Ethan Hunt and the IMF team must track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than the mission - not even the lives of those he cares about most.

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Not only is this the third Mission: Impossible collaboration but Dead Reckoning Part One marks fifteen years of cinematic collaboration between Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie, having first worked together on the sublime and criminally underrated WWII drama Valkyrie. 

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While the Mission: Impossible series have been brilliant espionage action thrillers, since McQuarrie has taken the director’s chair, in Rogue Nation and Fallout they have crafted two of the best blockbuster action spectacles ever made. By their own standard Dead Reckoning Part One had a lot to live up to. While it may not reach the dizzying heights of the previous two classic instalments, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is a nail biting, action stacked, popcorn blockbuster to be seen multiple times on the biggest screen you can find.

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Having the space of two films, Dead Reckoning Part One uses the first act to establish the threat that Ethan and the IMF team are faced with vanquishing. Not only is it reminiscent of old 90’s espionage thrillers like Hunt for the Red October but also of the first M:I instalment that cranks up the tension without an extravagant action set piece in sight. 

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However, without any spoilers, there are some narrative choices that seem rushed, even with such an amount of time to play with. The emotional beats, which have been so strong particularly in the last two instalments, feel uneven, and don’t carry the kind of weight that they should. 

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Having AI, The Entity, as the ‘baddie’ is a tough tightrope to walk. Whenever there is a faceless enemy, I reckon you have to be able to see it's unpredictability coupled with the devastating power of the faceless foe. That isn’t always apparent here and Gabriel, who is in cahoots with The Entity, is nowhere near as menacing as Sean Harris’ villain Solomon Lane from the previous instalments. A move to off the grid spy work to escape the clutches of The Entity also seemed like a largely lost opportunity. 

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So, dear reader, if you’ve made it this far through the review, you may be thinking why the four stars then? Because I’m measuring Dead Reckoning Part One largely against the rest of the franchise which crafted, in Rogue Nation and Fallout, hands down espionage action thriller classics. That’s pretty damn hard to beat. Dead Reckoning Part One probably will be the best action blockbuster you’ll see in 2023. And what makes it stand out from all the rest are its nail biting stunts and Hayley Atwell. 

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The car chase throughout the streets of Rome is superb, and even though we’ve seen the motorbike jump into the abyss several times in promos of the film it’s still incredible, but the end train sequence will have you squirming in your seat. It is sensational. 

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Speaking of sensational Hayley Atwell is the MVP of Dead Reckoning Part One which is saying a lot with Mr. Blockbuster himself, Tom Cruise, helming proceedings. Her chemistry with Cruise is electric and the character crafted here is one of the best story arcs in the whole M:I franchise. Can’t wait to see what they do with her in Dead Reckoning Part Two. June 2024 can’t come soon enough. 

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While it may not reach the dizzying heights of the previous two classic instalments, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is a nail biting, action stacked, popcorn blockbuster to be seen multiple times on the biggest screen you can find.