‘Mission: Impossible 7’ review: Tom Cruise outdoes himself in ‘Dead Reckoning Part One’

‘Dead Reckoning Part One’ is the most action-packed movie in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ franchise.

By Dana Barbuto/Boston Movie News

Tom Cruise reprises his role as super-spy Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” and the stakes are higher than ever.

Hunt and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) crew are up against an invisible “Entity,” a sentient artificial intelligence hellbent on mass destruction and world domination. This algorithm is a “mindreading, shapeshifting, reincarnation of chaos.” Think Ultron in the “Avengers” flicks, but worse. The AI-focused narrative benefits from the timeliness of the current debate over regulating technology. While the franchise mostly supplies escapism, suddenly, you’re left feeling a tad more invested in what the film has to say, wondering “Could that really happen?” 

Hunt’s mission is so big that it will take two movies to complete a double-sized task of finding two halves of a Wicked Important Key. What happens in this movie is only the beginning, and at the risk of revealing spoilers, that is all I’ll divulge. But the standard plot in these movies always includes a handful of the usual ingredients: disarming nuclear bombs, those goofy unmaskings, rogue agents, double-crosses, terror networks, Cruise running (and running), and other elements of intrigue.

But the plot is never integral to the enjoyment. The movies are built around death-defying showcases of suspense and bravado that grow increasingly more mind-boggling with each sequel. We remember Cruise dangling off the world’s tallest building or free climbing a mountain in Utah, not stolen plutonium or biological weapons. Christopher McQuarrie, the only director to helm multiple “M:I” sequels, is back to lead the daredevil actor through more outrageous stunts. Proving that he does not need a “Top Gun” jet to get air, Cruise rides a motorbike off the edge of a cliff and then goes into a BASE jump and speed-flying maneuvers. If there were an Academy Award for stunts, this one would win. Check it out here.

The rest of the movie is just Cruise being Cruise. He races through the streets of Rome, driving a yellow Fiat, sometimes in reverse, while handcuffed to Hayley Atwell. There’s also a stunning train derailment sequence in which the actor dangles off the edge as a piano threatens to crash on his head. Knowing that Cruise performs all his own stunts significantly ups the ante.

McQuarrie, an Oscar-winner for writing “The Usual Suspects,” also co-wrote “Dead Reckoning Part One” alongside Erik Jendresen. Returning to the fray are Hunt’s main men Ving Rhames as IMF computer hacker Luther Stickell and Simon Pegg as trusted technician Benji Dunn. Rebecca Ferguson reprises her role as British intelligence agent Ilsa Faust and Vanessa Kirby steps back into the European criminal underworld as Alanna Mitsopolis, aka the White Widow. Along with Atwell (Agent Carter in the Marvel movies), playing the mischievous Grace, are Esai Morales and Pom Klementieff, as a pair of baddies. Shea Whigham and Greg Tarzan Davis are fellow agents who just can’t seem to get their hands on the slippery spy.  

Hunt’s latest adventure is loud, tense, funny, and almost three hours long. At some points, I felt pummelled into submission, but it was worth it. Be it keys or Dials of Destiny, there are plot points and set pieces here that will remind you of other movies currently in theaters. I guess daring car chases through Rome, fighting atop moving trains, and busting up the Spanish Steps are popular pursuits this summer. Nonetheless, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. That’s because watching an action masterpiece in a crowded theater with everyone either cheering or holding their collective breath is the adrenaline rush “M:I” movies demand. Bring on “Part Two,” because I can’t wait to see how Cruise and Company top themselves. ‘Mission’ accomplished.

‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ 

Rating:  PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some language and suggestive material.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Frederick Schmidt, Cary Elwes, Mark Gatiss, Indira Varma, Rob Delaney

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Writers: Bruce Geller, Erik Jendresen, Christopher McQuarrie

Running time: 156 minutes

Where to watch: In theaters everywhere on Wednesday, July 12

Grade: A-