Mission: Impossible (1996)
TOMATOMETER
AUDIENCE SCORE
Critic Consensus: Full of special effects, Brian DePalma's update of Mission: Impossible has a lot of sweeping spectacle, but the plot is sometimes convoluted.
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Cast
as Ethan Hunt
as Jim Phelps
as Claire
as Kittridge
as Krieger
as Luther
as Sarah Davies
as Max
as Frank Barnes
as Golitsyn
as Zozimov
as Hannah
as Hannah
as Matthias
as Electronics Expert
as Drunken Female IMF Agent
as Druken Male IMF Agent
as Kittridge Technician
as TV Interviewer
as Kiev Room Agent
as CIA Analyst William Donloe
as Max's Companion
as Dipolmat Rand Housman
as Mayor Brandl
as Jaroslav Reid
as Denied Area Security Guard
as Denied Area Security Guard
as Sky News Man
as Flight Attendant
as CNN Reporter
as Cleaning Woman
as Kiev Room Agent
as Kiev Room Agent
as Kiev Room Agent
as Kiev Room Agent
as Kiev Room Agent
as Kiev Room Agent
as CIA Agent
as Train Engineer
as Female Executive in Train
as CIA Agent
as CIA Lobby Guard
as CIA Escort Guard
as CIA Agent
as Public Official
as M15 Agent
as Large Man
as Margaret Hunt
as Donald Hunt
as CIA Lobby Guard
as Steward on Train
as Air Stewdardess
News & Interviews for Mission: Impossible
Critic Reviews for Mission: Impossible
All Critics (55) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (35) | Rotten (20) | DVD (9)
The "set" pieces of this film come off like clockwork, but there's no connective tissue -- no story line, no solid characterization, etc. In the end, De Palma's work seems full of sound and visual fury without signifying much of anything.
The most dour, sexless piece of escapism in memory.
Despite the snags, De Palma remains a virtuoso puppet-master, pulling the strings taut in a nail-biting robbery sequence, switching from micro to macro with Hitchcockian panache, and finally letting rip with a hell-for-leather climax.
Humorless, charmless and flat.
There are just a few groovy special effects and a practically incomprehensible story which we finally can't work up enough energy to care about.
It's the worst kind of convoluted thriller -- it can never unravel satisfactorily because there's nothing simple at its center, just more confusion.
Audience Reviews for Mission: Impossible
Revisiting the first M:I film now with its portrayal of the early internet stages feels like watching cavemen trying to make fire. The agent thriller aspects of the film still work, DePalma knows how to direct a film, of course. They are oddly contradictory to the action scenes, though, making for an very strangely timed film. The iconic break-in to the CIA headquarters stands the test of time, the over the top finale with the CGI helicopter less so. Let's put it this way: after this and the mediocre second part the series got better and better.
Super Reviewer
The first and still by far my favorite entry in the Mission Impossible franchise. The action is great (Who can forget the iconic vault sequence), DePalma's direction is tight and classy, and the plot (while admittedly a bit convoluted) is full of great twists and turns.
Super Reviewer
While this film hasn't aged well, (especially when it comes to its use of computer technology), there is a reason that it is a classic action film, and has now spawned four sequels, the latest of which will be in theaters this year. Tom Cruise is probably the best action star of the past twenty years, mainly because he does his own stunts, even in an age where CGI is replacing a lot of stunt doubles. While this is saving many stunt people from injuries, the action looks fake and lowers the stakes for the audience. Tom Cruise is doing everything that you see onscreen. The scene in the vault is still relevant today because it looks and feels real for the audience. Iconic imagery from this film is still referenced today, and has informed many modern action films, probably making it the most influential action film of the decade, besides "The Matrix." The stakes of the first film revolve around the identities of a secret government agency, and Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is framed in a worldwide conspiracy. Hunt is almost completely alone in his quest to clear his name and help his other agents keep their secrecy intact. While many aspects of this film are still impressive today a lot of this does not have the same impact that it had nearly twenty years ago. Luckily the sequels are of the same caliber and incorporate modern technology and stunts.
Super Reviewer
Mission: Impossible Quotes
| Luther: | Are you sure we can do this? |
| Ethan Hunt: | We're going to do it. *Main theme plays* |
| Ethan Hunt: | One...two...three...toast...TOAST! |
| Ethan Hunt: | One, two, three, toast. TOAST! |
| Ethan Hunt: | RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT! |
| Ethan Hunt: | Red light, green light. |
| Ethan Hunt: | [Realizing Jim is the mole] Why Jim? Why? |
| Jim Phelps: | Well, you think about it Ethan, it was inevitable. No more cold war. No more secrets you keep from yourself. Answer to no one but yourself. Then, you wake up one morning and find out the President is running the country without your permission. The son of a bitch, how dare he. Then you realize, it's over. You are an obsolete peice of hardware, not worth upgrading, you got a lousy marriage, and 62 grand a year. |