Are you ready to accept this mission? Tom Cruise is back with ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.’ Whether you like him or not, Cruise is one of the last true action heroes in Hollywood today. He does many of his own stunts. For his latest venture, he rides a motorcycle off a cliff and parachutes down. If that doesn’t sell you on his commitment to entertain you, I don’t know what will. My only concern is how it tested my endurance at close to a 3-hour run time. In my opinion, it is a small price to pay for this high-octane popcorn flick.
The plot is straightforward and relevant in today’s age of technology. The real villain is a Macguffin named the Entity. It is an AI creation that is controlled by the holder of a two-piece key. It is so advanced that it is considered sentient. The individual who possesses this key will essentially control the world. When government agencies cannot find the key, who are you going to call? You’re going to call Ethan Hunt (Cruise). His mission is to retrieve the two-piece key and return it to CIA chief Henry Kittridge (Henry Czerny). After some dialogue about how vital it is to find the key before it gets into the wrong hands, it gets into the wrong hands!
Hunt enters the scene to take care of business once again. The action sequences are well-crafted. One of my favorites was a car chase scene through the streets of Rome with Cruise and co-star Haley Attwell handcuffed together in a tiny yellow Fiat. It’s a complete thrill ride that is done with a sense of humor. Attwell plays Grace and she is a welcome addition to the franchise. They have terrific chemistry on screen. Another scene involves a crashing runaway train. It elevates the action to the next level. Is Atwell a potential love interest for Cruise’s Hunt in the next installment? My prediction is most definitely. It gives his character a more human side.
I found some similarities between John Wick and Mission Impossible. Huge set pieces filmed around the world. Amazing stunt work. Formidable baddies. I would say the difference between the two is how Mission Impossible has more female characters with substance and less fist fighting. You have Attwell’s character Grace that is a professional thief. She’s clever and keeps Cruise’s Hunt on his toes. You have the return of Rebecca Ferguson’s character Ilsa Faust and the amoral White Widow (Vanessa Kirby). There is also a new female baddie named Paris (Pom Klementieff) who is a scene stealer over chief villain Gabriel (Esai Morales). Another difference is the camaraderie Cruise’s character has with Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg). Our hero would not stand a chance completing his mission without the help from his old pals.
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ is what it is. It is an action-packed popcorn movie. It has incredible action sequences. It has spectacular set pieces from around the world. It is an impressive debut from Hayley Atwell. Tom Cruise tops himself with death defying stunts once again. The bottom line is that it is a fun afternoon at the cinema. It delivers!
