Movie Review – Mission: Impossible

Tense, exciting spy thriller has Tom Cruise in top gear as a superspy, much like James Bond only without the sexy-suave attitude, and although the film plods through some minor talky moments, has more than enough twists and turns to keep this genre fan happy.

Principal Cast :  Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristen Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Emilio Estevez, Karel Dobry, Dale Dye.
Synopsis:   IMF Agent Ethan Hunt hunts down the extremely valuable NOC list before all the spies across Europe are hunted down and killed.

****

Your mission, should you choose to accept it…..

I want to take you on a journey. A journey back into the mid-90’s, to a time when not ever film was a remake, reboot, sequel or imitator. The idea of bringing old TV shows to the big screen was still in its infancy, to the point where it could be argued that Tom Cruise’s production of Mission: Impossible, directed by Brian DePalma, was the jump-off point for Hollywood to start mining the small screen for ideas. The world was simpler then too – before 9/11 and the War On Terror, all cinema had to worry about with its spies was whether they’d prevent a nuclear explosion in the former Soviet Union, or if the Queen had her crown jewels stolen. That was about it. The brain-bending concept of a Mission: Impossible movie had all the hallmarks of Hollywood trying to create their own James Bond, a sophisticated, technologically adept super spy who cracks cases and undertakes missions that nobody else (without tights and a cape, anyway) would even consider. Enter Tom Cruise, in pre-couch-jumping popularity, married to Nicole Kidman, and who came to this project off the success of roles in hits like A Few Good Men, The Firm, and Interview With A Vampire only a few years prior. The thought of Tom Cruise as an uber-spy wasn’t exactly scoffed at (back then), and the film’s potential was solidified by the addition of a number of big name casting decisions, particularly Jon Voight (father of Angelina Jolie), Jean Reno (The Professional) and Kristen Scott-Thomas (The English Patient). With DePalma directing, would Mission: Impossible stack up to the task of retooling the classic television series for a new audience, or would it…. ahem, self destruct in five seconds?

Charades at Benny's place was filled with tension.
Charades at Benny’s place was filled with tension.
Look, I don't mind German porn, but if you're gonna watch it right in front of me....
Look, I don’t mind German porn, but if you’re gonna watch it right in front of me….
...and then guy said to him, "Bad luck Frenchy, you're still gonna have to die!"... man, that was a script reading to be at!
…and then guy said to him, “Bad luck Frenchy, you’re still gonna have to die!”… man, that was a script reading to be at!
Splish splash....
Splish splash….
Once again, John's limited knowledge of the internet came back to haunt him.
Once again, John’s limited knowledge of the internet came back to haunt him.
Hanging by a thread!
Hanging by a thread!
It's all sexy over here.
It’s all sexy over here.

Who wrote this?

2 thoughts on “Movie Review – Mission: Impossible

  1. This one has grown on me. I didn't like it at first, I wanted more action but after the lacklustre sequels I realised it wasn't action that was needed.

    1. It's interesting this one, in that it is an "action" film in the true sense of the word, but remains more a "thriller" or "spy adventure", and I think people's expectations on this one were left hanging by the marketing campaign. As you can read, I hated MI2, but always have time for MI3. I think as long as the script is smart (which this film is, to my mind) and the action is competent (again, I think DePalma did a great job here) you have a good film.

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