Shadows on the Wall | Mission: Impossible

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

dir Christopher McQuarrie
scr Christopher McQuarrie, Erik Jendresen
prd Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie
with Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Angela Bassett, Greg Tarzan Davis, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman
release US/UK 23.May.25
25/UK Paramount 2h49

CANNES FILM FEST

See also:

Is it streaming?

klementieff, davis, cruise, pegg and atwell

Leaning heavily into the impossible, this thumping action thriller works overtime to pull the audience into various heart-stopping races against time. Tom Cruise and his team are again battling enormous obstacles as they take on a villainous computer programme and nasty people who don't trust him to save the world. Cruise and filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie have perfected this formula, with its extraordinary stuntwork and outrageously impenetrable plot exposition.

With an artificial intelligence programme plotting the end of humanity, Ethan (Cruise) and his cohorts (Atwell, Rhames and Pegg) must go rogue, concocting increasingly outrageous plans in their effort to stop this entity without destroying civilisation in the process. Joined by former foes, assassin Paris (Klementieff) and agent Degas (Davis), they face formidable opposition from Gabriel (Morales), who has his own plan for the entity, and their boss Kittridge (Czerny), who doesn't trust them. But US President Sloane (Bassett) takes their side, so they head out on various last-gasp missions that hinge on blink-of-an-eye miracles.

Obviously, everything has to be bigger this time around, with absolutely jaw-dropping stunts in the air, on land and under icy Arctic waters. As always, Cruise impressively throws himself full-bodied into the action, quickening our pulses with each desperate set-piece. And since this is carefully set up to bring together threads from the previous seven movies, complete with flickering flashbacks and emotive twists, there's a sense that he might not survive this time around. As if.

Cruise inhabits this character superbly, balancing Ethan's earnest heroics with biting humour and the feeling that he genuinely cares for his colleagues. This offers a few deeper moments performance-wise than he usually gets. Costars get extra drama and comedy as well, most notably Atwell, Rhames and Pegg, while leaving some scene-stealing room for superb actors like Bassett, Waddingham, Tillman and, in a smaller role, Offerman.

Even so, the running time feels bloated with extended nonsensical attempts to make sense of the plot, using wordy gibberish that's even less plausible than some of the physics-defying physicality. Continually trying to explain what's going on only leaves us waiting impatiently for the next enjoyably nail-biting race against another ticking clock. But it's well worth the wait, and the climactic moment is wonderfully staged. Cruise could no doubt continue doing this for many more years, but it might be nice to see some youngsters save the world for a change.

themes, language, violence 22.May.25

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

Still waiting for your comments ... don't be shy.