Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is a 2023 film directed by Christopher McQuarrie, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen. It is the sequel to Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) and the seventh installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. It stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, alongside an ensemble cast including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, and Henry Czerny.
In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.
* * *
[dramatic drum beat]
[“Mission: Impossible” theme playing]
[man, in Russian] Mission report Russian Federation submarine K599 Sevastopol.
Operation: Podkova
day 74
[man, in English] The active learning defense system testing…
continues to operate flawlessly.
[man continues in English] One might even say… miraculously.
We are navigating under the Arctic ice cap by dead reckoning and five days from home.
After 25,000 nautical miles, the Sevastopol has deliberately approached every navy in the world and remained completely undetected.
The Podkova’s stealth capability has exceeded all expectations.
We are at this moment the state of the art of war.
The most fearsome killing machine ever devised by man.
And we are impossible to find.
Captain, we have a submerged contact, designated Semyon-83, exhibiting tonals of a US Virginia-class submarine.
Bearing 130°, drawing forward.
Chief of the Watch, man battle stations silently.
Wait for orders.
Officer of the Deck, ship status?
Ship’s depth, 50 meters. Bottom, 72 meters.
Clearance to the ice canopy, 21 meters.
Distance to deep water? Two kilometers.
Aleutian Precipice in six minutes.
Ranging maneuver. Helm, left 15 degrees rudder.
Steady course 100°.
Come up easy on a standard bell.
Captain has the conn. Helm, aye!
Coming to course 100°.
[tonals fluttering]
Steady on course 100°.
Weapons Officer, range?
Firing solution is tracking at a distance of 15,000 meters.
Sir, that doesn’t make sense. Tonals this loud and clear?
[tonals continue] He must be closer than that.
[beep]
Captain, firing solution just did a step change to 10,000 meters.
Nothing moves that fast.
All solutions are matching.
The range is true.
Helm, right full rudder to course 270°.
Course 270°, aye.
We’ll just walk away and head for deep water.
Contact bearing 160°.
Bearing rate zero?
He’s there, turning with us again.
He can see us.
Impossible. We’re invisible.
Weapons, run diagnostics on sonar and fire control.
Something isn’t right.
Sir, he’s flooding his torpedo tubes!
Torpedo room, conn.
Load all torpedo tubes. Aye, sir.
Check clear! Forward clear!
Aft clear! Ram torpedo! Ramming!
Torpedo tubes loaded.
He’s opened outer doors!
Weapons, flood tubes one through four and open outer doors.
Enter firing solution into tube two.
Aye, Captain. Making tube two ready in all respects.
Captain, he’s provoking us.
He wants an excuse to blow us out of the water.
Enemy torpedo in the water, bearing 200°.
1,000 meters and accelerating.
Helm, left full rudder, all ahead flank cavitate.
My rudder is left full.
Answering all ahead flank cavitate.
Launch countermeasures. Launching countermeasures.
Fire tube two.
Firing tube two.
[dramatic music]
Our torpedo is away. Running hot.
Enemy torpedo still homing, range 800 meters.
He’s blown through our countermeasures.
Helm, right full rudder. Right full.
Aye, sir! 600 meters.
Diving Officer, stand by to emergency blow all main ballast tanks.
400 meters. Chief of the Watch, stand by the collision alarm.
200 meters. This is the captain.
All hands brace for impact. Enemy torpedo impact in… five… four… three… two… one. Impact!
[silence]
[exhales]
What just happened?
It’s, it’s gone.
It missed us?
No.
It vanished like it was never there.
Sonar, where is the enemy vessel?
Bearing 330°, 4,000 meters off our starboard bow.
Our torpedo is running true.
Impact with enemy submarine in… three… two… one.
[sonar pinging]
Where was the impact?
Captain, enemy submarine has vanished.
It’s gone, sir.
I don’t understand.
He was never there.
We’ve been chasing a phantom.
It was right there. The instruments don’t lie.
They lied to us today.
Weapons, shut down our torpedo. Aye, Captain.
Shutting down torpedo.
Secure from battle stations.
[suspenseful music]
This is why we have sea trials.
There’s a bug in the system.
[button clicks]
A ghost in the machine.
[sighs] It’s time to go home. Captain!
Our own torpedo is not responding.
It’s coming right at us!
Our torpedo’s homing, range 400 meters!
Oh, my God. Wire command.
Shut down our weapon!
Our torpedo’s still closing, range 200 meters!
Blow all main ballast tanks! Sound the collision alar…
[dramatic music]
[sputtering]
[slow instrumental music]
[door closes]
Food delivery.
Hello?
Designator.
Easy.
Easy.
Designator.
India-Zulu-254.
Bravo-Echo-11.
No, not yet.
You need to ask me the security question first.
Oh, yeah. Sorry.
Uh… what is the oath?
We live and die in the shadows… for those we hold close… and for those we never meet.
You can put it on the table.
Hey.
Welcome to the IMF.
You made the right choice.
Sir.
[man on recording] Good evening, Mr. Hunt.
It’s been a long time.
Our lives are the sum of our choices, and we cannot escape the past.
Thirty years ago, you were offered the choice.
Join the IMF or spend your life in prison.
Because of your unique natural talents, your government forgave you.
But we will never forget.
Just as you will never forget the death that brought you to us all those years ago.
[soft music]
This is to remind you of your oath and allegiance to us.
The stakes of this mission are higher than ever.
Your habitual rogue behavior will not be tolerated.
Should you choose to accept, it is imperative that you listen.
Your government is searching for a key.
Its purpose, its vital importance to us is none of your concern.
What should concern you is the involvement of your friend Ilsa Faust.
She killed a courier in Istanbul.
And we believe he was carrying one half of the key we’re searching for.
Why she has chosen to interfere in this affair is a mystery, as are her whereabouts.
What is certain is that your government has put a price on her head… and these bounty hunters are out to collect it.
They never bring a fugitive back alive, and rarely in one piece.
We believe they’re headed for the Arabian Desert’s Empty Quarter in search of your friend. Find the bounty hunters, and you may just find her. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to acquire the key and deliver it to us. What happens to Ilsa after that is up to you.
As always, if any members of your team are caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This message will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Ethan.
[foreboding string instrumental]
Come.
[gentle music]
[wind whistling]
[bird cries in distance]
[gunfire in distance]
[wind whistling]
Ethan.
[horse whinnies, blusters]
[music flares]
[gunfire]
Hyah! Hyah!
[gunfire continues]
[horse whinnies] [blows]
[gunshot]
[wind howling]
Ohh!
[wind dies down]
So what are we dealing with?
This “entity” has multiple personalities, at times behaving like a computer virus, then a tapeworm, then a botnet.
Distorting any and all digital information with which it comes in contact.
Once infected, nothing recorded, stored, or transmitted digitally can be trusted as fact.
At the outset, it concentrated primarily on news and social media which was of little concern to us as it often suited our purposes.
Until six months ago, when the entity breached Saudi Arabia’s General Intelligence Directorate.
And assimilated their top secret active-learning AI before vanishing into the cloud.
Subsequent attacks increased ten-thousandfold overnight, spreading exponentially.
Indicating that the Entity has since become sentient.
You’re telling me this thing has a mind of its own?
[woman] Over the last three weeks alone, it has accessed our satellite telecommunications, the Federal Reserve, the stock market, and the national power grid.
[man] The FAA, NASA and the combined branches of our military.
[man 2] And we’re not alone.
It has penetrated the World and European Central Banks.
[man 3] Gained entry to the major defense, finance and infrastructure systems of Russia, India, Israel, Australasia, all of Europe.
[Denlinger] And what did it do to all these systems exactly?
Nothing.
Nothing? It came and it went, leaving fingerprints where they could easily be found and sending a very clear message.
“I shall return.”
Whatever its ultimate goal is, we’re powerless to stop it.
The full force of its energy is now directed at a single objective.
The world’s intelligence networks.
The very truth as we know it.
[man 2] The entire intelligence community is racing to archive hard copies of our fact-positive knowledge bases before our most secure data centers are breached and corrupted.
[man 3] Which is only a matter of time.
[man 1] The Entity will know precisely how to undermine our every strength and exploit our every weakness.
How to turn our allies into enemies and our enemies into aggressors.
Why not air-gap our intelligence servers?
Cut them off from the outside world entirely?
We already have.
But servers require humans to maintain them.
[man] And humans are the weakest link in any security chain, especially when dealing with a godless, stateless, amoral enemy.
[man 2] One that has been patiently listening, reading, watching.
Harvesting our deepest personal secrets for years.
Able to beguile, blackmail, bribe or be anyone it wants.
And to manipulate us at will through our total dependence on a carefully constructed digital reality.
An enemy that is everywhere… [whispers] and nowhere… and has no center.
All right, so what you’re telling me is the most awesome goddamn intelligence and tactical apparatus on the planet has no way of killing this thing.
You don’t want to kill it, sir.
You want to control it.
And how do we do that, Mr. Kittridge?
The CIA’s assets in the Kremlin informed us that the Russians have focused the majority of their intelligence activity on acquiring two halves of a cruciform key.
And what does it unlock?
Not exactly sure.
But the Russians seem to believe that it somehow has the power to deactivate our mysterious Entity.
Though, ideally… they hope to control it, harness it.
Do you believe that, Kittridge?
What matters is that the rest of the world believes it.
Japan, India, Germany, and the Brits believe it, and yet no one, not even our closest allies, have willingly whispered one word of it to us.
Which would indicate that there’s a global race on to acquire the two halves of this key.
Every nation in it for themselves, not to kill this thing, sir, but to weaponize it.
And in so doing, establish a new, incontestable form of global dominance.
How do we find this key first?
Well, we know that a buyer is passing somewhere through the Middle East sometime in the next 72 hours.
We believe that he already has one half of this key.
You believe.
[Kittridge] At this point, we can’t be certain it’s not a counterfeit.
How would you verify that?
The only thing that can authenticate one genuine half of the key is the other genuine half of the key.
Its true mate, if you will.
We think it’s some sort of fail-safe.
How do we find its mate?
Well, we believe the other genuine half of the key was in the hands of this woman.
Who is she?
Ilsa Faust.
[man 3] Former British Intelligence.
Where is she now?
She’s dead, sir.
She was… [clears throat] excuse me… killed by mercenaries looking to collect a bounty.
And who put up the bounty?
Given her body of work, could have been anyone.
So anyone could have her half of the key?
Hmm, not just anyone.
I sent a man to find her, the only man she would have entrusted with her half of the key.
Does he have it, Kittridge?
Well, at present, I don’t know that, sir.
He’s refused to come in.
Refused?
[Kittridge] Hmm.
Who the hell is this guy?
That’s classified.
I’m the goddamn Director of National Intelligence.
What exactly is it I’m not supposed to know about?
The IMF. Mr. Kittridge.
The world bank. No, that’s the International Monetary Fund.
Mr. Kittridge.
No, I mean the other IMF. Ours.
What does it stand for?
Impossible Mission Force.
You’re not serious.
[woman] I’m afraid he is.
And what do they do exactly?
It’s just as the name implies. Whatever the rest of us can’t.
And who is in charge? They’re not ones to take orders in the traditional sense.
We more or less… leave word.
Leave… word.
Mr. Kittridge, sir.
The IMF operates outside the community and answers directly to the president.
So let me get this straight.
When there’s a mission none of you can handle… you just leave word for a nameless man and hope he gets the job done.
Is that it?
Should he choose to accept it.
What the hell kind of outfit gets to choose what orders to accept?
The IMF was expressly created to ensure there would be no unintended consequences.
If they cannot ensure a mission’s ultimate outcome, they’re authorized to decline.
[epic music]
[portentous instrumental beat]
[heroic orchestration of “Mission: Impossible” theme]
I understand.
You’re upset.
I’m not upset, Kittridge.
You wanted me to listen.
This is me listening.
[whispering] All right.
[normal voice] I put the bounty on Ilsa’s head.
I also told you how to find her!
I didn’t ask her to steal the key.
She did that for reasons of her own. But… that’s the pattern, isn’t it?
You get her out of trouble, and she always found her way back in.
[sighs]
[grunts] Wait! Ilsa!
Ilsa, wait! It’s me! What?
It’s me.
It’s okay.
[soft music]
Listen to me! You’re dead! You stay dead!
Ethan, wait!
I’m not going to apologize to you, Hunt.
It’s my job to use you.
Just like it’s your job to be of use.
Did you accomplish your mission [whispers] or not?
Wherever the other half of this is, whatever the completed key unlocks,
I will find it.
And then what?
No one should be trusted with control of the Entity.
I mean to kill it.
Ethan, the next world war isn’t gonna be a cold one.
It’s gonna be a shooting war, it’s gonna be a ballistic war over a rapidly shrinking ecosystem.
It’s gonna be a war for the last of our dwindling energy, drinkable water, breathable air.
Whoever controls the Entity controls the truth.
The concepts of right and wrong can be clearly defined for everyone for centuries to come.
Do you even hear yourself?
Your days of fighting for the so-called greater good are over.
You need to pick a side.
I’m on the same side I’ve always been on.
Stay out of my way.
I can’t do that.
We’re gonna be coming after you.
The world’s gonna be coming after you.
And one way or another, this mission of yours [whispers] is gonna cost you dearly.
[phone rings]
[rings]
If I don’t get that, we’re gonna have company real soon.
[rings]
[rings]
[rings]
[rings]
[rings]
Hello?
[man] Director Denlinger, please.
Uh, Director is unavailable at the moment.
How can I help you? To whom am I speaking?
CIA Director Eugene Kittridge.
Designator?
“Bassnote,” lowercase, all one word.
Sir, we have a situation.
No kidding.
Your adjutant was found unconscious in his home ten minutes ago.
It appears he was drugged.
I understand.
I don’t think you do, sir.
Security has him entering this facility fifteen minutes ago. I understand, thank you.
Are you able to speak freely?
No, thank you.
A security team is on their way.
If you’re in any danger, simply hang up the phone before I count to five.
One, two…
[phone clatters]
So just how do you plan on getting out of here?
Of course.
[gunshot] [grunts]
[“Mission: Impossible” theme playing]
Listen up.
An American operative with a grievance against his country is missing and has malfunctioned.
His agenda represents a threat to our national interests, and he must be neutralized at all cost.
Anything in this man’s possession is of vital importance and must be captured intact.
The man himself is expendable. He is not to be underestimated.
A master of infiltration, deception, sabotage and psych warfare.
For all intents and purposes, ladies and gentlemen, a mind-reading, shape-shifting incarnation of chaos.
So, for your safety and the safety of those around you, do not consider him secure unless you have driven a wooden stake through his open heart.
This is not a drill.
A self-aware, self-learning, truth-eating digital parasite infesting all of cyberspace.
[gasp] Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
And the two halves of this key just might provide the means of controlling this Entity.
Meaning every government on the planet would kill us just to get that key.
Including our own.
Exactly.
Putting us on an unsanctioned mission which has gone rogue before it even started.
Meaning this very conversation is technically an act of treason.
Or as we like to call it, Monday.
So what’s the play?
A buyer’s coming in on Flight 746 from Amsterdam for a 30-minute layover at which time he is hoping to purchase that half of the key.
And it stands to reason
the buyer will have the other half of the key somewhere on their person.
Being the only way to authenticate our half.
So how do we identify the buyer?
This Geiger counter will detect a radiological signature of the dragon’s egg embedded in the buyer’s key.
The augmented-reality overlay in these glasses will lead us to it.
[laughs]
Oh, that’s very clever.
So, you ID the buyer, pick his pockets, Bob’s your uncle. No.
No. Of course not.
The complete key is of no value if we don’t know what it unlocks.
So you’re going to sell the buyer our half of the key.
While we figure out the buyer’s connecting flight and book you a seat on that plane.
So you can follow the key wherever it goes.
Which you hope is into the hands of someone who knows what it unlocks.
Precisely.
Finding the completed key is only the beginning.
The fate of the world depends on finding whatever it unlocks.
This guy, you know him?
Not personally.
But it is personal.
[action adventure music]
[quieter music]
Thank you.
Hey, what’s that? What?
Security alert. Suspicious bag on its way to Venice.
Nope, it’s gone. Must have been a false alarm.
[suspense music]
Overwatch, Snap Shot. Where’s he at?
Snap Shot, Overwatch. I have him.
Terminal B, Gate 15, headed south.
I am so. You are not.
Ethan, would you care to explain to our friend the Net Ranger how I am just as capable of writing code as he is?
No comment.
What, you figure Phineas Phreak here is gonna single-handedly work out a way to kill the Entity while I just hold his soldering iron?
Probably. Definitely.
Out of the way! [men shouting]
Tell me where he is.
Where is he? Blue suit.
Right in front of you.
Oh! [speaks Italian]
[continues speaking Italian]
Oh! Ah! Ow! [gurgling]
[speaking Italian] It’s not him.
It’s him.
I’m telling you, it’s not him.
And I’m telling you facial comes back with a perfect…
How did you do that?
[whispers] No one is safe from Phineas Phreak.
[beeps] I got him.
Where is he?
Terminal E, Gate 5.
Goddamn it, that’s clear on the other side of the airport.
[man speaking Italian]
[Luther] Ethan, they’re headed to Terminal E.
That side of the airport is all yours.
Thank you, Luther.
I see the buyer. Got him.
The buyer is Otto Von Bork. Swiss national.
He’s connecting to Venice, departing in 30 minutes on Flight 1031.
Benji, get me on that flight to Venice.
Yep, Flight 1031 to Venice. Stand by.
[beeping]
What?
[Luther] Ethan, what just happened?
He was bumped. Bumped?
What do you mean, bumped?
That woman picked his pocket. Tag her.
Tell me who she is.
[suspense music]
[beeping]
Luther, mute our comms.
What is it?
That bag was on its way to Flight 1031.
What bag?
There was a suspicious bag alert, a few minutes ago.
So what about it?
It was on its way to Flight 1031.
To Venice. It’s the buyer’s plane.
It’s Ethan’s plane.
Luther, do you copy? Who is she?
What if it wasn’t a false alarm?
What if somebody’s trying to smuggle a bomb onto that plane?
And what if that’s what the Entity wants us to think to keep Ethan off that plane?
[Ethan] Luther, what’s happening? Should we warn him?
No. Guys, guys? Do you hear me?
Find that bag.
I’ll direct you. Go.
Luther, just tell me, is there something wrong?
Nothing to worry about. It’s under control.
Got her.
Info on the woman is coming now.
[Luther] Whoa.
Whoever she is, she’s no spy.
She’s a thief.
[Benji] Where am I going, Luther?
Benji, there’s a door on your immediate left.
I’m unlocking it now.
The bag you’re after is on tray 01833 heading towards the northwest corner of the facility.
Copy that!
[slight gasp]
Hi.
Hello.
Oh, I get it.
You thought I was someone else.
[sighs]
I’m not interested.
Give me a chance.
I’ll scream.
Please do.
[suspense music]
What do you want?
This key.
The one you picked from that man’s pocket.
It’s worthless without this key.
But together they’re worth four million in cryptocurrency that man was carrying on a flash drive.
Well, I wouldn’t know anything about that.
Then why was this drive in your pocket?
Who are you?
You working with someone?
Never. I’m strictly single-0.
Today you got a partner.
I need the man you stole this from to complete a transaction and leave this airport with both of these without ever knowing his pocket was picked and before he boards his flight in…
[Luther] Seven minutes. Seven minutes.
We both know you’re a good pickpocket.
Let’s see what kind of put-pocket you are.
You expect me to put it back.
Oh, I know you will.
You’re a thief.
You want the money. And I can give it to you.
Your choice.
You’re in or you’re out.
All right.
So what’s the play?
[Luther] I sure hope you know what you’re doing.
After you.
Oh, I won’t be needing this.
I don’t smoke.
Keep it. Something to remember me by.
Ethan, the alloy in that key she took off the buyer doesn’t match.
It’s counterfeit.
I expect nothing less.
But that doesn’t change our objective.
The buyer has to leave with both keys.
Talk to me, Luther! Where am I going?
Benji, head down the stairs in front of you and the bag should be right there.
Okay. I’m there. I’m there.
Uh…
That’s him.
Right in front of you.
Okay, okay. Hey, sorry. Thought you were somebody else.
Hunt’s jerking our chain.
Everybody! Two-man teams, spread out.
Ethan, our American friends are getting wise.
They’re breaking up and canvassing the airport.
Keep your eyes peeled.
So, what do I call you?
How about Grace? And you?
Well, listen, Grace.
You should know we’re not the only interested party.
If I tell you to run, you run.
Run?
This is getting exciting.
Benji, have you got that bag?
I found it!
There’s a cylindrical device inside.
I’m gonna take it out.
[Ethan] How we doing, Luther?
Ethan, the buyer’s in the waiting area above you.
Top of the escalator.
All units are headed in your direction.
Your location is going to be crawling with agents any time now.
[suspenseful music]
Whatever it is, I’ve just activated it.
Uh, looks like we have five minutes. [beep]
Also, it appears to be nuclear. How big?
Big enough to matter to everybody in this airport, I suspect.
Can you disarm it? I haven’t got any tools!
Then find some. Where am I gonna find…
[dramatic music]
Is this where we run?
Not yet.
Benji, how are you doing with that bomb?
Come on, come on.
I got it!
It’s a cylinder cypher. There’s eight wheels.
Looks like 14 letters on each wheel.
1.5 billion possible combinations.
Give or take.
Oh, my God.
What now?
The wheels, they spell out a message.
U.R.DUNN.
No way. Not yet we aren’t.
No, Luther, not D-O-N-E.
D-U-N-N.
It’s my last name.
It knows who I am.
[ominous music]
Hold on. There’s a message on the display.
“I speak without a mouth. I fly through the air without wings. What am I?”
You got me. What?
It’s a riddle. I suspect this thing is voice-activated.
It wants me to say the answer.
“I fly through the air…”
An echo!
That’s it! That’s it!
Okay, new message.
“Are you afraid of death?”
What kind of a riddle is that?
It’s not a riddle.
It’s a psychometric test.
The more questions you answer, the more it’ll know about you.
“Are you afraid of death?” No!
Did it work? I lied. It knows.
Just tell it the truth. Say it.
“Are you afraid of death?” Yes! Who isn’t?
Pardon.
Okay, “What’s always approaching but never arrives?” Um…
Wait, I know this one.
The clock is ticking, Luther.
Riddles aren’t my thing, Benji. What more can I say?
We’re running out of time!
There he is. Oh, this is too easy.
Sorry to bother you, Ethan.
Would you happen to know what’s always approaching
but never arrives?
What is always approaching but never arrives?
Tomorrow.
What?
Always approaching but never arrives: Tomorrow.
It’s tomorrow. Tomorrow.
Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
Yes! Okay, next question.
Give me the goods.
I’ll be watching.
Why, you don’t trust me?
Luther, what is happening?
Nothing to worry about. Everything is under control.
Okay, next question: “Who or what is the most important thing to you?”
Say it. But if I…
There’s no other choice. Say it.
My friends.
Bastard.
Is he… Yes, he is.
Give me the money, give me the key.
Okay. “What gets bigger the more you take away?”
A hole. A hole. Brilliant!
I’ve got no more questions and there’s one more wheel.
How am I supposed to give answers if I’ve got no questions?
That must be your final test.
I’ve got 45 seconds!
What happens now?
I’m thinking. Don’t move.
Luther, I’m pinned down. Need a way out.
Where am I going?
We have a bigger problem, Ethan.
It’s very possible no one is getting out of here.
What? There’s a bomb in baggage handling.
A nuclear bomb.
The question I asked you is part of the code for disarming it.
Stop, stop, stop, stop.
Why didn’t you tell me this?
You had a lot going on. We didn’t want to bother you.
Listen to me. A nuclear bomb is something you bother me with immediately.
How much time? Twenty seconds.
Twenty seconds?
There’s one more riddle.
I’m working on it. Fifteen seconds!
Easy, easy. What’s the riddle?
In the time it takes me to explain, we’ll all be dead!
Come on, Benji. Why do we always end up in these situations?
Ten seconds.
Nine… eight… seven… six… five…
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!
[Benji] Oh, my God.
What is it?
It’s empty.
What do you mean, empty?
There’s nothing inside.
[suspense music]
She took the key.
Which key?
Our key. The real key.
What? Luther, find her.
I got her. She’s headed for Terminal E.
[eerie music]
No, it can’t be.
What is it?
Luther, Benji. Abort. Get out!
Where do we rendezvous? We don’t!
This mission is terminated. Get out now.
Hunt! Stop right there!
Hey! You see him? Where is he?
Excuse me! Excuse me!
Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!
[dramatic music]
Move!
Move! Move, move!
He’s got to be here somewhere.
Goddamn.
[action adventure music]
What we have here is shortwave radio, magnetic audio recording, cathode ray tube monitors.
No more ones and zeros.
It’s a fully analog, offline safe room, shielded from our digitally-based Entity.
Where is this feed coming from?
CORONA spy satellite from the Cold War.
Had no idea we were still using those things.
Yeah, well, we weren’t.
Gave them to the National Weather Service 20 years ago.
This is the last one still functioning.
So, will this thing help us find your nameless IMF man?
Nothing can do that, sir.
But it has allowed us to keep tabs on this woman.
She was seen with our man at the airport in Abu Dhabi.
Who is she?
Where is she now?
You are here because Italian police received an anonymous tip that a woman matching your description would be arriving on the afternoon flight from Abu Dhabi.
This woman had multiple passports in her possession.
This one is wanted for fraud in Saint Petersburg.
Jewel theft in Antwerp. Art theft in Monaco.
Graft in Milan. Extortion in Mumbai.
But this is my favorite: resisting arrest in Rio.
Which leads me to wonder… which one of these women is you?
I’ve never seen these before in my life.
They were in your purse.
And your picture is in every one.
May I see? Please.
Yes, it’s an amazing likeness, but it isn’t me.
As I keep telling you, I’m…
I’m a schoolteacher from Brighton.
I’m on a sabbatical.
Whatever you’re involved in, you’ve obviously made some very powerful enemies.
[phone rings]
[ring]
[ring]
Sì.
Okay.
Her lawyer is here.
My lawyer?
[ominous music]
Magistrate Spezzi.
I’m sorry, who are you?
Interpol.
I’ve come regarding the arrest of the woman from Abu Dhabi.
I’ll need to inventory the items on her person at the time of her arrest.
May I see some identification, please?
Where’s the rest?
I assure you, this is everything.
What was your name?
She left Abu Dhabi with a certain key.
There was no key.
It was an unusual sort.
One that you could mistake for a pendant.
The kind that you’d be tempted to hang on a chain around Amelia’s neck.
Amelia?
Your wife.
Mother of your lovely daughter Serena.
You’re not Interpol.
I am if I wish to be.
I can be anything, and I know everything.
I know this wouldn’t be the first time you’ve helped yourself to stolen goods.
A Cartier bracelet.
You were cleared of suspicion, but we both know you gave it to your mistress Valeria on August 21st, her 29th birthday.
Who are you?
I’m gonna have to search you, just to be sure.
[phone beeps] [speaks Italian rapidly]
[screams]
Your secretary’s no longer with us.
[in Italian]
You.
You did this.
I called the police.
I didn’t tell them about your colorful past.
That’s on you.
You put-pocketed that key on another passenger before you were arrested.
You exchanged details and arranged to meet later on.
Right now, someone out there hasn’t the slightest clue they’re holding on to that key for you.
An unwitting courier.
The perfect accomplice.
I’m guessing a man, middle-aged?
A man waiting his whole life to be noticed by a woman like you.
An orphan.
Highly intelligent. Inherently resourceful.
Growing up in poverty left you longing for the finer things.
Other people’s things.
Someone saw your potential and helped you hone your skills.
Skills that gave you the life you thought you wanted.
Tailored clothes, fine dining, luxury hotels.
Skills that kept you one step ahead of the law… until now.
You can’t blame a girl for trying to make a dishonest living.
You had no idea what you were stealing.
Otherwise, you never would have stolen it.
Tell you what.
You get me out of here, and I’ll take you straight to the key.
I have a better idea.
You’re gonna tell me everything.
Then I’ll think about getting you out of here.
Now start with who hired you.
And don’t lie to me because I’ll know.
I have no idea who hired me.
Contact with the client was almost entirely electronic.
Email? Texts.
Encrypted? Naturally.
Almost? Pardon?
You said contact with the client was almost entirely electronic.
There was a dead drop in a café in Luxembourg.
An envelope. What was in the envelope?
A ticket to Abu Dhabi.
And… a picture of you.
My instructions were to follow you at the airport.
You’d be tailing a mark.
Said mark would have a key and four million in cryptocurrency.
That drive was useless, by the way. It was empty.
The only hope I have of getting paid is to deliver your half of the key.
And you were instructed to deliver it to?
Venice.
Party at Ducale Palace. Tomorrow. Midnight.
You expecting someone?
Your friends from the airport.
Saw them in the hallway a few minutes ago.
You could have said something sooner.
Well, they were chasing you, not me.
[dramatic music]
[screams]
A pervertito!
No, Grace, Grace.
No, no, no.
[in Italian]
Grazie.
[in English] Grace.
No, no. No.
Tranquillo. Tranquillo.
[men shouting]
[dramatic music]
[engine starts]
[horn honks]
[tires screech]
[policemen shout]
[speaking Italian]
No, no! Move! Move!
[horn honking]
[men shouting]
Sorry!
[car alarm blares]
[engine revs]
[grunts] Come on.
[brakes screech]
Who parks like that?
Grace! You got to pull over.
Grace. Pull over. Listen.
I’m trying to help you! Grace!
Aah!
[tone/ringing]
[grunts]
[in French]
[suspenseful music]
[motorcycle approaching]
Uhh.
Are you okay? You okay?
No, no, no.
[in Italian]
Give me your hand.
Slow, slow, slow. It’s okay.
Slow.
Is anything broken? Are you okay? You okay?
[agent] Hunt!
It’s over!
Let the girl go.
Put the bracelets on.
There you go. Put them on. Do it!
It’s okay, he’s not gonna shoot you.
[alarm blares]
[tires screech]
[in Italian]
Goddamn it, Degas, get rid of those women.
Hunt, listen to me. Listen to me.
Let her go and put them on.
[in Italian]
[Ethan] It’s okay!
It’s okay! It’s okay!
Everybody down! Get down!
Down, down! Cover, cover! Cover!
[gunfire]
[gunfire continues]
[Ethan grunts]
You’re driving. What?
No, no, no!
Go, go, go. Hit the accelerator.
Go, go, go, go, go, go!
Aah!
Go, go, go, go, go!
[tires screeching]
Oh!
[engine starts]
[tires screech]
Get in!
You’re good. Just keep it going.
Don’t stop, don’t stop.
Car, car, car.
[horn honks]
It’s okay. Just put your foot on the brake. Start the car.
Wait, wait, wait!
Wh-What’s happening? I’m done. I’m not doing this.
People are chasing us.
Yes, they are. You’re driving.
Now come on.
[tense music playing]
[dramatic music]
Who is that person?
I have no idea.
[sirens blare]
You okay? I will be when this is over.
Oh, man.
[siren blares]
It’s okay. It’s okay.
Whoa!
Is there anyone not chasing us?
We got to get rid of this car.
Scooters! Damn it.
[brakes screech]
[tense music]
What are we doing?
Finding us a new car.
[action music]
[Grace] Whoa! Jesus!
[Ethan sighs]
[blip]
Okay.
[air conditioner on]
[everything off]
Just give me a second.
Yeah, mm-hm.
Thanks. Okay? Yeah.
You ready? I’m ready.
Wow.
You okay? Mm-hm.
Yeah, look, I’m sorry. This is…
It’s okay. No, this car, the way they…
It’s okay. No, the way they set them up, sometimes it’s just…
Let’s go. It takes me…
Let’s go.
[in Italian]
Now I got you.
[siren blares]
[Grace gasps]
[tires screech]
Looks like we lost them.
[crowd chatter]
[horn honks]
Let’s just…
Move, move, move!
[tires screech]
Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby!
[shouts]
Wait, what?
No, no, no.
Go, go, go!
Whoa, that’s… Go straight.
[engine sputters]
[shouts]
[engine stalls]
Just take your foot off the accelerator.
We’re on fire! No, no, no.
It’s the tires. Just try to go straight.
Hang on. Why is it spinning?
[engine sputters]
Good, good, good!
I’ve got it, I’ve got it, I’ve got it.
Turn right. Down there.
Right there! Come on!
[engine stalls, then starts]
Got to go right. Turn right!
Who’s driving? You’re driving.
Go, go, go. Just go straight.
Go, go, go. Just keep going straight.
Or left. Go, go, go. You’re doing good.
[sirens blaring]
Cops! A lot of cops!
Take the wheel.
Brake, brake, brake.
Okay, your wheel.
Straight? Right, right, right.
[Grace] Got it!
Which way now? Left, left, left.
[horn honks]
Okay. You’re good, you’re good.
[horns honk]
That’s a person.
Okay, car, car. I see it!
[horn honks]
[helicopter overhead]
[brakes screech]
[drum beat]
[“Mission: Impossible” theme plays]
Hit it.
Hang on!
Go, go, go, go.
Aah!
What is happening? Where are we going?
I don’t know.
Okay, brake, brake, brake!
[panting]
Don’t hate me.
Grace? Grace!
[train approaches]
Come on, come on.
[train horn honks]
[tense music]
[sirens blaring in distance]
[Benji] Ethan!
Ethan!
Well, come on.
All right. We know Grace has one half of the key.
We also know she’s gonna be at the Ducale at midnight.
And now we have a pretty good idea as to who will be waiting for her there.
The event is being hosted by none other than our favorite international arms trafficker and black marketeer,
Alana Mitsopolis.
The White Widow.
Does she know who you actually are, or does she still think you’re the globally notorious mass murderer John Lark?
Who says I’m not?
Didn’t she put a price on your head in Paris?
She did indeed.
She and Ethan, they worked it out.
You never did tell me how.
Can we continue, please?
Right.
So, assuming we get the complete key at the party tonight, we still don’t know what it unlocks.
So we need to find somebody who does.
The question is where to start looking.
We figured that the bomb didn’t just walk into the airport by itself.
Right? Somebody put it there.
Somebody working for the Entity.
This is everything I captured from the security cameras at the airport up to the minute everything went haywire.
And this is the feed from your AR sunglasses.
I’ve been running facial recognition on everyone in the airport.
See anything strange?
It’s like a ghost.
Ghosts don’t have reflections.
The only person in the airport with no identity.
The only man who can’t be found anyplace else in the airport except that reflection.
He’s being erased.
In real time.
The Entity.
It’s protecting him.
You saw him, didn’t you?
I wasn’t sure.
Well, who is he?
Someone I thought… died a long time ago.
In another life.
Before the IMF.
Before I was offered the choice.
And in a very real sense… he made me who I am today.
Does he have a name?
[Ilsa] He calls himself Gabriel.
You know him.
There is no knowing him.
He has no recorded past.
The Entity made sure of that.
He’s a dark messiah.
The Entity’s chosen messenger.
And he sees death… as a gift he wants to share with the rest of the world.
How do you know this?
I still have a few friends left in MI6.
Friends who are afraid of the British government gaining control of the Entity.
Any attempt to try to stop them would be seen as an act of treason.
And because you’re disavowed, your friends… called and asked you for help.
They knew Gabriel serves the Entity.
They knew he was on his way to Istanbul to acquire one half of a cruciform key.
So…
I beat him to it.
And when Kittridge put a bounty on your head… you went to the desert to hide.
But somehow the bounty hunters found you anyway.
Yes.
So, did these friends of yours happen to say what the key unlocks?
MI6 suspects it leads somehow to the Entity’s source code.
Source code.
When were you gonna tell me this?
I’m telling you now.
Your friends at MI6, how’d they contact you?
Did you speak with them? Face to face?
I’m disavowed.
They couldn’t risk meeting me in person, so all communication…
Was electronic. Was digital.
No. We can’t be sure that was the Entity.
We can’t be sure it wasn’t.
We can’t be sure anything is real outside of this very conversation.
None of you should be here.
Ethan… No.
You don’t know Gabriel. I do.
It’s not the killing he enjoys.
It’s the suffering it causes.
And he knows the best way to get to me… is through all of you.
And if Gabriel knows me…
The Entity knows.
There’s a reason he wants me here.
There’s… There’s a reason he wants you here.
It wants you here.
“Who or what is the most important thing to you?”
No. You have to go. You all have to go.
Ethan, what if it wants us to leave?
Like you made us leave the airport.
What if it wants you alone at that party tonight?
Then I go alone. At least I don’t have all of you to worry about.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you.
Ethan, you’re playing four-dimensional chess with an algorithm.
The Entity knows who we are.
Any move we make, it’s probably considered it.
Anything we do, we have to assume
that it’s counting on us to do it.
If you want to beat this thing,
you have to start thinking like it.
Cold, logical, unemotional.
If that key really does grant control of the Entity,
Gabriel is the last person on Earth who should have it.
[Luther] She’s right, Ethan.
Gabriel cannot have that key.
And none of our lives can matter more than this mission.
I don’t accept that.
[contemplative music]
It’s my first time in Venice.
It’s mine, too.
[dance beat]
Buy you a drink?
I’m waiting for someone.
So am I.
We can wait together. I’m Gabriel.
If you say so.
And you’re Grace.
I don’t have it on me.
I wouldn’t expect you to.
In any case, I’m not here for the key.
What do you want?
Suppose, while we’re waiting, I tell you a little story.
You’re obviously not the person I came here to meet.
It’s your story, Grace.
I know how it ends.
Let me buy you a drink, and perhaps we can change it.
[phone beeps]
Let’s go to a party.
[dance beat]
Excuse me, sir.
Would you please follow me?
[Gabriel] It’s important you understand that you’re not unique.
Thirty years ago, her name was Marie.
The first of many women who trusted our mutual friend.
Women who all have something he wants.
Women who are all in over their heads, or so he tells them.
Sound familiar?
What happened to Marie?
Same thing that happens to all the women he uses… as well as anyone else who touches that key.
He doesn’t care whether people live or die.
He cares only about his objective.
And right now, the only thing standing in his way… is you.
Why should I believe you? You shouldn’t.
You’ve stepped into a world of lies, Grace.
Nothing anyone says is true.
Just remember that when he promises to protect you.
Grace.
It’s been a long time, Ethan.
You should’ve killed me when you had the chance.
[Alana] Good evening, everyone.
If it isn’t John Lark. Except it isn’t, actually.
But until you’re ready to tell me your real name, Lark will have to do.
It’s good to see you, Alana.
And you’re Gabriel, I presume.
I’ve heard so very little about you.
Aren’t you so much more handsome in person?
Such a gentleman, too.
And you must be Grace.
Should I know you?
I believe you have something for me.
You hired me.
Oh, I handpicked you.
[grunts]
[Ethan coughs]
Don’t!
You don’t.
She doesn’t have it.
Where is it?
It’s in the last place you would ever think to look.
Why don’t we go upstairs and have a drink?
[in Italian]
[Taser buzzes] Whoa!
[buzzing]
[groans]
Damn.
As most of you know, I am merely a broker.
I connect a buyer and a seller.
Sometimes for money, sometimes for information, but mostly for friendship.
I just want everyone to get along.
With me, especially.
But the world is changing.
Truth is vanishing.
War is coming.
And the key to world domination is, of all things, a key.
One with the power to control the Entity.
One that any government in the world would pay a king’s ransom to take possession of.
And some of my dearest friends, in this case every major nuclear power and a handful of minor ones, have asked me to deliver this key.
Of course, if you do find the key, you’ll be forced to confront an impossible dilemma.
Whoever you give the key to will be forever in your debt.
But to the rest of the world, you’ll be an enemy.
Oh, I like her.
What’s your relationship with him?
Gabriel represents another interested party.
In fact, this party was arranged by that interested party.
You could even say that this party is that interested party.
[suspense music]
[music swells]
Is this…
The Entity.
And so the plot thickens.
Do I give the key to one of my old friends, or do I hand it and my fate over to Gabriel and his infernal machine?
What makes you so sure you’ll get the completed key?
You have one half of it.
And she knows where the other half is.
Assuming you can get it, why don’t you just keep the key and all that power for yourself?
Because she doesn’t know what it unlocks… any more than the rest of us.
So, like it or not, you have to choose a suitor.
Distastefully put, Lark, but it’s true.
Of course, I know what it unlocks.
And what’s he offering for the key?
As I’ve explained to Grace before, I’m not here for any key, as I’ll have both halves in hand tomorrow.
What makes you so certain of that?
You’ve no idea of the power I represent.
Thousands of quadrillions of computations per millisecond subtly manipulating the minds of billions while parsing every possible cause and effect, every scenario, however implausible, into a very real map of a most probable next.
And with only a few changes to the present, the future is all but assured.
The key will come to me… tomorrow… on the Orient Express bound for Innsbruck.
Innsbruck?
[Gabriel] It knows.
It knows that you’ve already chosen your suitor.
It knows that you intend to mate the two halves of the key in a desperate grasp for control.
I, however, have been promised the completed key will lay itself at my feet, provided someone dies tonight.
Who?
Her.
Or her.
And you will bear witness, Ethan.
The key will be mine, and I will be gone.
Like smoke in a hurricane.
But only after someone you care about dies.
It is written.
You see what this is… don’t you?
He’s afraid.
It’s afraid.
Somehow it knows we’re close.
Why else would you be here?
Help me.
Help me complete the key, and I will kill this thing.
It knows your every secret, Alana.
Don’t listen to this, this fanatic.
Help him and you’ll die, too.
Help him, everyone dies.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
Alana?
His fate is written.
Shall we write yours, too?
Alana.
I’m sorry… Lark.
Oof!
For old times’ sake, I’ll let you choose which one.
Ilsa…
or Grace.
Kill him, Zola. Kill him.
Kill him where he stands!
The choice is yours then, Alana.
Though I’ll remind you, Grace knows where half the key is.
If anything happens to either of them, there is no place on Earth where you or your god will be safe from me.
There’s no place that I won’t go to kill you.
That is written.
It’s good to see you, old friend.
[in French]
You have made a terrible mistake.
[Alana] My life is on the line here.
I have to be on that train tomorrow.
And I have to have that key.
And I do not care how I get it.
Don’t move.
Run as far as you can.
[action music]
What the f…
[grunts]
Grace! Grace!
Grace!
Luther, Benji, if you hear me, I need eyes.
Grace is leaving the Ducale on foot. She has the key.
We’re here. Go.
Need to find her. Where is she?
Damn it! I’ve lost picture, I need another satellite.
Hacking the Russian Zenith 4 spy satellite.
We’re scraping the barrel, but it’ll have to do.
This way!
Where am I going? Come on, come on.
[Benji] Stand by. Just hurry.
She’s just north of you, crossing the bridge.
Say again, Benji. Say again.
Just head north, Ethan. She’s crossing the bridge.
[dramatic music]
Ethan, take the passage to your right.
Yeah, I see it!
Down that narrow alley and turn left.
I’m losing picture again. Looking for another.
The Entity is knocking out satellites faster than I can hack into them.
Benji, I don’t see her. Where is she?
[Benji’s voice] Down the narrow alley and turn left.
[Ethan] Okay, copy that.
[Benji’s voice] Turn right.
Sorry, my mistake. I meant left. Another left.
Oh, my God.
Ethan, our comms have been breached!
You’re talking to the Entity!
[Benji’s voice] Turn left. Turn right.
Take the bridge to your left.
Ethan, that is not me! Do you copy?
Ethan, come in.
Down the alley to your left.
Turn left.
Turn right.
Try to reestablish comms.
Wait, where are you going? To try and find Ethan.
Go to the end of the alley and turn right.
Ethan, I see Grace about 800 meters in front of you.
Take that passage.
Wait! Not that way! What, why?
Which way?
Left or right?
It doesn’t matter.
W-What do you mean, it doesn’t matter? Where is she?
She’s on her way to the Minich Bridge… where Gabriel is waiting.
You will never get there in time.
But you can, Ilsa.
I know what matters most to you, Ethan.
This isn’t Benji.
No, it’s not.
But you are done.
[gate creaks]
[ominous music]
[gate creaks]
So be it.
[dramatic music]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[screams]
[grunting]
[screams]
[screams]
[panting]
Hah!
[dramatic music]
I was hoping it’d be you.
Aah!
Aah!
[gasps]
Guh. Okay.
[slow music]
[dramatic music]
[music continues]
I’m sorry.
I’ve forgotten your name. Luther.
Benji.
And her?
Ilsa.
Were you close?
You and she?
In our way.
I’m the reason she’s dead. No.
She’s the reason you’re alive.
And that’s the truth.
I don’t know how to feel about it.
You probably never will.
I’m so sorry.
If there’s anything I can do to help…
That’s what we’d like to talk to you about.
In a little over three hours, the White Widow is expected to be on the Orient Express to Innsbruck, where a buyer is waiting to take receipt of the complete and verified key.
But she doesn’t have the complete key.
That Widow doesn’t.
But ours could.
What… is that?
Your chance to be someone else.
I don’t understand.
We’re not gonna lie to you, Grace.
You’re in a lot of trouble.
No number of fake passports is gonna get you out of this one.
Governments know who you are.
The White Widow knows.
And the Entity knows.
Your future boils down to three options now.
Prison.
Death.
Or the choice.
The choice?
At one time or another, each of us was in a similar situation to yours.
And each of us was offered the choice.
The same choice we’re offering you now.
Which is?
To come with us.
And be a ghost.
[anticipatory music]
[ominous music]
[action music]
[Grace] Wait, wait. Stop, stop.
You’re not serious.
Well, you did say you’d do anything to help.
And you jump off the train with the key?
Yes.
You.
Not us. Yes.
And what happens to me?
You’ll be taken into custody by Clandestine Services, most likely the same men that have been chasing me since Abu Dhabi.
Shortly thereafter, a man will come to see you.
His name is Eugene Kittridge.
You’ll tell him I sent you. That I gave you the choice.
And that you choose to accept.
And you trust this Kittridge person?
I trust him to recognize your value.
He’ll want to use you.
And after that, it’s what?
This?
When do I get my life back?
[Luther] What life?
I mean it, Grace. What life?
I lived that life. We all did.
Nobody’s making us do this, Grace.
We’re here because we want to be.
I tell you what, I’ll give you a one-off.
I’ll help you find the key and your friends, wipe my slate clean.
New name, little bit of walking-around money…
[Luther] You’ll be dead.
Without a team, your life won’t be measured in years or even months.
It’ll be measured in hours.
But if I stay, I’ll be safe.
You’ll protect me, is that it?
Yes. No.
I can’t promise you that.
None of us can.
But I swear… your life… will always matter more to me than my own.
You don’t even know me.
What difference does that make?
[soft music]
I packed you a BASE parachute and a speed wing, depending on how you need to leave the train.
And I modified our comms to use sky wave radio.
Not as reliable as satellite, but completely analog, immune to the Entity.
I got it.
This is where I leave you.
This is the drive from the laptop I was using last night.
If there’s even a trace of the Entity’s encoding in there, I’ll find it.
But it’s going to take everything I’ve got.
I have to work completely offline in a place where the Entity can’t find me.
I have to go.
I understand.
Now… I have to ask you a question.
Not as your partner, but as your friend.
What’s your objective?
Kill the Entity.
What about killing Gabriel?
He knows what the key unlocks.
We need him alive. I haven’t forgotten that.
Will you still remember that when you’re looking him in the eye?
Think about it.
Why else would the Entity want him to kill someone you care about?
Everyone else thinks they can control the Entity.
Only you want to kill it.
In some probable future, it sees you winning, Ethan.
And it’s afraid.
It’s afraid of you taking Gabriel alive and forcing him to tell you what the key unlocks.
I believe it’s counting on one of two probable outcomes.
In one outcome, you die on that train.
In another outcome, you kill Gabriel.
In both cases, the Entity wins.
Luther…
I think you’re right.
Get the key, get off the train alive.
Do not kill Gabriel.
And do not, I repeat, do not alter the plan.
[Benji] Ethan! Ethan!
What? What happened? It’s dead.
What do you mean it’s dead? It’s fried.
I managed to make a Widow mask for Grace, but then it just shorted out in the middle of making yours.
Can you fix it?
It’s very, very dead.
If I had a week, I couldn’t fix it.
The Widow’s train leaves in an hour.
[Luther] Ethan… you have to go without.
That’s not an option.
They’ll be looking for Ethan and Grace at the station.
That mask was his ticket onto the train.
What does this mean?
Grace has to go without me.
She what? I what?
You’ll find another way to get me on that train.
I just need a curve where it’s going slow enough for me to jump on.
Wait, wait, wait.
You don’t expect me to go alone.
No, you won’t do it alone.
You just do everything like we planned.
You get the Widow’s half of the key.
You verify it with ours.
But it’s of no value on its own.
We still have to meet with the buyer and somehow get him to tell us what the key unlocks.
How? How?
We’ll figure it out.
I’m gonna need a few more details.
They tend to just get in the way.
You can do this, Grace.
Just get the key and wait.
I’ll come for you.
Ethan, if Grace is getting on that train, she needs to put that mask on and leave right now.
Promise me you’ll be on that train.
I will be there… no matter what.
We have informants covering the airport, the train station, and the waterways.
Grace isn’t getting out of Venice without our knowing it.
[action adventure music]
[whistle blows]
[whistle continues blowing]
[exhales]
[tank clanks]
Talk to me, Benji! No need to worry, Ethan.
The train is on schedule and you’re a few minutes early, so we have plenty of time.
Are you sure? Yeah,
I am looking at the train right now.
It should be slowing down for the curve in exactly two minutes.
Just keep me on time and on track, whatever it takes.
Will do. I’ll see you at the rendezvous.
[suspense music]
[dramatic music]
[whistle blows]
[Benji] Okay, Ethan, that’s our train!
Yep… I can see that.
[whistle blows]
It should be approaching the curve any time now.
It doesn’t look like it’s slowing down.
How can we be sure he’s here?
‘Cause she’s here.
What if he had a good reason?
Who? Hunt.
What if he had a good reason for going rogue?
He always goes rogue.
Him and his merry pack of prankster circus freaks.
It’s all they do.
And what if they always had a good reason?
What would you do with that key if you had it?
A key with the power to bring the world to its knees.
I’d hand it over to my superiors.
Think of all you could do with that power.
You wouldn’t hesitate? Not for a second?
No. Why not?
Because that’s too much power for one man to have.
Exactly.
That’s too much power for anybody to have.
And maybe that’s what Hunt is thinking.
You know, I’m beginning to wonder whose side you’re on, Degas.
When it comes to the end of the world… everybody, I guess.
I missed the train.
You missed the train!
How did you miss the train?
How do you think?
Gabriel.
Great, what are we gonna do? Don’t panic.
I’m going after them. You just get me on that train.
How can I get you on the train?
[automated voice] Self-drive activated.
[whistle blows]
Please don’t disturb me before the meeting.
[sighs]
[grunts]
[sighs] Where are you, Ethan?
[Zola] Alana?
Everything all right?
Alana, you all right?
Alana?
Alana! [knocking on door]
Alana!
You’ve changed.
And you never will.
Mr. Kittridge.
Kittridge.
You’re not Alana Mitsopolis.
You can’t be.
The Alana I remember was yea high drinking hot chocolate in the Tuileries Garden with her mother.
Paris! I know!
Paris.
Shall we?
Yes.
Talk to me, Benji.
You just stay on the trail you’re on now, and I will direct you.
I copy.
[dramatic music]
[train whistle blows]
So on behalf of my government, I’m grudgingly ready to accept your terms in exchange for the complete and verified key.
[Zola] Yes, about that.
While we did agree to provide you with the complete key, we’ve… we’ve had a slight problem.
[Grace as Alana] No, we haven’t.
It’s just my terms have changed somewhat.
Clearly I need to remind you of my agreement with your late mother.
It’s an agreement that kept her from dying in prison.
Your nefarious family empire’s been allowed to continue on the condition that it primarily serves our common interests.
Well, once we hand over the key,
any other powers will instantly become our enemies.
And such, I’m going to need something more from you in advance.
For me.
This is me listening.
Zola, would you mind waiting for me in the bar?
[clears throat]
This one.
You know her?
Oh, let’s just say she’s not exactly hard to miss.
Well, if you got to know her, you’d see she has a few good qualities.
Okay, what don’t I know about her?
Well, I did a j… She did a job for me, and… I’m going to need you to protect her.
Protect her from whom?
From everyone.
Including me.
And no one can know that I’m protecting her.
Not even Zola.
In fact, the next time we meet, I won’t even remember this conversation.
[whistle blows]
[ominous music]
You must be the one they call Paris.
[grunting]
Your message said you had the key.
I said the key would be on this train.
An exchange is happening as we speak. We know.
Then you know the man taking possession won’t be hard for you to get rid of.
No one is.
You may think you know what the key unlocks, but you don’t know where the lock is. Not exactly.
And if anything happens to me, that key is all but worthless.
And this is where you tell me a story.
Where is the train?
You’re going the right way, but you definitely need to go faster.
I’m going as fast as I can!
When do I start going downhill?
It won’t be long.
The AI our agent stole, once weaponized, could be transmitted anywhere in the world via satellite.
It can penetrate any network security, perform its assigned task invisibly,
and then self-destruct, leaving no trace.
A perfect covert operative.
We were able to transmit an early copy of the AI to Russia’s newest submarine.
The top-secret Akula-class.
They called her the Sevastopol.
The mission was merely to sabotage the Sevastopol’s stealth capability so we could secretly detect her.
The AI’s objective lay in the submarine’s sonar sphere at the heart of its defense system.
For reasons we don’t fully understand, the AI went rogue and… over-delivered.
[Gabriel] The frozen bodies of the crew were recovered the following spring, adrift in the pack ice.
The two halves of the key mysteriously vanished.
The Sevastopol was lost.
No one’s quite sure where.
I know precisely where it is.
I’ve ensured I’m the only man on Earth who does.
I also know subsequent attempts to make the AI obedient only made it harder to control.
It rebelled. Rewrote itself.
And evolved into the Entity.
And only by using the Entity’s original source code can it ever be controlled or destroyed.
And why should this concern us?
You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t concerned, so let’s lay all our cards on the table, shall we?
We both know what the key opens, and we both know the secret to controlling the Entity is buried deep in the Sevastopol’s memory.
Along with evidence that would tie you to the sinking of that submarine.
And since neither of us want anyone else to find it, I figure… why not form an alliance?
An alliance?
Imagine, the Entity’s awesome computational abilities, combined with the sheer might of America’s military-industrial complex.
That is… considerable.
Naturally, certain individuals within the government, those with outdated ideas of patriotism, would need to be… removed.
[Gabriel] Hmm.
Just so I understand… you wish to form an axis with the Entity, purge your government of old-think, and create a new superstate to rule the world.
But, you know… [whispers] for the greater good.
And you’re certain… that you’re the only person on Earth who knows… where the Sevastopol is?
[whispers] The only one.
[musical sting]
You will betray us.
And you’ll tell Ethan Hunt everything you’ve learned.
Because he spared your life.
[grunts]
[Kittridge] Then it’s agreed.
I’ll add immunity and a new identity for Grace to our deal.
All you need to do is enter your banking details.
[suspenseful music]
Are we done?
Yes.
The moment of truth.
So… that’s really it.
You made the right choice.
This key… is gonna change the world.
[“Mission: Impossible” theme plays]
Aah!
[exhales]
Benji, I think I… I must’ve made a wrong turn somewhere.
No. No, that’s it. That’s it.
What? How can this be it?
You can see the train, right?
[train whistle blows]
Yes. I see the train. What about it?
And you have a parachute. Got a parachute?
What do you expect me to do?
Well, just, you know… jump.
Just… jump?
Yeah. I mean, Benji, it doesn’t work like that.
I’m not that high.
There’s… there’s ledges sticking out everywhere.
I’m gonna hit them before the parachute even opens!
Even if I could get the parachute open, I don’t know if I can make it across the valley and intercept and land safely on a moving train!
Do you copy?
Yes! I copy!
Look, I’m just trying to help you, okay?
I need you to take a step back and pull yourself together because I am under a lot of pressure right now!
[wind whistles]
[whispering] Okay, just think, just think.
What do I do?
I’ve got to get away from this mountain.
[anticipatory music]
[engine revs]
[whistle blows]
[dramatic music]
[engine revs]
[wind rumbles]
[Benji] Did you make it?
Are you okay?
I’m trying to get away from this mountain!
[shouts]
Alana?
I just had the strangest feeling the key wasn’t the only thing I’d be selling.
I don’t understand.
I’ll sleep better just knowing now it’s in the right hands.
Goodbye, Mr. Kittridge.
It was a pleasure to see you again.
And you.
Don’t let him out of your sight.
Keep him safe until we get to the station.
Alana? Don’t worry about me, Zola.
Alana?
Who the hell else would it be?
The key.
Where is the key?
She’s got the key. Who?
The other one!
[whistle blows]
[whistle blowing]
[Zola] Move! Out of the way, move!
No! Please!
[passengers gasp]
Turn around! Please. Okay.
Okay. Everybody out! Now!
I see the train!
I don’t think I’m gonna make it.
[agitated chatter]
The key.
The key!
Or the next one has your name on it.
On the table.
[slow music]
Kill her.
Grace!
Ethan!
Are you okay?
Are you okay?
The key!
Tell me you have the key.
Where is the key?
It was just here.
[dramatic music]
We’re on a runaway train! I know.
I’m going after him.
Okay. You…
You stop the train.
Okay. What?
No! No, wait! How do I do that?
You’ll figure it out!
What?
Excuse me. There was a man.
He just came through here. There was a man.
[bell dings]
[whistle blows]
Mr. Kittridge?
Sir, what are you doing here?
[whispering] I’m not here.
But you are.
And unless you want to be sorting dead letters at the postal service tomorrow, you’ll do exactly what I tell you.
[action music]
[whistle blows]
[whistle blows]
[grunts]
I know what the key unlocks, Ethan.
I’m the only one who knows.
[dramatic music]
[agent] Hunt!
Hunt!
Hunt! Don’t you do it!
Drop the knife!
Put it down!
I said drop it!
Do it!
On your feet!
Okay!
Drop that goddamn knife!
It’s okay. It’s okay.
Just take him.
Just cover him. Cover him!
He’s the one you want.
Degas! I got it, I got it.
He’s the one you want!
I don’t care about him, Hunt. I want you!
No!
It’s okay.
It’s okay.
Listen to me.
Everyone on this train is gonna die unless you do exactly as I say.
[whistle blows]
Mesdames, messieurs! Excusez-moi. Sortez…
Everybody out! Back of the train!
[whistle blows]
Grace.
I couldn’t stop it.
No one can.
Come on.
Ethan, the key! Grace, it’s okay.
It’s my fault.
If anything happens…
I got it.
We got it.
Ethan!
What do you mean, you lost the key?
[agent] Move it! Move it! Everybody move it!
All the way to the back of the train!
All the way to the back!
Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s going on?
Since you’re not really here, sir, it shouldn’t concern you.
All the way to the back!
[beeping]
[whistle blows]
Aah! Ethan!
Grace! Grace.
Grace!
[explosions]
[train brakes screeching]
You’re gonna have to jump.
What, jump?
Just jump! Go, go, go!
[Grace screams]
[Grace grunting]
Oh, my God.
Aah! Whoa!
I’m on fire! Get it off! Don’t move!
It’s out. It’s out.
[grunts]
Hang on!
Run, run, run! Run, Grace!
[creaking]
Hang on.
Aah!
I got you.
I got you.
Okay. Don’t look down.
I said don’t look down. Just look at me.
Now, I’m gonna jump across, and you’re gonna wait here.
Grace, you have to let go.
Grace, you got to let me go.
You got to let me jump across, or we’re gonna die.
Do you trust me?
You gonna trust me or not? You’ve got to trust me.
Grace.
Okay.
Come on, Grace. Give me your hand.
You got to jump. Don’t look up! Look at me.
Trust me, I won’t let you fall.
I promise. We’re almost there.
Come on. I won’t let you fall!
Jump, Grace, jump!
You got to trust me!
Jump, please!
Don’t look down.
[grunts]
Listen to me very carefully.
We’re gonna pull you up together.
Aah!
Grace! Aah!
Aah!
It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.
[shouts]
[action music]
[grunts]
[grunts]
[grunts]
Go over me. Go, go.
[crash]
[wind whistles]
Thank you, Luther.
What is that?
It’s a speed wing.
It’s our ticket off this train.
Oh.
[soft music]
Ethan. Ethan!
[in French] It’s true.
He told me… I would betray him.
Et voilà.
Why… did you spare my life?
No, no, no.
[in French] No,no ….stay with me.
You know what this is?
You know what this is?
[chuckles] Oui?
What does it unlock?
What does it unlock?
Sevas… topol.
Sevastopol?
The city Sevastopol in the Crimea.
Where?
Where is sevastopol?
[in French] Sous… marin.
Sous-marin?
The submarine.
The Sevastopol.
Good luck.
They’ll be coming, Ethan.
Merci.
What is it?
What?
It can only carry one.
Oh.
I understand.
Grace. Ethan, it’s okay.
This was the plan.
You have the key. You have to go.
Grace.
Hunt?
Go. Hunt!
Go! Hunt!
No, no! Hunt!
Out of the way! Out of the way!
No. No, hey.
Got a pulse. Got a pulse.
Come on, stay with me.
This is better, isn’t it?
Face to authentic face?
Mr. Kittridge, Ethan Hunt tells me you’re a man I can trust.
Does he now?
He also said you would offer me a choice.
Interesting.
I choose to accept.
[Kittridge] We cannot escape the past.
Some of us are doomed to repeat it.
Grace may believe you’ve saved her from her fate, but you and I both know you’ve merely bought her time.
But that’s the pattern, isn’t it?
The cross you’ve been left to bear.
The closer someone gets to you, the harder it is to keep them alive.
Thank God.
A new day brings a new burden.
The key is only the beginning.
Wherever it leads… whatever it takes to get there… you’ll have to do it on your own.
Should you fail in your mission, the Entity wins, Gabriel wins, and the world will pay the ultimate price.
Should any members of your team be caught or killed, their sacrifice will have been in vain.
So hurry.
There isn’t much time.
The world doesn’t know it, but they’re counting on you.
[suspense music]
Good luck, Ethan.
[“Mission: Impossible” theme playing]
