Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

by Mike McGranaghan

I don’t think anyone loves the Mission: Impossible franchise as much as star Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie do. That’s not an insult, by the way. The latest installment, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, is not only the second half of 2023’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, it’s also a loving tribute to the entire series. The non-stop self-referencing gets a little old after a while, although there’s something nice about knowing a picture was made with an abundance of passion.

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) continues his hunt for “the Entity,” an AI program that has gone sentient and begun the process of turning the world’s nations against each other. He has the special key needed to obtain its original source code and now must make his way to the sunken submarine where it’s housed. The rest of the team – computer guy Luther (Ving Rhames), tech whiz Benji (Simon Pegg), pickpocket Grace (Hayley Atwell), and assassin Paris (Pom Klementieff) – are on board to help. Meanwhile, old nemesis Gabriel (Esai Morales) is seeking to get his hands on that key in hopes of joining forces with the AI.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. American President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett) is forced to confront the realization that destroying the Entity means wiping out cyberspace – an act that will have cataclysmic effects on the world economy, among other things. Her panel of advisers, including the Secretary of Defense (Holt McCallany) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Nick Offerman), attempt to pull her in different directions.

The first third of The Final Reckoning advances the plot while simultaneously recapping the events of Dead Reckoning. You practically need GPS to follow the plot, so those flashbacks are helpful. From there, the story kicks into full gear but also makes lots of references to previous installments. Minor characters from the prior movies factor in, as do important moments from Hunt’s past missions. If you have an encyclopedic knowledge of the franchise, you’re likely to be delighted. If not, the approach will feel needlessly self-indulgent.

Regardless, the film has enough of the frenetic action we’ve come to expect. A sequence showing Hunt getting to and traversing the submarine runs at least ten minutes and is exciting for how that length conveys the massive effort required on his part. A couple of good shootouts and fistfights are present, too. The absolute highlight is a climactic aerial chase where Hunt and Gabriel go after each other on biplanes. Cruise visibly does some of his own stunts for the sequence. Seeing the actor hanging off the side of a plane as it dips and weaves is tense beyond description. It isn’t hyperbole to say this is one of the most accomplished, thrilling action scenes ever put on screen.

Such commitment is a big part of what makes Cruise a mega-star. He’s just as committed in the non-action parts. You can feel what Ethan Hunt means to him via his charismatic performance. Even better, Cruise gets to bring a new angle to the character this time. The fate of the world is literally in Hunt’s hands, and the actor conveys the toll that weight takes. You get some of his finest work here, thanks to the screenplay’s ability to equate the potential personal damage and the more overt physical damage an Entity victory would cause.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning features wonderful work from the supporting actors. Camaraderie between the team members is emphasized in this chapter, bringing an extra level of fun. It may not be the best M:I movie, but if this is indeed our last voyage with Ethan Hunt, we’re still going out with a bang.

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