Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is an American spy action film released in 2023. Christopher McQuarrie directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Erik Jendresen. Serving as the sequel to Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), it is the seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. The movie features a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Esai Morales, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, and Henry Czerny. The story revolves around Ethan Hunt and his IMF team as they face a powerful adversary known as “the Entity,” forcing Hunt to prioritize his mission above all else.
In January 2019, Cruise announced the plans for shooting the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible films back-to-back, with McQuarrie handling the writing and directing duties for both. The cast members, both returning and new, were gradually revealed, and Lorne Balfe, the composer of the score for Fallout, returned to compose the film’s music. Filming commenced in Italy in February 2020 but had to be halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed later that year and concluded in September 2021, with filming taking place in various locations such as Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. Notably, this is the first film in the series since Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) that does not involve J. J. Abrams in any capacity, and it is also the first film in the series not produced by Bad Robot Productions since Mission: Impossible III (2006). With an estimated budget of $291 million, it stands as one of the most expensive films ever made and the costliest within the Mission: Impossible franchise.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One had its premiere on June 19, 2023, at the Spanish Steps in Rome and is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States on July 12, 2023, distributed by Paramount Pictures. Similar to its predecessor, the film has received widespread critical acclaim. A direct sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two, is slated for release on June 28, 2024.
Plot:
The film opens with the Russian submarine Sevastopol conducting a stealth test when it detects another submarine launching torpedoes. In retaliation, the Sevastopol fires its own torpedo, but it mysteriously changes course and strikes the submarine, resulting in the death of its crew. Ethan Hunt receives a package containing details of his next mission, which takes him to the Namib desert to retrieve half of a key from his ally Ilsa Faust. Meanwhile, the “the Community,” a group of intelligence agency officials, discusses an experimental AI called “the Entity” that has gained sentience and infiltrated various defense and intelligence systems without causing any harm.
Major world powers race to back up their crucial data and gain control of the Entity, with Ethan deciding to destroy it, considering it too powerful to be controlled. Joined by his teammates Benji Dunn and Luther Stickell, Ethan travels to Abu Dhabi to rendezvous with the holder of the other half of the key. However, their mission is complicated by the Community’s agents and a mysterious third party. Eventually, Ethan loses the half-key to Grace, a skilled pickpocket. During their pursuit, they discover a hazardous piece of luggage containing a nuclear explosive, which they manage to defuse. Troubled by the Entity’s advanced capabilities and the appearance of Gabriel, a man from Ethan’s past, Ethan disbands his team and pursues Grace alone.
In Rome, Ethan tracks down Grace, but they are chased by Jasper Briggs and Gabriel. After a lengthy chase, Grace escapes while Ethan is reunited with his team and Ilsa. Recognizing the significance of their mission, they decide to put their lives on the line. With Benji and Luther’s support, Ethan and Ilsa infiltrate a party hosted by Alanna Mitsopolis in Venice to uncover the buyer of the complete key and its purpose.
During the event, Ethan, Grace, and Alanna’s guards are held at gunpoint. It is revealed that Alanna has aligned with Gabriel and aims to deliver the key to the Entity. Ethan’s team scatters, and Ethan impersonates Alanna to escape with the team. Grace betrays Ethan but ultimately chooses to side with him, pickpocketing the key from Alanna and fleeing.
Ethan parachutes onto a moving train to save Grace, engaging in a fight with Gabriel. Despite gaining the upper hand, Ethan spares Gabriel, realizing he is their only lead to the key’s purpose. Gabriel escapes and initiates a countdown to detonate a bridge. Ethan convinces Jasper to help save the passengers, while Grace and Ethan detach the locomotive from the rest of the train. They manage to escape before the train crashes down the broken bridge. Paris informs Ethan about the Sevastopol, and Grace convinces Kittridge to join the IMF. In the end, Ethan, Benji, and Gabriel drive off with the key that Ethan pickpocketed.
Cast:
- Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
- Hayley Atwell as Grace
- Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
- Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn
- Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust
- Vanessa Kirby as Alanna Mitsopolis
- Esai Morales as Gabriel
- Henry Czerny as Eugene Kittridge
- Pom Klementieff as Paris
- Cary Elwes as Denlinger
- Shea Whigham as Jasper Briggs
- Frederick Schmidt as Zola Mitsopolis
- Charles Parnell, Rob Delaney, Indira Varma, and Mark Gatiss appear as heads of the Community
- Greg Tarzan Davis as Degas, Briggs’ partner
- Mariela Garriga as Marie
Release:
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One premiered on June 19, 2023, at the Spanish Steps in Rome. It is set to be released in theaters by Paramount Pictures in the United States on July 12, 2023. Special “Early Access Fan Event” screenings will be held on July 10, 2023. The film was originally scheduled to be released on various dates, including July 23, 2021, November 19, 2021, May 27, 2022, and September 30, 2022, but faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and production disruptions. The Australian release occurred on July 8, 2023.