He certainly doesn't do things by halves, Tom Cruise. In Mission : Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, there are some jaw-dropping moments.
Stunning cinematography, amazing stunts, and edge-of-seat moments involving Cruise riding off a cliff on a motorbike (a scene he apparently did six times before he was happy with the take), I simply can't imagine anyone not enjoying this film!
Along with Harrison Ford, Cruise is a real champion of the cinema, and I'd be really sad if you waited for this to arrive on streaming services, and half watched it on the sofa whilst scrolling through social media. This demands the big screen experience, and your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to go and see it this week!
The AI-centred plot revolves around locating two halves of a key, which opens up something world-changing and mysterious, but really this isn't about intricate storylines. It's about an epic car chase in a yellow Fiat 500, it's about sizzling star turns from Rebecca Ferguson, and Vanessa Kirby, and it's about amazing locations beautifully shot. Amazing to think a lot of it was filmed during the pandemic, and famously Tom Cruise stuck to Covid protocol rigidly, unless some politicians we could mention.
Ethan Hunt shows no signs of slowing down, as he continues his work for the shadowy International Mission Force. I really liked Hayley Atwell as light-fingered Grace, who had great chemistry with Cruise, with plenty of wise cracks and one-liners. The closing sequence on the runaway train is nothing short of breathtaking, and one of the best I've ever seen in an action film. Simon Pegg returns and is always good value, as he attempts to provide directions to the train to Tom Cruise whilst his car is on self-drive mode. I can't find fault with this one at all. A ten out of ten, and a contender for my favourite film of the year. Hard to believe it's been 27 years since the first Cruise incarnation of Mission Impossible. Roll on Part Two.
Also this week, I enjoyed a few jumpy moments in Insidiuous : The Red Door, which is the closing chapter thirteen years after the terrifying original. I remember watching the first in a creepy cinema in Skipton, and feeling genuine fear afterwards when my car wouldn't start in the street outside! This one wasn't as nerve-shredding, but did contain one moment that made me shout out in surprise. Mind you, I'm the jumpiest person ever, which is probably why my wife refuses to watch any horror films with me.
This is a film about confronting your demons and closing the door on the Lambert family's troubled and blood-soaked past. The original cast returns for this one, although Rose Byrne only really appears fairly fleetingly. Newcomer and long-time franchise fan Sinclair Daniel was the highlight for me as Chris, who is Dalton's quirky room mate at college and becomes integral to his fight against the forces lurking behind the red door he's painted. It's all very far fetched and silly, but I've seen far worse horrors. On the 'chills down the spine' scale, it's a solid four out of ten.
