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Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt in all 5 installments of the Mission: Impossible franchise |
It's no secret that The Mission: Impossible series, in many ways, was meant to be the American version of James Bond. But this is in no way a cheap knock off of the renowned British secret agent, it is something completely different and the franchise has its own unique quirks that make it so iconic, and everything it has become stems from the roots planted in this first installment. Ethan Hunt (played by Tom Cruise), is in the prime of his espionage career working as a spy for IMF, or the Impossible Missions Force. Hunt is part of a team consisting of a computer hacker, an escape driver, two field agents, and Hunt's mentor and team leader Jim Phelps (played by Jon Voight). The IMF team is sent to Prague to stop the theft of a NOC List that contains the names of all government uncover agents that have been implanted around the world. Unfortunately the mission goes south, and Ethan is the only survivor, making him a wanted man in the eyes of IMF, as they believe he was a terrorist mole and betrayed his team. Ethan sets out to retrieve the NOC List, clearing his name in the process.
The story is a compelling first chapter to the franchise. We are introduced to Ethan, and get to spend a lot of time with him figuring out the mysteries with him as he seeks his redemption. It's interesting to watch a film that, at the time, was extremely advanced technologically and culturally. Computers were only just becoming a fixture of society in 1996, and Mission: Impossible incorporated them immensely in the plot, but the hardware and software is very noticeably early 90's tech which dates the film but in a charming, nostalgic way. The first scene is Jon Voight's character sitting on an airplane, and he has just received a message containing his next mission that will then "self-destruct in 5 seconds". The tape deck starts smoking, so to cover it up Voight pulls out a cigarette and lights it. It's very clever writing, but what's crazier is thinking about film and flying before 9/11. This guy is just casually smoking a cigarette on a plane in an attempt to NOT draw attention to himself. Culturally this film is so different from its sequels which kept the movie fresh and entertaining, and the plot was carefully crafted in a way that consistently kept me engaged.
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| Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) during the film's climactic scene |
Hollywood is filled with celebrities. There are great actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Tom Hanks, there are funny comedians like Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd, and there are performers like Michael Fassbender and Brad Pitt who try to dabble in a little bit of everything. Hollywood has a lot of celebrities, but what it's missing now-a-days is movie stars. Straight up, blockbuster bashing, charismatic, movie-stars, who keep the industry fun and alive with their huge roles. Chris Pratt is getting there, and an argument could be made for Robert Downey Jr. being the best example we currently have, but neither of them compare to Tom Cruise in his prime.
Tom Cruise just knows how to make a fun, action-packed movie. And the reason I call him a movie star rather than just an actor is because he can just be himself in any scenario and it makes for an awesome movie. That's not to say that he can't act, Tom Cruise acts his butt off in movies like Jerry McGuire and Minority Report, but what's so fun about the Mission Impossible franchise is Cruise's addictive personality that continues to draw us in. This is surprisingly a very character-driven film, contrary to the reputation of spy thrillers as being all explosions and sex scenes. We as an audience get to spend a great amount of time with the character of Ethan Hunt, as he faces betrayal, grief, and the revelation that he would be on the run for the rest of his life. Also, Ethan doesn't fire a gun once in this movie, and only once or twice has to fight someone hand-to-hand, a trend that changed as this series has evolved. But Tom Cruise makes this one of the smartest installments in the franchise by conveying a desperation that can only be solved with brains, not brawn.
Jon Voight, on the other hand, was an underwhelming villain, a struggle that this franchise faces in basically all its movies (with the exception being Philip Seymour-Hoffman in MI:III). It's an emotional betrayal considering he was once Ethan's mentor and friend and then tries to kill him, but honestly he's not present in most of the movie and his motives were never that well fleshed out. Jon Voight is an amazing actor so he plays the part in a menacing and fraudulent manner, but sometimes it comes across as too fast a change in his character arc and you never really get the sense as to who he is as a villain.
Cinematography:
Like many of the cultural references in this film, it is apparent that this is a 90s movie. It is a little dated in terms of the way it is shot, and sometimes the transitions and uses of music are a little slow and awkward. Otherwise, the movie does a great job of holding on to your attention for its duration. It is smart, the dialogue was natural and not too contrived, and Brian De Palma created some of the most iconic sequences in film history, such as the scenes with masks, and Tom Cruise dangling from the ceiling when he retrieves the NOC List. Overall, Mission: Impossible was a fantastic start to a franchise that has improved and changed throughout its run. The series has had a different director for each movie, which makes each one unique and fun to watch over and over, but without the original and its grand success, the franchise would've been dead in the water. Tom Cruise owns his role of Ethan Hunt, and Brian De Palma masterfully weaves this spy thrilling story into a compelling narrative for the audience to enjoy.
OVERALL GRADE: 7.2/10
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