Mission: Impossible (1996)

Director: Brian de Palma
Story: David Koepp and Steve Zaillian
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart
Music: Danny Elfman
Time: 110 minutes
Bottom-line: Has its moments...but not as stylish as expected

Although the film is based on the television series of the same name, Mission: Impossible is the film that gave us one of today’s most iconic characters: Ethan Hunt. The film stars Tom Cruise, Jon Voight and Emmanuelle Béart in the lead roles, with Ving Rhames, Jean Reno and Henry Czerny in the supporting roles. The stunts and action sequences of the future sequels makes those of MI seem “mild”, but as a film on its own, it is pretty thrilling.

Cruise as Hunt - inside the vault at Langley

“If we're going to Virginia, why don't we stop by Fort Knox. I can fly a helicopter right in through the lobby and set it down inside the vault. And it would be a hell of a lot easier than breaking into the damn CIA.”
Jim Phelps (Voight) and his team: the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) plan to get the IMF’s NOC (non-official cover) list from the American Embassy in Prague. The mission fails as all the members are murdered, except Ethan Hunt (Cruise). Hunt informs this to the IMF director Kittridge (Czerny), and when they meet, the former realises the whole operation was a mole hunt, and since he’s the only one alive, the IMF suspects him. Hunt manages to flee and is later met by Claire (Béart), Jon’s wife, who says she escaped being killed. Hunt hires two more agents: computer expert Luther Stickell (Rhames) and pilot Franz Krieger (Reno) to help him retrieve the NOC list. How does Hunt clear his name? Who is the actual mole?

Rhames as Luther and Reno as
Franz (right)

The acting is average. There is no humour at all, while the last two instalments had sufficient amount (mainly due to Benji’s character). The only bright spot in acting is that you feel Cruise is the best person to play the role of Hunt, and he has done extremely well to perform that role in all the future films. One important scene in the film is when the crew break into the vault at the CIA Headquarters at Langley, with Hunt hanging by his legs as he tries to steal the list. He has to get past a volume sensor, temperature sensor and a pressure sensor, and has to be so careful that not even a drop of sweat can reach the floor of the room!

Beart as Claire

The story is exciting, but does not have that required level of suspense, except in that one scene, and the first encounter between Hunt and Kittridge, where Hunt escapes after being named the mole. Even the climax I felt, could have been bettered (how many people-running-on-top-of-trains sequences have we seen already?). The special effects are quite good, and the action sequences – even if not that impressive – have been filmed well.

Voight as Jim 

So Mission: Impossible isn’t a movie you would recommend to someone looking for a good thriller/action movie. It is fairly good, but more importantly its moderate critical and excellent commercial successes set the foundation for the MI franchise. This is one film series where the later instalments are better than the first film.    

My Rating: 3/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 63%