Film & Television

John Maguire: Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning brings action back to life

Christopher McQuarrie’s latest outing in the franchise replaces the empty shell of CGI with a physical, kinetic cinema that feels grounded in time and space

Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell in Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, directed by Christopher McQuarrie; Nationwide, 12A; rating: ****

The new Mission: Impossible adventure, Dead Reckoning Part One, is named after a nautical term that means re-charting a course based on a vessel’s last known fixed position.

As a metaphor for reigniting the dwindling appeal of computer-generated blockbusters, this seventh and penultimate instalment could hardly be more appropriate. Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and his eternal star Tom Cruise are consciously ...