Mission: Impossible
1996, Adventure/Mystery & thriller, 1h 50m
61 Reviews 250,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
Full of special effects, Brian DePalma's update of Mission: Impossible has a lot of sweeping spectacle, but the plot is sometimes convoluted. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
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Movie Info
When U.S. government operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his mentor, Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), go on a covert assignment that takes a disastrous turn, Jim is killed, and Ethan becomes the prime murder suspect. Now a fugitive, Hunt recruits brilliant hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and maverick pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) to help him sneak into a heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a confidential computer file that will prove his innocence.
Cast & Crew
Tom Cruise
Ethan Hunt
Ethan Hunt
Jon Voight
Jim Phelps
Jim Phelps
Henry Czerny
Kittridge
Kittridge
Ving Rhames
Luther
Luther
Kristin Scott Thomas
Sarah Davies
Sarah Davies
Jean Reno
Krieger
Krieger
Critic Reviews for Mission: Impossible
Audience Reviews for Mission: Impossible
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Aug 15, 2016While the sequences that Mission: Impossible is most famous for (the ceiling-descent and train-top) are truly thrilling, absolutely everything in between these scenes is obvious and uninspired. Rarely can a movie have you so completely engaged one minute, and then immediately back to checking the time the next. An important film, pop-culturally speaking, but not a very good one.Gimly M Super Reviewer
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Aug 27, 2015An overly twisty spy game that tries keeping the style of the TV series while spinning off in its own direction, this mission boasts some exciting set pieces but commits an unforgivable cardinal sin. Three whip-smart screenwriters take part (David Koepp, Spider-Man; Steven Zallian, Schindler's List; Robert Towne, Chinatown), but the often unwieldy plot involving an elusive disc exposing a list of IMF (Impossible Mission Force) superspies proves a case of too many cooks - in this place, top chefs - spoiling the broth. As convoluted as the double-crossing ends up to be, the most head-scratching backstab proves to be in turning TV stalwart Jim Phelps into the villain (indeed, original Phelps actor Peter Graves wouldn't take part because of this infraction). In this PG-13-rated spy thriller, an American agent (Cruise), under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization. Despite helming Hitchcockian mind-benders with an over-stated style (Blow Out), Brian De Palma seems to be a journeyman director-for-hire here, delivering some shots that seem quite unassured. Of the series, this chapter ranks as the most humdrum and unsexy. When a few outstanding sequences demand it, however, he sure frames some hell-raising fun. An inauspicious debut to an eventually A-Grade franchise, Mission: Impossible deserves a look for these key sequences and to see what later chapters got right. Bottom line: Jerry McGuffinJeff B Super Reviewer
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Aug 15, 2013[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon13.gif[/img]Directors C Super Reviewer
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Apr 09, 2013Brian De Palma brings Mission: Impossible to the big screen in an explosive and action-packed adventure. Branded a trader when his team is killed during an intelligence operation, IMF agent Ethan Hunt goes rogue in order to clear his name. The plot's rather good, and does a fair job at building suspense and intrigue. Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, and Ving Rhames, the casting's pretty solid. And, the action sequences are shot especially well, adding a lot of energy and intensity to the film. Danny Elfman's score is also excellently done. Incredibly entertaining, Mission: Impossible is a fun and thrilling action film.Dann M Super Reviewer
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