With seven films in the series of Tom Cruise’s Mission Impossible, the series nears 30 years of its existence since it dealt it inaugural punch in 1996. As a testament to Cruise’s incredible staying power, the film franchise is still alive and kicking and the 61-year-old star seems to be just raising the bar each time, thanks to the incredible stunts in every upcoming edition.

The last two in the series – Rogue Nation (2015) and Fallout (2018) – indicated that the actor had found a muse in director, co- writer and co-producer Christo- pher McQuarrie, who transformed the series into a much-appreciated blockbuster franchise.

The lucky duo now hits the celluloid world with the latest installment – Dead Reckoning – which not only ups the ante but also keeps the franchise moving in full steam ahead.

As the first chapter of the two-part finale, the plot follows Ethan Hunt (Cruise) being pitted against an AI device, dubbed as The Entity, and the only way to access it is via a missing golden key that many government agencies and powerful individuals are searching for. The Entity could very well be a reason to bring global catastrophe and it is up to Hunt to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.

Now you got it! And for some spice, Hunt faces a ghost from the past in Gabriel who is also looking for the key and knows a little more about The Entity than others.

There are some cleverly crafted nail-biting moments, and the tension during these scenes is so palpable that it pierces through the screen and keeps one hooked all through. The run- time of two hours 43 minutes simply runs by. A good watch.