Mission Impossible (1996)
Directed By Brian De Palma
Produced By Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner
Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight,
Emmanuelle Beart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Vanessa
Redgrave and Kristin Scott Thomas.
I always knew I had seen the first
Mission Impossible film, but it was around ten years ago and I found
it boring and confusing. Please forgive me for that; I was young and
my tastes have since changed quite a bit. With the new film in the
series being released this summer and discovering that Netflix UK has
all but the third film I thought I should check it out again to see
what I missed on my first viewing.
To sum up the plot – a mole in the
IMF/CIA is discovered when Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) team is all
murdered whilst carrying out a mission in Prague. Being a top suspect
as the lone survivor means Ethan has to prove his innocence (along
with the help of those previously blacklisted by the CIA).
Firstly, I would like to apologise for
my previous comment saying that this film is boring and confusing. I
was an eejit. I really enjoyed this film when watching it again
recently. There is always a danger with action films where there has
to be huge punch up or shoot out scenes and this film doesn't really
contain much in the way of that. Instead; the film relies on the
build up in tension. Showing Hunt as a sort of lone-wolf style
fugitive who doesn't have time to sleep and has little idea of who to
trust is something this film does perfectly. This is done so well by
Cruise who is starring in his first real action role, the fantastic
soundtrack by Danny Elfman and the brilliant cinematography. Wide
shots allow us to see all the important people or aspects of a scene;
and these are mixed with close-ups of Hunt when the pressure mounts.
Both are employed exactly when they are needed.
The scene in the computer vault is
amazing. Few films, especially those wanting to be a summer action
blockbuster, would have one of the key scenes in almost complete
silence. It is a very brave move – and one that I loved. Not only
did it really build up the tension (I swear even I didn't want to
make any sound), but I can't think of any other film that has been
brave enough to try that technique and so it really stands out.
Another reason it stands out is that it really is Cruise hanging from
a rope. It is hardly an incredibly technical stunt, but not all
actors would have the courage to do it themselves and it all adds to
the realism.
Another thing Mission Impossible does
well are the scenes where the characters explain what is about to
happen. This is a really tricky part in films as of course the film
makers don't want the film to be too confusing, but they also don't
want the audience to feel like there is a suggestion that they are
stupid and will not be able to follow the plot otherwise. Being a spy
film, these scenes are actually enjoyable and feel necessary as they
depict the characters planing their next move. It also helps build
the tension as the task in hand is described in such a way that the
audience really do feel like the mission is impossible! Hunt smiles
as the job gets explained, and this lets us know he feels up to the
task and is actually looking forward to the challenge.
This film is almost 20 years old, but
it only shows in the scenes centred around computer hacking and the
internet. The rest of the film has aged perfectly. Goldeneye, another
spy/action/thriller that came out only eight months before looks a
lot older in comparison.
Whilst researching this film, I noticed
it is often listed under 'action'. I don't think I would agree that
is the key genre here, to me it is more a thriller spy film. If you
really enjoyed The Bourne Identity, but wished for more tension and a
few less fight scenes then you will really enjoy Mission Impossible.
On a scale of Scott Pilgrim to Pans Labyrinth, I would give this film
a 9. I really enjoy spy films and I am incredibly annoyed at myself
that I let this film become almost 20 years old before I sat down to
give it a proper viewing, this just proves that maybe films deserve a
second chance. Well – not Scott Pilgrim.
Oh, and Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell
is quite possibly the coolest computer hacker ever.
As usual, here is my Twitter link.
