Ethan Hunt’s mission in this seventh installment of the series might seem as challenging as Tom Cruise’s: to get people back in theaters for an almost three-hour movie that they know won’t be resolved at the end. But is there anything Tom Cruise can’t do? Mike and Dan react to Dead Reckoning Part One and how it fits in the chain of the Mission Impossible films. Along the way, they talk about how Tom Cruise is like Jackie Chan, why creating the character of Gabriel lets the filmmakers have an AI plot and fistfights on a train, and how a successful film franchise resembles the Grateful Dead. This episode ends with Dan going on record about what will happen in Dead Reckoning Part Two—do you agree? Listen and let them know!

Check out Amy Johnston’s How to Stunt in Hollywood for interviews with professionals who do the terrifying work for all the rest of the actors who aren’t Tom Cruise. You might also enjoy Danger on the Silver Screen, Scott McGee’s appreciation of cinema’s greatest stunts.

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