"Expect the impossible."
When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Tom Cruise
Ethan Hunt
Jon Voight
Jim Phelps
Emmanuelle Béart
Claire
Henry Czerny
Kittridge
Jean Reno
Krieger
Ving Rhames
Luther
Kristin Scott Thomas
Sarah Davies
Vanessa Redgrave
Max
Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė
Hannah
When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
_**Well done spy/caper thriller with Tom Cruise and an eye-rolling Scooby-Doo element**_ The Impossible Missions Force has a mission at a Prague gala concerning a CIA non-official cover list, but it doesn’t go as planned. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Clair Phelps (Emmanuelle Béart) then team-up with two disavowed agents (Ving Rhames and Jean Reno) to steal the real NOC list at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, before going to London for further thrills involving the TGV train to Paris. Jon Voight and Henry Czerny are on hand as leaders of IMF while Vanessa Redgrave plays an arms dealer and Kristin Scott Thomas an IMF agent. “Mission: Impossible” (1996) was loosely inspired by the TV series of the late 60s/early 70s and started the successful movie franchise starring Cruise. Expect convoluted dialogues, espionage gadgets, high society galas, foggy cobblestone streets, sudden deaths, globetrotting, double agents, capers and mind-blowing action. One thing that turned me off was the several occasions where a person’s fake face is torn off à la Scooby-Doo. Once would’ve been enough, but three times? What were the writers thinking? Other than that cavil, this is a quality spy/caper flick; it’s just too tortuous for my tastes with not enough human interest. The film runs 1 hour, 50 minutes, and was shot in Prague; London, Pinewood Studios & various other areas in England; and McLean, Virginia, & Washington DC. GRADE: B-
**Mission: Impossible thrives on a more localized story, trading massive stunts and action set pieces for a greater focus on spycraft, theft, and espionage.** Mission: Impossible operates on a much smaller scale than its successors and benefits from a more contained story. The action and suspense are more personal, and the danger more intimate than in later installments. The first entry in the Mission: Impossible film franchise blends spy thriller, murder mystery, and heist movie into one heart-pounding and compelling film. Paranoia runs rampant as agent Ethan Hunt is betrayed time and time again while trying to uncover who murdered his fellow agents and prevent the murder of many more. Mission: Impossible is iconic with its classic hanging inches above the floor moment and established a billion-dollar franchise. While some of the effects are dated and some of the acting a little cliche, Mission: Impossible remains a hallmark spy movie that is a must-see for any action or film fan.
Man, when this came out I was thinking that we are going to have another James Bond franchise only with an American and I was super stoked about it. Unfortunately I got my wish. This is really the only one worth watching and M:I2 just destroyed the series that didn't have the sense to die. But....what you have here is 3 Days of the Condor, directed by De Palma, with lots of action. No, I'm not joking, it's really 3 Days of the Condor with less plot and tension and more action and shooting. And Cruise instead of Redford, which actually is a pretty even swap from one generation to another...only Redford is still the better actor and Cruise only really acts when he wants to. So, yeah, if you saw 3 Days of the Condor you know what is going on. Just make it international, push up the RPMs, add a soundtrack by 1/2 of U2 and you have Mission:Impossible. But, despite that, it's really fun and enjoyable.
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I'm not the biggest fan of the diminutive Mr Cruise - but I have to hand it to him here. Brian de Palma has created an end-to-end action adventure and he is superb in it. He brings oodles of charisma to the screen as he ("Ethan Hunt") has to recover from a disastrous mission and build a team to discover not only who betrayed them, but to obtain a top secret list of American overseas operatives (i.e. spies) before it falls into enemy hands spelling doom for all concerned. What ensues is a fast-paced, well constructed movie that moves along cohesively with plenty going on - loads of tension, suspicion, nobody knowing whom to trust coupled with plenty of exciting stunts and a classy performance from Vanessa Redgrave bringing some gravitas to the proceedings as the stylish, but ruthless, "Max". Sure, it relies on tech and CGI a lot of the time, but the ensemble - Ving Rhames, Emmanuelle Béart and Jon Voight all deliver well into a plot that keeps us guessing until well into the denouement. Even Henry Czerny - not noted for the flexibility of his performances - turns in a decent effort and the ending might make you think twice before using the Chunnel! If you're looking for a good, high-octane piece of cinema; then this is certainly up there - on a big screen, if you can.
Having seen this multiple times, the twists are known. But the movie surprisingly holds up minus a few technology things. Cruise is still a baby in this movie and not the Ethan Hunt we get to know. The turns and twists in the movie are good but often underdeveloped or unexplained. They need to spend about 90 more seconds to explain a few things. Wish some of the characters were either more developed or out of the film. Some unnecessary items make the film drag a bit. Overall, enjoyed the movie and what ends up being an introduction to an ongoing franchise that wows at every stop.
Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating 'The Syndicate', an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.
Retired from active duty, and training recruits for the Impossible Mission Force, agent Ethan Hunt faces the toughest foe of his career: Owen Davian, an international broker of arms and information, who's as cunning as he is ruthless. Davian emerges to threaten Hunt and all that he holds dear – including the woman Hunt loves.
Fifteen years after vanishing from the CIA to start a family, elite spies Matt and Emily jump back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown.
Cold War spy Greville Wynne and his Russian source try to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
After his life is turned upside down when his wife is killed in a London terrorist attack, a brilliant but introverted CIA decoder takes matters into his own hands when his supervisors refuse to take action.
Ethan Hunt 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 world's fate 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 must consider that nothing can matter more than his mission—not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Salt-of-the-earth Cole falls head over heels for enigmatic Sadie—but then makes the shocking discovery that she's a secret agent. Before they can decide on a second date, Cole and Sadie are swept away on an international adventure to save the world.
At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.