Ethan Hunt and the IMF team race against time to find the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence that can destroy mankind. A film by Christopher McQuarrie, starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Mariela Garriga, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, and Angela Bassett.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
THE FINAL RECKONING
Christopher McQuarrie
(2025)
When the malevolent artificial intelligence known as “the Entity” reveals itself to the world, it triggers global panic and swift government responses. IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) receives a direct message from US President Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett), ordering him to surrender himself along with the cruciform key. This key provides access to the Entity’s original source code, the only thing that can stop the Entity, which is stored in a secure chamber aboard the sunken Russian submarine Sevastopol.
Battling a terminal illness, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) creates a computer virus he calls the “poison pill”, specifically designed to neutralize the Entity when merged with its original source code.
While the team searches for the Entity’s human proxy Gabriel (Esai Morales), who may know the Sevastopol’s location, Ethan and Benji break Gabriel’s former associate Paris (Pom Klementieff) out of an Austrian prison. Paris joins the team, along with government operative Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis).
In London, Ethan teams up with Grace (Hayley Atwell) to track down Gabriel, but both are captured and tortured by him. After being abandoned by the Entity for losing the cruciform key, Gabriel attempts to force Ethan to help him retrieve the “Podkova” module from the sunken Russian submarine Sevastopol, which contains the Entity’s source code. Gabriel reveals that the Entity’s source code is actually the true identity of Rabbit’s Foot, also known as Anti-God. Now Gabriel is determined to seize control of the Entity using its original source code.
Ethan and Grace manage to escape and chase Gabriel through the underground tunnels, where they reunite with the team and discover the communication device Gabriel used to contact the Entity. The device opens on its own, as if inviting Ethan to make contact. Paris warns Ethan that he won’t be the same person after communicating with the Entity.
Once inside the device, the Entity shows Ethan a vision of nuclear apocalypse and what will happen to his team if he continues searching for the Sevastopol. The Entity demands Ethan’s assistance in gaining access to the Doomsday Vault in South Africa to ensure its survival in the post-apocalyptic world.
Directed by American filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen, THE FINAL RECKONING is an exhilarating spy thriller that weaves together storylines to bring the entire film series to its conclusion, featuring the return of prominent characters dating back to the original 1996 film. Serving as a direct sequel to DEAD RECKONING, it marks the eighth installment in the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise.
The submarine set piece is arguably one of the most iconic action sequences in years. It’s breathtaking, claustrophobic, terrifying, and exciting all at once. The stakes are high as Ethan must race against time and depleting oxygen to retrieve the Podkova module from the sunken submarine Sevastopol.
From the outside, the Sevastopol isn’t resting on the actual seafloor but it’s precariously balanced on a sea cliff overlooking a dark abyss. And as it loses its balance, it begins to roll over. Inside, Ethan realizes he must find an escape route as his path becomes blocked by loose torpedoes.
Another memorable stunt is the plane chase sequence where Ethan clings to the side of a flying red Stearman biplane while pursuing Gabriel, who’s piloting a yellow one. Ethan must take control of the red biplane and leap across to Gabriel’s yellow aircraft to retrieve what he has stolen.
Despite some underwhelming moments that may require a suspension of disbelief, Tom Cruise remains and always will be one of the greatest action heroes, pushing the boundaries of filmmaking by risking his own life for authenticity. He makes the seemingly impossible possible, creating truly spectacular cinema.
THE FINAL RECKONING premiered in Tokyo on 5 May 2025. The film was screened in hors compétition section at Festival de Cannes on 14 May. It was theatrically released in the United States on 23 May.
At the Cannes Film Festival, “hors compétition” (out of competition) refers to films that are screened at the festival but are not competing for the main awards like the Palme d’Or. These films are often high-profile premieres, including Hollywood blockbusters or works by respected directors, and receive full red carpet treatment, but they are not eligible for prizes.
