Mission Impossible

1996’s Mission Impossible, directed by Brian De Palma.

Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Emilio Estevez, and Ingeborga Dapkunaite.

What is it about?

International Spy Agency IMF needs to obtain a list of sensitive information. Leader Jon Voight assembles a team, quarterbacked by super spy Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise, with Kristin Scott Thomas, Emilio Estevez, Emmanuelle Béart, and Ingeborga Dapkunaite supporting). Something goes fatally wrong, and Ethan has to figure out who double crossed him, while running for his life. Will he figure out who betrayed him, and not lose any more people he cares about?

Why is it worth seeing?

MI modernizes the classic television show, inserting the origins of super agent Ethan Hunt. Director Brian De Palma brings his flashy style (and Tom Cruise’s smile) to the screen- with mixed results. While things go boom and there are some nice moments of tension, De Palma’s style, along with David Koepp and Robert Towne’s script, often goes flat.

Don’t get me wrong- MI made a ton of money at its time of release. But moviegoers weren’t going because the experience made a ton of sense, was a treat to listen to, or because the experience felt real (and not “De Palma’d”). They went because Tom Cruise is a feast for the eyes (check out the chemistry with Vanessa Redgrave), and the now dated effects driven scenes were exciting (I still recall the Television ads).

In an age of origin stories, team ups, sequels, reboots, prequels, and various combinations of the above, MI feels like it was finding its legs- forgivably speaking, like any origin story. But things are a little clunky, at times a little artificial- one wonders if there’s a boom mike just above that book case, or if the awkward original spy team’s introduction scene was improvised. Cruise himself was still finding his range as an actor (his career peak performance in Magnolia would come in 4 years), and while he can sprint with the best of ‘em, you can see where people were coming from when he was called just another pretty face.

De Palma himself, who was an avid fan of Hitchcock, has done plenty of noir exercises, which would be a logical place to start with a spy betrayal whodunit. However, De Palma’s instincts are also rooted in trash, and those 2 sensibilities clash here, as we wait for Basic Instinct-like scenes to break out from behind the prosthetic masks and bugged conversations. Like his career overall, the talent and instincts clash awkwardly.

However, Cruise’s physicality is a feat that requires no further improvement, and it’s amazing how this is just a hint of what was to come in the Mission Impossible series. Here he delivers plenty, as he runs, jumps, and plummets around with abandon. It’s the best kind of special effect- one that may age, but never dates.

With equal measure crashes and stealthy espionage, the effects of which are diluted by the passage of time, distracted direction, a script that’s clumsy, and acting that is squandered (is it illegal for Emilio Estevez to be recognized past The Breakfast Club?), Mission Impossible proves that it’s not impossible to make a kinetic thriller that appeals to the mind and eyes- just really difficult (and done in later films).

Rating:

3/5

Trailer: Click Here.