A review of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
By Abak Hussain
Just how much weight should be put on a sexagenarian’s shoulders?
For thirty years, IMF agent Ethan Hunt has been getting mission after thankless mission tossed at him, nailing every single one, saving the world, and yet getting mistreated by the authorities – hounded, chased, and beaten up like a human piñata.
But Ethan keeps doing what is right, fighting the good fight, because he is the ultimate dark knight, and now here he appears for his swan song, manifested by the 63-year-old Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.
Photo Source: Official Poster
Old enough to be my grandfather, Cruise dives deep into the ocean, hangs off an old-school biplane, and engages in all manner of physical contortions that had me squirming at such disrespect being hurled at our elder. But let’s face it, only Tom Cruise, with his unimpeachable superstar cred and utter defiance of the human aging process could bring such a ludicrous role to light.
He is the patron saint of the impossible – he is Chuck Norris and Rajnikanth rolled into one. Not a second of Final Reckoning makes any sense from a realistic point of view, but it’s all so much fun. I suggest you grab a large box of popcorn before you go in.
After thirty years of seeing this formula, I feel no urge to go over the story line. You know it already, unless you’ve been living under a rock.
Rest assured, all the well-loved franchise tropes are there – masks being pulled off at high-tension moments, a villain that threatens nothing less than the full on annihilation of the world as we know it, incompetent buffoons in seats of authority twiddling their thumbs not knowing what to do, Hunt and his team keeping their eyes on the ball as always in a race against time.
Photo Source: Official Trailer
It doesn’t matter how many governments and armies and agencies are involved in a problem, you and I both know the fate of the world will always come down to two simultaneously played out fist-fights, quickly cut from one scene to the other to ratchet up the tension.
You can also bet on it that at some point you will see Tom Cruise run. It doesn’t matter how much the United States spends on its military, on supersonic fighter jets, or on high-tech drones – the fate of every soul on the planet always comes down to Tom Cruise’s cardiovascular conditioning.
The sheer absurdity of all of this is exactly the joy of the franchise. I mean, the word impossible is right there in the title. Over-the-top action is what you pay for and that is what you get.
Interesting to observe beyond the superficial aspects though, is Cruise’s transformation from a youngish super-competent agent to an almost Christ-like figure who will take the sins of the world onto his own shoulders, and will always, always make the correct moral choice.
In this way, Ethan Hunt is completely different from James Bond – for Bond, the work is often about the thrill of the chase, and is punctuated by his incorrigible womanizing. Not so for Hunt – he accepts the mission reluctantly, guided by an unshakeable moral compass, never seeing it as a joyride.
This character growth makes the last instalment of the franchise feel a bit heavy at times. Director Christopher MacQuarrie seems to be making a bit more out of the IMF agent than was needed, but it also makes sense that after 30 years, Ethan will change internally.
Cruise refrains from doing his cocky smirk, and traces of juvenile behavior are all gone. He still knows exactly who he is and stands confident, but is less eager to charm.
One sees a similar energy in Tom Cruise the actor – outside of the reality of the movie, in his interviews and press junket. He is at the same time perhaps the last of a dying breed of the old-fashioned movie star – the kind of name that can single-handedly ensure box office success. But he plays it off with humility and a chummy I’m-just-your-boy-Tom vibe.
After so many decades in the limelight, Cruise has become a veteran of this balancing act – being relatable and likeable while simultaneously giving the public what it paid for: a true Big-Screen Star way beyond the rest of us ordinary mortals.
Abak Hussain is Contributing Editor at MW Bangladesh.
