Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Part One) (2023)
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Ethan Hunt and his team must race against time to stop a rogue artificial intelligence from controlling the world's digital infrastructure.
The story
After a high-tech Russian submarine is destroyed by a sentient artificial intelligence known as the 'Entity,' the world's powers scramble to find a two-piece cruciform key that could control the AI. IMF agent Ethan Hunt leads a team to track down the key's components while evading various enemies and the Entity's influence. The mission becomes a desperate race to secure the key before it falls into the wrong hands, as the Entity's reach into cyberspace threatens global security.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film begins with the destruction of the Sevastopol, a Russian submarine, by a sentient AI called the 'Entity.' The world's powers seek a two-piece cruciform key to control the AI. Ethan Hunt retrieves the first piece from Ilsa Faust and later faces off against Gabriel, a man from his past who works for the Entity. Ethan's team—Benji and Luther—joins the hunt for the second piece. The plot involves multiple locations including the Abu Dhabi International Airport, Rome, and Venice. In Venice, Ethan and Ilsa face Gabriel and a thief named Grace. After several betrayals and the death of Ilsa, the hunt culminates on a train in the Alps. Gabriel attempts to use the key to control the Entity, while Ethan and Grace fight to stop him. In the climax, Ethan manages to steal the key from Gabriel during a fight on a moving train, and the film ends with him and Grace preparing to continue the mission.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 163
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christopher McQuarrie
- Writers
- Christopher McQuarrie · writer; Erik Jendresen · writer
- Cast and characters
- Tom Cruise · Ethan Hunt; Hayley Atwell · Grace; Ving Rhames · Luther Stickell; Simon Pegg · Benji Dunn; Rebecca Ferguson · Ilsa Faust; Vanessa Kirby · Alanna Mitsopolis; Esai Morales · Gabriel; Pom Klementieff · Paris; Mariela Garriga · Marie; Henry Czerny · Eugene Kittridge
- Genres
- action; spy
- Themes
- Man vs. Machine; Sacrifice; Technology's Dangers
- Tone and mood
- Thrilling; Action-packed
- Premise and plot tags
- Spy; Artificial Intelligence; High-Stakes Action
- Franchise connections
- Mission: Impossible
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and was praised for its action sequences and performances, though it was considered a box-office disappointment relative to its high budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 81 · scale: 100 · review count: 66; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 90% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Sound · Nominated; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · Nominated
- Production trivia
- One of the most expensive films ever made.; The first film in the franchise to be shot digitally.; The film was originally intended to be titled 'Dead Reckoning Part Two'.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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