Release Date: May 22, 1996
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Beart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Dale Dye
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (some intense action violence)
Mission: Impossible is not the first remake of a baby-boomer television series, and it certainly will not be the last. I've never watched the original inspiration for this action-adventure flick, although I've heard afficianados of the old show claim that this newest rendition doesn't do justice to the tales of old. As a standalone product, though, Mission has been one of the more memorable films so far this year. It takes on a James Bond feel, with main characters skipping from continent to continent on an hourly basis; it takes on a suspense-thriller feel with agonizingly slow buildups to a tense action scene; and it takes on a very professional look with the crisp editing and downright awesome theme music.
The movie begins with a quick scene to establish the abilities of our characters. Led by Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, Emmanuelle Beart as Claire Phelps, and Emilio Estevez as Jack Harmen, they complete their job without incident and are whisked away to Prague for the assignment that sets up the rest of the plot (after we get to hear said damn cool theme music). In Prague, Ethan Hunt has to take down Alexander Golitsyn (Marcel Iures), who's planning to steal a list of agents' code names and their identifiable counterparts at an American Embassy reception. Unfortunately, the mission goes south and all of Hunt's team members, including Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), his commander, wind up dead. Hunt tries to meet with CIA top dog Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) to clear things up, but he learns that the CIA set the mission up as a mole hunt. Hunt, now on the run from the CIA, sets out to find the mole himself so he can learn what happened to his team; he contracts some help and goes about solving his own puzzle.
The plot is understandably complex, perhaps the only detriment to an otherwise well-executed movie. The story, written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park) and Robert Towne (The Firm), does reach farther than it needs to on certain plot intricacies, and other facets are unexplained. Yet the film might not be nearly as interesting to watch if not for the audience's task of trying to figure the movie out alongside Ethan Hunt. This is no slack-postured movie; without a certain amount of interest, the movie will soon fade into a blurred collage of intense action scenes and boring drama in the viewer's mind. Fortunately, the script has snippets of dialogue that are worth remembering. Tom Cruise, who doesn't do well here compared to the score of movies he's starred in, will surely redeem himself; for the moment though, he's got one of the best speaking parts in the movie.
In terms of performances, the movie is run throughout its length by Tom Cruise, but the really good stuff comes when Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) steps on the screen. His large stature and generally amused demeanor lend itself to an overall likeable character; the fact that he's generally a straight-shooter among a rather duplicitous cast lends even more audience favor towards him. He and Tom Cruise make this movie the truly watchable product that it is. Jon Voight chokes out another part, and both Emmanuelle Beart and Kristen Scott Thomas have surprisingly flat roles. Scott Thomas in particular, whose list of features is very comprehensive, is rubbed out here. Finally, all of this brought together by the patchy Brian De Palma (The Untouchables) gives the movie an overall finished feel - De Palma knows his stuff. This one's worth watching.
all contents © 1996 Craig Roush