History Film / MissionImpossibleDeadReckoning

* SerialEscalation: In previous entries, Ethan went up against villains who are just as smart and combat-capable as he is, but Ethan is always able to come up on top due to them still being prone to human errors that he can exploit. [[spoiler:In this movie, Ethan has to fight a ''super intelligent sentient AI'' who has access to ''all'' digital information in the world. Its cold, calculating nature means it can anticipate every move Ethan would make and plan for almost every eventuality. It can process and manipulate data at such a terrifying speed that even master hackers like Luther and Benji cannot keep up and even feeds false information to them so that Ethan cannot rely on his usual helpers in the field. It relies on phantom agents like Gabriel, who has no identity and ''nothing'' that can be traced back except those who know him personally, to do its dirty work. In fact, the only reason it hasn't TakeOverTheWorld already is because ''it chose not to'', for reasons unknown for now. Needless to say, Ethan and his team have their work really cut out for them to even barely keep up with this beast.]]

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Realizing that the Entity functionally has surveillance over all government communication channels, Kittridge opts to set up shop in a fully analog office -- the TVs are CRT, the computers aren't networked to any known system, and the system it uses is an old weather control satellite that was the only one of its kind not decommissioned years earlier.

* TheBigBadShuffle: The first act of the film sets up a number of a potential antagonists after the {{Macguffin}} (Kittridge, Denlinger, the buyer for Ethan's half of the key, Gabriel, Paris, Grace and her employer, and of course the Entity) it isn't until after the second act that their various allegiances and who's behind or working with who begin to become apparent.

! Spoilers for all preceding ''Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries'', including ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'' may be left unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!

** Finally, it knows that all relevant parties [[spoiler:will be on the Orient Express train to procure the completed key, so it plans ahead to cause the entire train to crash and kill them all by having Gabriel bomb a bridge ahead and go in to recover the completed key, kill the train conductors and sabotage the engine, personally killing Denlinger (the only loose end who knows about the location of the ''Sevastopol'' and the Entity's own weakness) and Paris (whom it predicts will betray them because Ethan spared her life in Venice and who heard Denlinger's confession, though this ends up being a SelfFulfillingProphecy). It knows that Ethan is also going to be there, which is why it had Gabriel murdered Ilsa in Venice, knowing that Ethan will be driven by rage to murder Gabriel for killing two of the women he cared for and thus killing the only person who knows what the completed key is used for, meaning that nobody will learn about the Entity's weakness and ensures its ultimate victory. If Gabriel kills Ethan instead (Luther reasons), then the Entity's most dangerous enemy is dead. However, it doesn't get its way this time due to multiple [[SpannerInTheWorks spanners in the works]] at play that it couldn't prepare to account for them all.]]

** IMF members that have a habit of going rogue is brought up several times in the film, notably during a conversation between Briggs and Dejas in the third act, where they highlight the ridiculousness of the team getting away with as much as they do -- even if, as Dejas counters, they're always trying to do the right thing.

** It's the 'host' of the party in Venice to [[spoiler:the White Widow - the secret third party that hired Grace to steal the key in Abu Dhabi - where its true intention lies in ''not'' getting both keys from the White Widow right then but to intimidate her into joining it by having Gabriel threatening to kill her if she doesn't comply. Having Gabriel spell it out that he knows for a fact that either Ilsa or Grace - both of them someone Ethan cares for - will die tonight is enough to convince the White Widow to change her side in order to save her skin. Also, it knows that Ethan will do whatever it takes to protect the two women, so it hijacks the identity of Benji/Luther and leads Ethan into a trap while also coercing Ilsa that she's able to save Grace at the cost of her own life, knowing that thanks to her SamaritanSyndrome, she wouldn't just walk away and abandon Grace to be killed by Gabriel.]]

** During the alleyway fight in Venice, [[spoiler:Ethan manages to take down Paris, but leaves her alive. This, coupled with Gabriel attempting to kill her onboard the train because [[HeKnowsTooMuch she knows about]] the ''Sevastopol'', leads her to go back and save Ethan and Grace from DestinationDefenestration during the climax]].

* BlackTieInfiltration: The second act takes place in Venice, where Ethan follows the trail of Grace at a high class party (with nude dancers) at the Doge's Palace. Turns out White Widow, Gabriel and Paris are also there, and the Entity manifests on several screens during the tense meeting between all these folks.

* BountyHunter: Teams of them are after Ilsa in the beginning, seeking to claim her half of the key and sell it to either the US government or a black market buyer.
* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Realizing that the Entity functionally has surveillance over all government communication channels, Kittridge opts to set up shop in a fully-analog office -- the TV's are CRT, the computers aren't networked to any known system, and the system it uses is an old weather control satellite that was the only one of its kind not decommissioned years earlier.

* FailedASpotCheck: [[spoiler:Alanna (The White Widow) has blue eyes. Grace has brown eyes, which she doesn't change when disguised as Alanna via latex mask. Kettridge fails to notice the false Alanna's incorrect eye color, but he seems to have only met her a few times. Her own brother, who is her body guard, on the other hand, also fails to notice.]]

* MisguidedMissile: In the beginning of the film, the Entity tricks the ''Sevastopol'' submarine's crew into firing on a phantom enemy that fires on them first. As they're distracted by their imminent deaths, only for nothing to happen, their torpedo circles back and targets their sub, its remote detonator disabled. The sub is then hit and sinks to the bottom of the ocean, with most of its crew dying in the cold waters and their corpses hitting the ice near the surface. Unfortunately for the Entity, this act leaves a piece of its source code still on the sub, a potential vulnerability it seeks to eliminate.

* BusCrash: While the [[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout previous film]] never dealt with the whereabouts of [[Film/MissionImpossible Alanna's mother, Max]] (played by Creator/VanessaRedgrave), Kittridge confirms in this film that Max died in the interim between the original film and this movie.

** Eugene Kittridge returns, having been absent since [[Film/MissionImpossible the first film]], and plays a key role during the events of the film. During his first conversation with Hunt ([[spoiler:in Denlinger's office, after the latter has knocked out everyone except the former]]), the conversation revolves around Ethan's loyalties to the IMF, similar to their first conversation in Prague nearly three decades earlier.

** Downplayed, in that Gabriel himself does not display superior fighting skills while fighting [[spoiler:Ethan later, and is actually very clearly losing even though Ethan does not even hit back.]]

** Downplayed, in that Gabriel himself does not display superior fighting skills while fighting [[spoiler:Ethan later, and is actually losing even though Ethan does not even hit back]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite being one of the main antagonists of the previous installment, ''Fallout'', there is no mention as to what happened to [[PutOnABus Solomon Lane]] even though he survived the events of the film, nor are the [[AbortedArc Apostles]] mentioned.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Despite being one of the main antagonists of the previous installment, ''Fallout'', there is no mention as to what happened to [[PutOnABus Solomon Lane]], nor are the [[AbortedArc Apostles]] mentioned.

''Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One'' is a 2023 American {{action|Genre}} {{spy|Fiction}} {{thriller}} film and the seventh entry in the ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Mission: Impossible]]'' film series, written and directed by Creator/ChristopherMcQuarrie (his third in both duties after ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation Rogue Nation]]'' and ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFallout Fallout]]''), and starring Creator/TomCruise as Ethan Hunt once more.

** "Truth" forms the secondary theme of the movie. Many characters place a lot of emphasis on the fact that the Entity (and whoever controls it) has the power to ''define'' the truth. When one can control all information in the world, the truth is whatever one wants it to be. A natural foil to the murky world of spycraft that the characters live in. [[spoiler:The Entity demonstrates this firsthand by erasing Gabriel from the airport security camera footage in real time and impersonating Benji over the team's comms, leading characters where it wants them to.]]
* BadBoss: [[spoiler:Director of National Intelligence Denlinger is willing to purge undesirable "patriots" from the government by [[EnemyMine forming an alliance with Gabriel and the Entity]], and is fully ready to sell out his fellow colleagues to ensure the deal happens. All it gets him is a SlashedThroat for his trouble]].

** It's the 'host' of the party in Venice to [[spoiler:the White Widow - the secret third party that hired Grace to steal the key in Abu Dhabi - where its true intention lies in ''not'' getting both keys from the White Widow right then but to intimidate her into joining it by having Gabriel threatening to kill her if she doesn't comply. Having Gabriel spells it out that he knows for a fact that either Ilsa or Grace - both of them someone Ethan cares for - will die tonight is enough to convince the White Widow to change her side in order to save her skin. Also, it knows that Ethan will do whatever it takes to protect the two women, so it hijacks the identity of Benji/Luther and leads Ethan into a trap while also coercing Ilsa that she's able to save Grace at the cost of her own life, knowing that thanks to her SamaritanSyndrome, she wouldn't just walk away and abandon Grace to be killed by Gabriel.]]
** Finally, it knows that all relevant parties [[spoiler:will be on the Orient Express train to procure the completed key, so it plans ahead to cause the entire train to crash and kill them all by having Gabriel bomb a bridge ahead and going in to recover the completed key, kill the train conductors and sabotage the engine, personally killing Denlinger (the only loose end who knows about the location of the ''Sevastopol'' and the Entity's own weakness) and Paris (whom it predicts will betray them because Ethan spared her life in Venice and who heard Denlinger's confession, though this ends up being a SelfFulfillingProphecy). It knows that Ethan is also going to be there, which is why it had Gabriel murdered Ilsa in Venice, knowing that Ethan will be driven by rage to murder Gabriel for killing two of the women he cared for and thus killing the only person who knows what the completed key is used for, meaning that nobody will learn about the Entity's weakness and ensures its ultimate victory. If Gabriel kills Ethan instead (Luther reasons), then the Entity's most dangerous enemy is dead. However, it doesn't get its way this time due to multiple [[SpannerInTheWorks spanners in the works]] at play that it couldn't prepare to account for them all.]]

* ButNowIMustGo: Just before the finale, Luther tells Ethan has to go off the grid to analyze the hard drive from their compromised laptop, as it may contain a piece of the Entity and he can't risk using any resource that could lead the Entity to him.

* DidntSeeThatComing: It's implied the Entity's predictive capabilities faltered somewhat in the climax, as [[spoiler:it's implied that it didn't expect Gabriel to mortally wound Paris, but for her to be NotQuiteDead and [[SelfFulfilingProphecy fulfil its prediction of her betraying them for Ethan]] after [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe he spared her life]]. Given the lack of electronic devices on the wreaked train afterwards, it's unclear if it knows that Ethan is aware of the ''Sevastopol'' and where to use the key]]. Of course, given its nature, it's up in the air whether or not it did have a slip-up or if events are still proceeding within its predictions.

* NextSundayAD: PlayedWith: Several details, such as a scene dated "[[UsefulNotes/LeapDay February 29]]" and mentions of Ethan's IMF career beginning "30 years ago", imply that the film takes place in 2024. Part One was released in 2023, but Part Two is set for release in 2024.

--> '''Kittridge:''' I understand... you're upset.

* {{Roofhopping}}: Ethan and Grace make their escape from the Abu Dhabi airport through its roof, running on it.

* TheMole: [[spoiler:Denlinger is in league with Gabriel, and tries to form an alliance between the U.S. government and Gabriel in order to use the Entity to purge undesirable patriots from the U.S. government. Gabriel responds to this by [[TeamKiller slashing Denlinger's throat and killing his security detail]].]]

** Similarly, Degas wonders why Ethan would go rogue, and Briggs wearily informs him that Ethan ''always'' go rogue.

-->'''Denlinger:''' So let me get this straight. Whenever there's a mission none of you can handle, you just ''leave word'' for a nameless man, and hope he gets the job done?

* Title1: The film has ''Part One'' in its title. ''Part Two'' is slated for release the following year.