Deliberate mistake: If the files on the hard drive are encrypted, as stated, they would also be locked against being deleted by a command, and Atlee would not be able to use a phone in close proximity to issue the delete command. He would need a massively powerful magnet or EMP to clear the drive.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
1 deliberate mistake
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson
Revealing mistake: When Benji imagines putting on a mask of an agent he plans to impersonate, when the camera pans around to first show the mirror, the mirror Benji's hands are further up on his face than the reflection, and the mirror Benji's hands move down his face slightly before the reflection starts to move them. Also, the mole that Ethan has on his left cheek isn't reversed in the mirror image. The "mirror" was actually a hole in the wall between two identical sets (one mirrored), with Simon Pegg and a Tom Cruise double in the foreground, and the mask actor and Tom Cruise in the background "mirror" set. (00:57:20)
Benji Dunn: Let me guess. Presumed dead?
Ethan Hunt: Well tonight, I just made it official.
Trivia: Tom Cruise was injured six times during the filming.
Question: Why does Benji have to enter the facility at the same time Ethan is switching the security profile? It's more dramatic that way, but couldn't Benji have waited to enter until after he knew the profiles were switched?
Answer: He most likely could have waited, but as you pointed out, it's more dramatic that way. This is a movie and the action is choreographed for maximum dramatic and visual effect, timing, tension, continuity, audience attention, and character interaction. We're not supposed to overthink it.
raywest ★
They would want Benji to enter as soon as possible, as the security may notice eventually that there is something amiss. Still going in without bothering about confirmation seems unnecessarily risky.