By Seth Lukas Hynes
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part 1
Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell and Rebecca Ferguson
M
4.25/5
2023 has been a phenomenal year for action cinema so far, with John Wick: Chapter 4, Extraction 2 and now Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1, an intensely suspenseful, character-rich thrill-ride.
Elite agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team, plus plucky pickpocket Grace (Hayley Atwell), must prevent a powerful key from falling into the hands of an old enemy.
The action sequences are superbly-composed, varied and full of humour, ranging from a sandstorm skirmish to a cat-and-mouse game of evasion in an airport to a taut but hilarious car chase in a dinky little Fiat through the streets of Rome.
Dead Reckoning 1 excels at layered suspense. Hunt’s team must contend with a web of machinations and a dangerous AI pulling the strings, distorting their intel and leading them astray. Scenes of threats and negotiations are just as gripping as the fights and chases, and the complex set-pieces keep so many plates spinning without tiring the audience.
The action is all the more engrossing thanks to the compelling characters. Hunt is iron-willed and extremely loyal to his friends. His support team (Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg) is amusing as always, and Grace has an outstanding arc as a self-serving but honourable burglar who gradually grows into a heroic role. Esai Morales is a tremendously charismatic villain as Gabriel, and Pom Klementieff plays his henchwoman Paris with psychotic glee.
You know I don’t like MacGuffins, but the great characters, action and pacing make up for such a prop-focused plot, and MacGuffins are more appropriate for a gadget-themed espionage series like this.
A clever, well-acted and enthralling action adventure, Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 is screening in most Victorian cinemas.
