Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno

A former Russian spy selling international intelligence on the black market... a list containing names of the top undercover agents in the world... a corrupt agent doubling for an unknown organization...( read more  read more... )... a mysterious arms dealer... a spy agency ready to disavow the actions or existence of any of its members captured or killed... and one man on a mission which seems impossible...

Flixster Users

70% liked it

590,796 ratings

Critics

56% liked it

43 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Brian DePalma

Release Date: May 22, 1996

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DVD Release Date: January 17, 1998

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Stats: 23,232 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (23,232)


  • September 21, 2009
    Cruise announces a remake of a much loved TV series then promptly kills off all the original characters in an ego fuelled Stalinesque purge. What a wanker!
  • July 18, 2009
    A good start for the trilogy, the cast is impressive and the look is super cool, just one problem, the plot is rather hard to follow, you end up just seeing it for the set pieces. There are of course some very tasty action sequences, the chopper in the tunnel, Cruise on ropes hac...( read more)king a computer being the top attraction here, truely tense and very well done. The film isn't amazing but it holds its own well enough, slightly better than Bond.
  • October 12, 2008
    "Expect the Impossible"

    After he is framed for the death of several colleagues and falsely branded a traitor, a secret agent embarks on a daring scheme to clear his name in this spy adventure. Though it drew its name from the familiar television series, director Brian DeP...( read more)alma's big-budget adaptation shares little more with the original show than the occasional self-destructing message and the name of team leader Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). The film focuses not on Phelps but his protégé, Ethan Hunt (a reserved Tom Cruise), who becomes a fugitive after taking the blame for a botched operation. He responds by banding together with a group of fellow renegades, and he is soon maneuvering his way through a twisted series of double crosses that mainly serve as excuses for spectacular high-tech action sequences. Much of the activity revolves around a missing computer disk, with the film's most famous scene depicting Hunt's delicate efforts to retrieve the disk from a secure, well-alarmed room in CIA headquarters.

    Review
    Brian De Palma delivers a kinetic live wire suspense filled espionage thriller to open the Mission Impossible franchise. The camera work is exceptional with De Palma's trademark sense of motion applied to suspenseful heists and an amazing train ride sequence during which you really get the sense of speed and danger. Also created is one of the most iconic images from any thriller of recent times Tom Cruise suspended mid heist inches from a pressure sensitive floor. Cruise lives up to his star billing and for me really nails the Ethan Hunt character, Jean Reno, Ving Rames and the stunning Emmanuelle Beart provide able support.

    My one problem with this film and unfortunately quite a big problem is that the twist in the tale can be seen coming a mile off. Which is a real shame as this film is inventive, fun, stylish and everything a main stream thriller should be.

    Fun but the twist in the tale doesn't have enough of a sting.
  • July 3, 2008
    This is trying way too hard to be more clever from what it can really be.
  • June 23, 2008
    The first and the best of the trilogy. DePalma put all his craft to create an exciting thriller in the same style of his (and mine as well) worshipped Alfred Hitchcock.
  • November 7, 2009
    Pretty decent action film for Tom Cruise!
  • November 7, 2009
    the only one among the franchise that was interesting enough. The only one I think that was sensible, when all the others were just about the action. This one has got real good story. And good casting. ^^
  • November 5, 2009
    Good stuff, good stuff.
  • November 4, 2009
    Excellent movie to watch.should
    not miss this one.It was very Exciting.Tom Cruise Excellent actor
  • October 29, 2009
    one of the best movies from tom cruise

Critic Reviews


January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Tom Cruise looks cool and holds our attention while doing neat things that we don't quite understand. full review

January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It's the worst kind of convoluted thriller -- it can never unravel satisfactorily because there's nothing simple at its center, just more confusion. full review

View more Mission Impossible reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • ajischillin
    July 15, 2008
    http://www.tomcruise.com/tom-cruise-mission-impossible-movie.html
  • jbpelican
    November 10, 2006
    A spy flick worthy of challenging the 007 series. While without the charms of the 007 movies, its still a feat of movie creativity and brain busting action, most notably the train scene.

    Justins Best Bit: Just try not to crack a sweat when watching the vault scene.

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Mission Impossible Trivia


  • Which 'Mission Impossible' movie was filmed in Shanghai, China?  Answer »
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