Mission Impossible-Dead Reckoning review: Chase sequences, stunts, acting mixed in right proportions
If MI goes beyond Dead Reckoning Part II, it would be interesting to see what the makers have in store for Hayley. She could well take over from Cruise.
Hyderabad: Tom Cruise is now a synonym for action movies, be it in Top Gun or the Mission Impossible series. The hexagenerian does not show his age and redefines the action movie genre. If you think you have seen him hang out of the Burj Khalifa, a C-100 Hercules aircraft or free climb the face of a mountain and were thrilled by it, wait till you watch Dead Reckoning.
MI has been among one of the oldest film franchises spanning for about three decades. Every time a release comes out in the franchise, there is always something new in terms of action sequences.
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The plot begins with events after the Fallout. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) of the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) is tasked with retrieving one half of a key from his ally Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who has a bounty placed on her.
This time, Hunt’s nemesis is not a man or an organisation targeting him, or a nation. It is also not a bio-weapon. It is ‘the Entity’, an artificial intelligence with enough power to rule or ruin the world. Hunt, as usual, goes rouge and helping him are his usual colleagues/friends – Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), and Ilsa. What follows is some breathtaking action sequences.
MI stories have never been realistic, and this does not fall too far away from the tree. It does maintain a niche of its own and does not follow the series trend of Bond and Bourne. Luckily, it does not go overboard like Fast and Furious.
Director Christopher McQuarrie uses the best elements of the MI franchise and ensures that the viewers, especially the fans, are not disappointed. Dead Reckoning has the best action sequences till date in the MI franchise. This in comparison to Cruise performing a halo jump, or hanging from the side of an aeroplane, or climbing the Burj Khalifa.
With the return and additions of characters like Alanna Mitsopolis (Vanessa Kirby), Grace (Hayley Atwell), and Paris (Pom Klementieff), the likes of Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson do not have much to do and take a backseat.
It is almost like the proverbial ‘passing the torch’. If you think you would see a performance overshadowing the veteran Cruise, you are gravely mistaken. This is a good example for those who wonder as to why Cruise is one of the highly paid actors worldwide. Hats off to his stamina and his willingness to perform his own stunts. When he is not busy playing a stuntman, he acts well.
You not only get to watch some breathtaking action sequences, but you also get to watch some lovely locales. It is refreshing to see Hayley Atwell stand her ground amongst the veterans.
If MI goes beyond Dead Reckoning Part II, it would be interesting to see what the makers have in store for Hayley. She could well take over from Cruise.
Dead Reckoning is to the point. This is a good example of how chase sequences, death defying stunts and acting must be mixed in the right proportions for an action movie. Watch it for Tom Cruise, for whom, nothing seems impossible.
