Mission: Impossible
Jim Phelps: [in a safe house in Prague] Any questions?
Ethan Hunt: Yeah. Could we get a cappuccino machine in here? ‘Cause I don’t know what you call this.
Jack Harmon: I call it cruel and unusual.
Claire Phelps: Hey, I made that coffee.
Ethan Hunt: Exactly.
Although our first association with “Mission Impossible” films is unrealistically crazy action scenes of Ethan Hunt, tense situations and high stakes for all participants, beginning of this (Tom Cruise) franchise wasn’t so dynamic at very start.
Many people don’t know “Mission Impossible” franchise existed long before our cheerful Scientology adrenaline samurai junkie rode it, who only still doesn’t have license to drive space shuttle.
Originally created as series in 60s (which was briefly revived in 80s), franchise lingered for time in someone’s drawer, until Tom Cruise started his production house “Cruise/Wagner Productions” (by the way they ceased to exist more than 15 years ago) and decided “Mission Impossible” should be its first child.
While working on film “Interview with the Vampire,” Tommy at one dinner with Steven Spielberg met Brian De Palma and was thrilled with his opus (man had already directed films like “Snake Eyes,” “Scarface,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Raising Cain”) and decided to give him conductor’s baton for first “Mission Impossible”.
I think we can agree first “Mission Impossible” laid foundations of (revitalized) franchise, but far from being best in series.
What’s this about?
Meet secret spy agency IMF (Impossible Mission Force). This independent agency is often hired by USA government for sensitive tasks. Their agents possess special skills/talents, their identities are unknown to public and existence of neither them nor IMF agency must ever be revealed to world.
After successful mission in Kiev, Jim Phelps and his team are sent to Prague to stop rogue agent (Alexander Golitsyn) who stole list of CIA agents who are inserted in various organizations and have no official ties with government they work for (NOC – non-official cover, in translation: there’s no “safety net” for them if caught, i.e., USA won’t save them).
However, this mission ends in great failure, where almost Phelps’s entire team dies (including him) and Golitsyn. Only one who survives is agent Ethan Hunt.
At later debriefing in one restaurant with IMF director, Eugene Kittridge, Hunt learns another IMF agent was present during mission and entire operation aimed to discover “mole” in IMF agency (where precisely now late Golitsyn played runaway agent), believed to be cooperating with dangerous arms dealer (“Max”) as part of “Job 314”. I translated like this on purpose, so I don’t give you obvious answer about what this is. 😀
Ethan realizes he’s surrounded from all sides and they consider precisely him the “mole,” and barely manages to escape in last moment. Ethan is now in race against time, because only way to prove his innocence is to discover who’s real “mole” in organization. And for that he’ll contact earlier mentioned arms dealer and offer him disk with list of NOC agents, by breaking into CIA base in Langley… in translation, one of most protected places in USA. And in return dealer “Max” will reveal to him real name of “Job” who’s, in fact, “mole” in IMF agency.
However, for this impossible mission (hehe, get what I did here?) Ethan will need team. And that new team consists of yet another (unexpectedly) surviving member of “Prague massacre” Claire (by the way, Phelps’s wife, i.e., now widow), as well as two long ago fired from service agents, cool-style hacker Luther Stickell and cunning and always suspicious helicopter pilot Franz Krieger (from whose very name and surname you can see he’ll be problem).
However, Ethan is aware he’s in such position he can’t completely trust anyone and can’t choose allies.
And who will emerge as winner in outwitting, you’ll find out in film “Mission Impossible”. 😁
Visually, film has some specific charm (which definitely deviates from later “MI” films), and this is mostly contributed by director Brian De Palma’s style. Man was always inspired by works of Hitchcock and Jean-Luc Godard, so even for film shot in 90s, first “Mission Impossible” has that slight retro element, combined with frequent focus on actors’ faces and dramatic pauses, as well as specific “color” of film (or better said, filming method).
All this is accompanied by very good musical background (you have entire soundtrack on YouTube), complete with unavoidable “Mission Impossible Theme” which was worked on by duo from U2.
Of course, we can’t not mention cast…
First is, of course, Tommy Cruise. Ok, it’s interesting watching him do what he does… whatever that was in film. Bit of cold-bloodedness, bit of tension, bit of drama, bit of Yu-Gi-Oh elements with pulling aces from pants that save him from certain death. Of course, when it comes to action scenes, man really deserves hat tip. He and Jackie Chan are only ones ready to do all kinds of crazy and dangerous scenes for film’s needs. There’s, of course, also cult scene with breaking into protected CIA room.
Film had in its ranks also two already then Oscar winners – Jon Voight (“Coming Home,” “Runaway Train,” “Ali”) as IMF team leader Jim Phelps and Vanessa Redgrave (“Julia,” “Howards End,” “Isadora”) who’s excellent in role of cunning and slick “Max”.
Should mention also striking Ving Rhames (“Pulp Fiction,” “Kojak,” “Don King,” future “Mission Impossible” films) as hacker Luther and legendary Jean Reno (“Leon,” “Ronin,” “Pink Panther”) as suspicious Krieger.
However, what’s biggest problem of first “Mission Impossible”?
To use Old Slavonic phrase, style over substance.
Film is beautiful to eye, has interesting scenes… but writers who worked on this film today (to quote Kevin O’Leary from “Shark Tank” reality show) would probably be taken behind barn, shot and buried. Plot is muddled and undefined. Literally you’ll often have situations where you watch scenes where Ethan Hunt does something, but it’s not exactly clear to you what and how (and why). And sometimes you have impression some scenes are “empty” and unnecessary. Simply, you don’t have impression film’s plot is “building,” but like you started watching half a season of some series.
This consequently has character development itself… which here is almost nonexistent. Except bit where Tom Cruise does action (especially breaking into CIA or tense chase at very film’s end), I think by film’s end you won’t remember any other character in film, because that “human” aspect of film’s development is missing. Which is great shame, because it’s quite strong cast.
All in all, “Mission Impossible” turned out decent attempt. Definitely not most significant film in series, but laid nice base for next films. I think it’s no exaggeration to say every next “Mission Impossible” was always better than predecessor. And film world got new action hero/super spy.
And it was nice refreshment in film world of mid-90s. Probably that’s why it managed to earn even (almost) 460 million dollars on budget of 80 million dollars!
And if you happened to start watching this series from newer parts, doesn’t hurt to get acquainted with Ethan Hunt from beginning either.
And for end, few curiosities:
- During filming of famous scene falling through ceiling, Tom Cruise hit his head on floor countless times, so in end they had to insert coins in his shoes to be balanced during lowering
- Trick by which Ethan Hunt confuses Krieger with disk that appears/disappears isn’t camera trick (or visual effect), but real trick performance
- Only film in “Mission Impossible” franchise where Ethan Hunt doesn’t shoot from pistol
- Ving Rhames was deliberately chosen for Luther’s role, because producers wanted person who wouldn’t associate with hacker
- Climactic train scene at film’s end was shot six weeks in “Pinewood Studios” (where James Bond was also shot)
- Brian De Palma convinced Tom Cruise first film scene should be shot in Prague, because that city then rarely appeared in Hollywood films
- This is by the way also first film where Tom Cruise appears as producer
And you, dear reader, do you remember what Ethan Hunt looked like at career’s beginning? 😊
Trailer
Imdb | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic
Format: Film
Premiere: 1996
Runtime: 110 minutes
