunt with humor as though Hunt is just like the rest of us in asking “wtf” when he finds himself in situations found only on the silver screen.
Cruise’s mastery of being a blockbuster star gets plenty of support from the film’s cinematography. The death-defying stunt work gives the film the authentic action that has long separated the M:I series from the pack, but Fraser Taggart’s camerawork puts you in it.
Taggart’s shots in Dead Reckoning Part One’s chases are as good as anything you’ll see this year, as are the combat sequences, but he gives you your money’s worth in the third act. From the landscape shots that capture Hunt’s 4,000-foot motorcycle dive to the variety of against-the-laws-of-physics angles he uses to grab the action on a speeding train, the edge of your seat will be worn out from the anxiety Taggart creates.
Sadly, Dead Reckoning Part One loses momentum when you move further behind the camera. While this film is the lightest of the series and genuinely funny, it also rates that high regarding less-than-stellar storytelling.
The culprit is the script. Overall, the writing isn’t bad because the plot is timely and relevant, given the real-life presence AI has forged in society recently. However, it reneges on the promise selecting AI as a focal point brings by forcing fate into being a driver of the story.
And it’s not solely mentions of destiny to be throughout the film. The script gives Ving Rhames’s Luther a monologue about predestination in a Holiday Heartesque tone. If dealing with rogue AI is the film's centerpiece, Kismet has no part of the equation.
Amongst the films in the M: I franchise, Dead Reckoning Part One is arguably the worst. Yet, Cruise and company are still the cream of the crop, even at their worst. Yes, it’s redundant of every M: I film despite having an increased emphasis on humor and the human condition. It also goofs by taking a completely unnecessary turn into spirituality.
But it also has Tom Cruise, whose fearlessness and command of winning over audiences knows no bounds, and some unbelievably good work with the camera. That combination is enough to get you through this part of the Dead Reckoning saga and excited for its conclusion.
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