IR Film Review: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING - PART I [Paramount]
The perspective of a “Mission Impossible” film is about how far it can be pushed. The stakes have almost become an inaccurate reflection of itself. With "Dead Reckoning - Part I", the propulsion, while still there, is less apparent while still at the right production level. In that perspective, the film is perfectly acceptable, almost a throwback but with the previous chapter "Fallout" (because of a couple different characters), it success was a better fit. This is not to say that Tom Cruise is not giving his all. He even is able to make fun of himself more in this one, especially in a airport sequence as well as a car chase through Rome. This journalist was able to see the full action sequence of Rome at Cinemacon in April. Lifted from the rest of the film, this is the best sequence (though the Paris one in "Fallout" was equally thrilling).
As this one goes on, "Dead Reckoning - Part I" does reflect in an ironic (and forward thinking) way (since alot of this film was shot almost 2 years ago during the pandemic) in terms of its subject matter. But every time the actual MacGuffin is referred to, it takes the audience out because it is less concrete than one would think (although its power is not -- or its impact on society as a whole at this specific moment in time). Esai Morales works well as Gabriel, which is an obvious ironic ode as well but his motivations become less than obvious as a human character (unless he is not --but that would almost be too far). His (and the movie's progression) is a metaphor for the analog versus the digital which is a bigger discussion and one that Cruise and McQuarrie obviously push to the forefront.
While most of the active participants are in play, Rebecca Ferguson although effective seems more out of place here, maybe because of the way the last film ended which puts her as an effective character neither here nor there. Hayley Atwell as new entry Grace fares better but despite the background of the character, she still more reflects like a damsel at times in distress instead of Ferguson's colder and harder assassin. It is a tricky balance for sure and with so many moving parts, the aspect can get lost in the mechanics (plus there is the obvious romantic connotation at times between her and Cruise as Hunt). Even Pom Klementieff, so disarming in something like "Guardians Of The Galaxy", gets less to work with (although as a bad ass, she had a close quarters fight with Cruise in an alley that is among the best in the film). It is ironic that a sequence like that brings to mind "Mission Impossible" to its roots, more than a large car chase (which obviously costs a lot more money). This could also be due to Henry Czerny returning as Kittrich for the first time since the first film in the series. But returning to the roots is important but it has to be done in certain ways.
This is something that should be learned from "Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny". The best moments in that film came from the small moments of Ford really digging into the character and his history. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Here you can see the glimpses of the "actor" Tom Cruise when he used to take more creative chances (I look back to the 1999-2001 period when he made "Magnolia", "Eyes Wide Shut" and "Mission Impossible II" back to back). Cruise has stated that "mass entertainment" is what is of interest to him now and no one can debate his impact. Once he tires or shifts from death defying as a matter of course, it will be an interesting shift. Doug Liman got him to do it in most of his movies (and more so in that context with "American Made"), "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part I" has its own stakes and aspect of a cliffhanger but it doesn't quite give one a sense of wonder despite the immense energy, precisness and intent found in it. But it is still a fun movie. B+
By Tim Wassberg
