Cinematic Considerations

No one goes to see a “Mission: Impos s i ble ” movie for the plot. The who’s and why’s don’t really matter. It’s what Ethan Hunt and by extension, Tom Cruise as a performer and stuntman, are doing that makes this action franchise unlike any other.

Cruise continues to escape death and quite literally defy gravity as yet another international tale takes Ethan and his IMF team across the globe to prevent nuclear warfare. This time, it’s at the hands of rogue artificial intelligence introduced in 2023’s “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.”

Burdened with the fate of the world against him and a ridiculous mop haircut, Cruise isn’t doing anything above and beyond as an actor with dialogue scenes in “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.”

He still turns in the best effort of his career in the role thanks in large part to lengthy sequences shot in silence.

As much as viewers question how Ethan is able to stay alive, there’s still a prevalent thought on the mind of viewers as to just what risks the 62-year-old actor is taking himself in numerous stunt chase sequences. The claustrophobic underwater swims and harrowing aerial stunt work are on par with the ending sequence to “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.”

While the visuals and stunt work are the main reason to see “Final Reckoning,” longtime “Mission: Impossible” cast members Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg also raise the bar of their performances. The bonds that these performers have made over the course of making so many films together have blurred the emotional lines between performers.

Rhames especially is able to finally showcase just how talented of a dramatic actor he can be in a film series that often reduced his Luther to tech work and being the de facto father of the group.

Hayley Atwell also returns from “Dead Reckoning Part One” as Grace. Though her character is given almost nothing to do beyond being a sidekick and love interest to Ethan, the former “Captain America” star does prove to be a formidable part of the team in action sequences.

Co-writer and director Christopher McQuarrie, who has teamed with Cruise over the past three “M:I” films, elevated the quality of the franchise to new heights. He took a lackluster narrative and forced audiences to the edge of their seats with physically taxing, gorgeously shot action cinema that must be seen on the biggest screen possible.

The film features two of the most jaw dropping action stunt sequences done by the lead actor of a movie ever shot. The technically brilliant underwater section forced Cruise to demonstrate physicality and emotion over a 15-minute segment of “Final Reckoning.” This required the entire crew to communicate via hand signals while also underwater just off camera.

The most dazzling display of stunt work is the exhilarating aerial sequence that saw Cruise dangling off the side of a biplane while being thrown around tens of thousands of feet above the sky. The precision to execute death-defying leaps in and out of cockpits while acting in character and moving the stakes of the narrative forward is the reason why the academy should have been recognizing the work of stunt performers years ago.

In spite of its narrative flaws, “Final Reckoning” is a top-three entry in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise though not quite on the same dramatic scale as either the original film nor the masterpiece sixth installment, “Fallout.”

If it is to be the end of the line for Cruise as Ethan Hunt, this eighth installment elevates and honors the legacy that Brian De Palma and the “Mission: Impossible” team set out 30 years ago.

Matt Ward is a programmer for the Hill Country Film Festival and local film critic, who is also an official Rotten Tomatoes reviewer. Continue the conversation online at www.cinematicconsiderations. com