Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): Pratical Stunts agains AI

2023 • Christopher McQuarrie • 2.39:1 • Jump to Gallery ↓

The penultimate instalment of the long-running franchise, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, is directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Designed as the first part of a two-film conclusion, it follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they pursue a powerful AI system capable of manipulating global information networks, with multiple factions attempting to gain control of it.

In keeping with the series’ structure, the film moves between various global locations, from desert landscapes to Italian cities, culminating in a climactic sequence aboard a moving train. The film functions as an almost continuous chase, transitioning seamlessly from one extended action set piece to the next. As in previous films, practical stunt work plays a central role, with sequences such as the motorcycle cliff jump and the train crash adding to the immediacy and scale of the spectacle.

Dead Reckoning Part One takes the franchise’s formula further by emphasising globetrotting adventure and a greater commitment to physical stunts. In doing so, it establishes itself as a contemporary blockbuster with a tangible spectacle in an era dominated by computer-generated visuals, as its story itself takes on artificial intelligence.

Technical Specs:

• The Story: Ethan Hunt and his IMF team race across the globe to track down a powerful AI known as “The Entity” before it falls into the wrong hands, confronting ghosts from the past and moral dilemmas that threaten the future. Read my review of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
• Actors: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis.
• Director: Christopher McQuarrie
• Year: 2023
• Cinematographer: Fraser Taggart
• Origin: American Cinema
• Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
• Genre: Action & Adventure / Spy Films