Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning (2023)

Plot of the Film: A Russian super submarine the Sebastopol, is tricked by its own AI system into torpedoing itself and all the crew die, including two who have the halves of a complex key, capable of controlling the AI system. Later the two halves of the key are being traded in the real world, those who wish to own it believing that they can control the AI system, which has become sentient and is gaining control of all computer systems in the world.  Ethan Hunt and his team are therefore tasked with getting the two halves of the key and handing them over to some part of the US government. Meanwhile the Entity has a couple of people on its side who are also trying to get the key, and also a small team of secret service people are chasing hunt and his guys. Hunt is assisted by Luther and Benji as well as British MI6 operative Ilsa Faust. He also recruits expert thief Grace who at times has half of the key. Hunt and Grace chase the bits if the key all over Europe, at times taking on Gabriel and Paris who seem to be working for the Entity, and intercepting the efforts by some to sell bits of the key, particularly Alanna Mitsopolis, the White Widow.

Content: No sex or nudity, or drinking or drug taking. The film is a series of set pieces loosely linked by discussions with bits of the American government. The first is the loss of the Sebastopol, which we know is probably the source of the Entity, although Hunt, even if he gets the key, does not know what it does. Initially he is out in the desert on a horse, being chased by mercenaries, linking up with Faust. Later Hunt finds Grace at Dubai airport and they dash about avoiding the people who are after them. Grace’s ability as a thief is useful.  Later they end in Rome where they have a car chase round the city and then in Venice at a party held by the White Widow and Ilsa is killed by Gabriel (oh dear!). They  move on to the Orient Express. Hunt and Gabriel fight on the roof of the train, and Gabriel sets the train on an uncontrolled destiny with a blown up bridge. He then escapes. Hunt and Grace have to survive the carriages gradually falling into a gorge.

A View: This film was apparently plagued by the COVID-19 virus which increased its costs, only reduced on the payment of insurance. Even so it has not been considered to be a box office success. The critics quite liked it and so did I. It took a lot of quite well known set pieces used in previous films and put them together in spades. The car chase with the hero in a small continental vehicle, tick. The car dashing down a well known flight of steps, tick. The hero launched into space and opening a parachute, tick. The fight on the roof of the train, tick. The train plunging off a bridge which has been blown up, tick. And more. But these sequences are will done and the plot is easy to follow, and Grace the new recruit, is heroic, sexy and vulnerable. It is all well done. So a watch if you like that sort of thing. It might even get me into the cinema for the sequel.

Fun fact: In the credits at the end of the film there is a statement that the cars in Rome did not actually drive down the Spanish Steps. It was all done in the studio