The keynote stunt featuring Tom Cruise has become the stuff of legends. Cruise, known for his daring feats, performed it six times in a single day until he was satisfied. Picture this: Cruise’s compact body floating effortlessly off a high cliff-edge, dropping to earth from between his diamond-hard thighs while riding a motorbike. With a roaring engine, he launches into the sky, pulls the ripcord on his parachute, and gracefully descends towards the speeding Orient Express, ready for a thrilling fight on top. The audience gasped in awe, and someone behind me exclaimed, “Oh shi-i-i…”
This outrageously enjoyable spectacle left me in awe of its sheer stamina, scale, and creativity. As the seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, with Cruise reprising his role as Ethan Hunt, the leader of the Impossible Mission Force, it showcases the exhilarating adventures of this top-secret intelligence and combat unit. When the US government needs deniable operations carried out, they turn to the IMF. And yes, while their initials may share a resemblance to the International Monetary Fund, the film finally addresses this joke, which reviewers like us have made for years.
Seventh films! Daniel Craig grew tired of being 007 after just five. Yet, at the age of 61, Cruise looks better than ever and fully committed to the IMF. While other actors his age may explore offbeat character roles, Cruise was already doing those twenty years ago for directors like Paul Thomas Anderson and Michael Mann. The Mission: Impossible series is his calling, and Cruise has single-handedly revived the action genre, infusing it with respectability and purpose while becoming the savior of the box-office and the live cinema experience. But it begs the question: Does he have an exit strategy for this franchise? As with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” this film is divided into two parts, and Cruise hints at potential sacrifices and the importance of friendships. Should we be concerned about the conclusion of Part Two?
In this film, like many of its predecessors, evil forces seek a mysterious object, known as the MacGuffiny object, which grants them the power to control or destroy the world. Ethan and his team are humanity’s only hope to stop them. The action sequences are fantastic, including an exhilarating chase through Rome reminiscent of the classic film “The Italian Job,” a grand train scene on par with “Paddington 2,” and Tom Cruise’s impressive horsemanship skills in the Arabian desert. With his headdress, he embodies the epitome of hunkiness. The tension starts right from the beginning, aboard a Russian sub named the Sebastopol, providing a subtle nod to Putinist chauvinism connected to Crimea. Here, we are introduced to a bejeweled cruciform key divided into two, an oddly low-tech object that, when combined, grants its owner control over a new and terrifying form of AI, capable of infiltrating any operating system in the world. The genie is already beginning to escape its bottle.
Ethan gathers his crew, including the quirky Benji, played by Simon Pegg, whose role often involves directing Ethan from a distance as the protagonist races across various terrains. Ving Rhames portrays Luther, Ethan’s supposed best friend, although their relationship does not appear particularly close. Rebecca Ferguson returns as ex-MI6 operative Ilsa, while Vanessa Kirby portrays arms dealer White Widow, who had a memorable encounter with Ethan in the previous film. Pom Klementieff joins the cast as a badass martial-arts expert determined to bring Ethan down under Gabriel’s (Esai Morales) menacing command. Hayley Atwell adds her English charm to the role of Grace, a bold criminal who has an intriguing connection with Ethan and becomes an integral part of the team.
Naturally, the film features the iconic scenes of Cruise sprinting and the use of rubber masks. This time around, there is a comedic twist as characters suspiciously tug at each other’s faces to determine if they’re genuine. However, one particular plot twist throws a humorous wrench into the mix, involving Benji’s malfunctioning plastic-mask-fabricating machine, resembling a waffle maker.
While I have been skeptical and critical of the Mission: Impossible franchise in the past, this film’s sheer entertainment value, its unique blend of silliness and seriousness, and the franchise’s continuous desire to push boundaries rather than dwindle make it truly remarkable. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will hit theaters on July 8th in Australia, July 12th in the UK and the US.
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