What Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Teaches Us About Agency
Dead Reckoning is the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible franchise, directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise as IMF agent Ethan Hunt. Released in 2023, the film raised the stakes from nuclear threats to a predictive AI known as the Entity. It reframes Ethan not as a superspy, but as a man fighting for freedom in a world that anticipates his every move.
The sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two, arrives in May 2025. Until then, these lessons on agency remain vital.
1. Choosing Loyalty Over Logic
When Ethan saves Ilsa, he rejects what the system would call a “calculated risk.” He doesn’t optimise. He protects. Real agency means choosing heart over probability. Not what’s best in theory—but what’s right in the moment.
2. Drawing the Line
Ethan refuses to work for governments that treat lives as expendable. His ethics aren’t flexible. We’re told “that’s just how the world works.” But agency means deciding how you work—and where you won’t bend.
3. Becoming Unreadable
The Entity thrives on prediction. Ethan resists not by overpowering it, but by becoming unpredictable. When systems define us, agency means refusing their categories—be noise in the data.
4. Making Peace with Sacrifice
Ethan never assumes survival. He doesn’t aim to win. He aims to do what’s necessary. Agency isn’t about control. It’s about choice. Even when the outcome hurts, even when you don’t see it through.
5. Trusting the Right People
Ethan’s greatest power isn’t skill—it’s trust. He bets on his team, even when the world says not to. Agency begins where trust does—in human connection, freely chosen.
Conclusion
Dead Reckoning isn’t just about outrunning an AI. It’s about refusing to be defined by it. In a world of surveillance and machine guesses, Ethan’s rebellion is simple: he chooses, he cares, he acts. What will you choose—efficiency or agency?