Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One's Most Action-Packed Moments, Ranked
Contains spoilers for "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One"
Tom Cruise returns to the world of "Mission: Impossible" for the first part of an epic two-parter — titled "Dead Reckoning" — that sees the franchise deliver top-tier thrills in a daring globe-trotting mission. Once again, the fate of the world is at stake when a mysterious technological force known as the Entity becomes coveted by factions from across the globe for its devastating capabilities. In mere seconds, the Entity can invade and alter information and security systems, so anyone who holds control over it can essentially ensure world domination. Thus, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team must do everything in their power to stop the Entity from falling into the wrong hands, and they ultimately find themselves ensnared in a deadly web of lies, old enemies, and tragic consequences.
Although the "Mission: Impossible" franchise has put Ethan and his team in some perilous situations with incredibly high stakes, "Dead Reckoning" somehow finds ways to raise the bar to extraordinary heights. Ethan faces some of his deadliest threats yet and has some close brushes with death that make this mission almost seem like it'll be his last (though there is, of course, that part two on the horizon). Throughout this new journey, Ethan and his counterparts are thrust into some of the biggest and most explosive action sequences of the franchise. So let's delve into the film's most action-packed moments and see which ones were truly the best.
11. Rooftop sprinting in Abu Dhabi
The entire sequence within the Abu Dhabi airport is dripping with nerve-shredding suspense from the very beginning. Not only does Ethan's plan of following the buyer of half of an important key get interrupted and altered by Grace's (Hayley Atwell) skillful pickpocketing, but Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg) are simultaneously dealing with a nuclear bomb flowing through the luggage system. Once the bomb is defused and Ethan discovers that the buyer has been killed, everything is thrown into chaos and everyone is forced to abort the mission. However, Ethan is spotted by Briggs (Shea Whigham) and Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis) and forced to bolt toward an exit.
While there aren't a ton of big action moments that happen in this chase and escape sequence, there are some key staples to "Mission: Impossible" action scenes that are seen here — mainly Ethan running like a madman. There are some sudden moves made by Ethan during his escape that are pretty slick, but it's seeing him sprint across the roof of the airport that makes this scene a true "Mission: Impossible" moment. Cruise must be contractually obligated for elongated running scenes at this point since he's just always seen sprinting when playing Ethan. This escape sequence certainly belongs at the bottom of the action tier list for "Dead Reckoning" because it doesn't have a lot going on, but it does highlight Ethan doing his iconic sprinting — which makes it easily worth mentioning.
10. Ethan and Ilsa make an early exit
Alanna's (Vanessa Kirby) extravagant party brings most of the characters together and ends up fueling the fire of the film's big finale. After the characters have some heated exchanges and set fated events in motion, the tension in the room begins to boil over, and it doesn't take long for Ethan and Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson) to fight their way out of this tough situation. Ilsa grabs a cane concealing a sword and uses it to brutally beat down a guard before sneakily slipping away. Ethan, well, has a few more guards to fight off, but he ultimately manages to defeat them all without too many issues.
Although Ethan is outnumbered, his incredible adaptiveness and quick thinking make him no match for anyone that stands in his way. It's a small but classic fight sequence that shows why Ethan is considered to be the best at what he does and kicks off a fun chase sequence that sees Ethan do — you guessed it — more classic running.
9. Desert warfare
Once Ethan hears that Ilsa supposedly holds one half of the coveted key that everyone's on the hunt for, he wastes no time tracking her down in the desert. What he likely didn't expect, though, was that he would find her at the same time that a group of bounty hunters does. Ilsa might be surrounded, but she's prepared. She not only knows that Ethan is waiting in the wings to help her out, but she's also aware that there's an incoming sandstorm that'll give her the perfect cover. With all these ingredients in the mix, the film concocts a thrilling opening warfare sequence that utilizes its setting and situation flawlessly.
There's nothing more suspenseful than seeing Ethan fight masked gunmen in a tense environment while Ilsa attempts to provide support with her sniper rifle. Every encounter creates sudden tension that leaves viewers gripped throughout and Isla's deadly accuracy defines her as a total badass — especially with that eyepatch. "Dead Reckoning" kicks things off right with Ethan and Ilsa fighting through one of the most unique environments of the franchise and stringing together a quick kill streak that gets viewers' hearts pumping right away.
8. Cat-and-mouse chase in Venice
Once Ethan is able to escape Alanna's party, he attempts to chase after Grace — who is trying to run off on her own. With Benji in his ear and Briggs and Degas hot on his tail, Ethan attempts to follow Grace's footsteps through the maze-like alleys of Venice. The constant cuts between Grace dashing around corners and over boats and Ethan mimicking her path makes this sequence absolutely fascinating, and it's hard not to feel immersed in this cat-and-mouse game. As the alleys start to become thin and the distance between these two grows, the tension quickly rises and you're left wondering if Ethan will ever catch Grace.
This scene gets even better when the Entity takes over Ethan's team communication line and mimics Benji's voice to trick him. That sudden change puts an evil spin on this whole sequence and ultimately leads Ethan to fall into a trap. While Ethan's pursuit of Grace might be a relatively standard chase sequence, it features some engaging filmmaking, thrills, and twists that make it highly memorable.
7. Knives vs. sword
After coming out victorious in a brutal fight against Grace, Gabriel (Esai Morales) begins to move in to finish her once and for all. However, he's suddenly stopped by the arrival of Ilsa, and she's wielding the cane sword she stole from Alanna's party. While most characters would be fearful of Ilsa, Gabriel seems pleased by her presence — he even says he had hoped she would be the one he kills. Prior to this, Gabriel proclaimed that either Grace or Ilsa would die due to Ethan's persistence to stop the Entity, and Ilsa's arrival makes him believe that she is the one Ethan will lose. However, Ilsa puts up a valiant fight as she and Gabriel get into a short but action-packed fight to the death.
With Ilsa using a sword like a fancy fencer and Gabriel fighting with his signature dual knives, these two are fast and furious in their movements and hold nothing back in trying to get the upper hand. Ilsa holds her own quite well and nearly finds a way to cut Gabriel down. Sadly, though, this fight only ends in Ilsa's death after Gabriel brutally stabs her in the chest, and it acts as a major turning point for Ethan and this mission. The destined fight between Ilsa and Gabriel doesn't disappoint in showcasing a duel between two talented killers that genuinely feels like sudden death.
6. Catching a train
Although his initial plan to get Ethan onto the train doesn't work out, Benji comes up with another solution that sees Ethan attempt to hop onto the train with a motorbike. Unfortunately, that plan also falls through when they realize that the train isn't coming to a curve that'll make it slow down. So Benji takes Ethan toward a different path that leads to the cliffs of a towering mountain where Benji tells Ethan that he needs to perform a base jump so that he can parachute onto the fast-moving train. This stunt had been hyped up for months leading up to the film's release with a behind-the-scenes video detailing the dangers and details of what's considered to be "The Biggest Stunt in Cinema History." As expected, Cruise performed this death-defying stunt himself, doing it multiple times to get it perfect.
It's a sequence that defines the dedication Cruise and the crew have for creating captivating stunts, and it acts as an exciting turn into the film's thrilling finale. Along with some great laughs that come from Benji and Ethan's hilarious banter, the scene builds up in tension excellently until Ethan finally takes his leap of faith. The jump is captured perfectly as the sound design really soaks up the epic feel of the moment and the camera turning downward causes your stomach to drop. It's a scene that totally lives up to its hype.
5. Two fights at once
Ethan's pursuit of Grace through narrow Venice alleyways only leads to him falling into the Entity and Gabriel's trap, and Grace unfortunately also runs into a bad situation. While Ethan finds himself trapped between one of Gabriel's henchmen and his right-hand assassin, Paris (Pom Klementieff), in a tight alley, Grace ends up finding Gabriel on a bridge. Gabriel is looking to fulfill that prophecy about her death he talked about earlier. So instead of just getting one amazing fight sequence at a time, we get two at once, and both of them feature some incredible fight choreography and brutal moments that make this sequence a total delight.
Ethan has probably never had to fight in such a tight space before, and it results in him having to be very adaptive, as his opponents hold nothing back in trying to take him down. This is really the moment where we get to see Paris' fighting skills in action, and she certainly proves herself to be a deadly force to be reckoned with. As for Grace, her fight with Gabriel is equally thrilling, as she utilizes Gabriel's knives to slash at him and they both show some impressive moves. Grace is constantly surprising with how she uses the knives in battle, and she nearly ends up coming out victorious despite Gabriel's sheer determination. It's a dual fight scene that's seriously killer to watch.
4. Racing through Rome
Shortly after Ethan arrives in Rome to find Grace, she gives him the slip and he's forced to chase her down in a chaotic car chase that only leads to immense destruction. With Grace not being the best driver, she crashes through many things as she tries to escape, leaving a lot of carnage in her path, and Ethan is seen moving fast through congested streets to catch her. Eventually, Grace is stopped by a viciously captured collision that makes your heart skip a beat — which also ultimately lets other pursuers catch up to them. Thus, Ethan and Grace are finally forced to work together as they now have a swarm of enemies after them. Ethan also handcuffs them together so that Grace can't make another sly escape.
Ethan's plan to keep Grace by his side ends up making things much more complicated since they both have to drive away only using one hand. It's incredibly fun to see Ethan and Grace have to switch seats, and every part of their escape is wild. More importantly, the fact that these stunts are done practically and with the actors heavily involved makes this one-handed escape even more epic. The first half of Ethan and Grace's race through Rome is easily one of the film's best action sequences, but it only gets better when they find a new ride.
3. Fighting gravity
Although Ethan is able to keep the key in his possession and get away from Gabriel without being tempted into killing him, he still faces plenty of danger in the film's final stretch. Gabriel has now sent the train on an unstoppable path toward a bridge he's destroyed with explosives, and now Ethan and Grace must find a way to stop the train before everyone on it dies. While they're able to detach the lead car that's dragging them toward certain doom, the momentum of the train still begins to carry other cars over the edge. Thus, Ethan and Grace find themselves in a fight against gravity as they attempt to move to the back of the train while the cars slowly fall into the pit below.
This scene is easily one of the most nerve-shredding of the film for the palpable suspense that's built into seeing Ethan and Grace nearly fall to their deaths and constantly move through train cars that are quickly falling apart. From a kitchen car that's ready to burst into flames to a lounge car that features a dangling piano that almost kills Grace, death lurks around every corner of this scene. The camera movement and angles are just perfection, and you can't help but clutch at your seat when Ethan is simply left hanging at the end. The enemy that gets closest to killing Ethan in this film winds up being gravity itself.
2. Fight on top of the train
With Gabriel and Ethan being solidified as destined enemies throughout the film, there's nothing more satisfying than seeing these two face off on top of a moving train in the film's action-packed finale. They pull no punches against each other from the start, and their fight is made much more complex by the obstacles that appear. Not only are they forced to narrowly dodge structures that swiftly pass over the train, but they are also forced to go prone when the train moves through a tight tunnel. When the train heads into the tunnel, this fight becomes even more intense with how claustrophobic the scene feels, and they still have to dodge obstacles that could kill them with one strike.
Gabriel pulls out a knife, too, meaning Ethan has to carefully watch his every move during their grapple. Gabriel and Ethan's fight is undoubtedly one of the most stunning and unnerving action sequences we'll probably see in film this year, and it's the perfect culmination of their shared intensity bursting into a thrilling and captivating fight scene in a dangerous environment.
1. Flying around in a Fiat
While Ethan and Grace's initial escape through Rome features plenty of standout collisions and an intense atmosphere, it doesn't even compare to when they find a new ride that's much more chaotic than they expected. Ethan decides to call on some IMF tech to give them a better chance at escape, but it doesn't lead him to the luxurious, fast-moving ride he expected to find. Rather, he's stuck with a small Fiat and is forced to hop into the driver's seat. What he doesn't realize, though, is that this Fiat is supped up to go at high speeds and take sharp turns like a speeding bullet — which is good since Paris, giving chase, is like a barreling wrecking ball in her truck.
Ethan and Grace can barely control the car, and Paris is crashing through everything to keep them from escaping her grasp. She busts through walls with reckless abandonment and puts countless lives in danger just to get that one half of the key. The camera movement matches the wild turns this car takes perfectly, and there's even a fun moment where Ethan and Grace unexpectedly switch seats. Also, they're still handcuffed, and they're forced to drive this demon car with only one hand, so this sequence is just filled with eye-widening chaos. This scene defines what "Mission: Impossible" action is all about — stunning practical stunts, rollercoaster-like thrills, and unending danger.