Details
Movie Description
Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, leader of a crack squad of intelligence operatives, in this labyrinthine action-thriller based on the hit 1960s-'70s television series. When a dangerous mission in Prague goes inexplicably wrong, Hunt finds himself out in the cold. A mole has infiltrated the CIA, and suspicions are that it's Hunt. His only chance: Find out who the real mole is and turn the tables. The plan takes him on an incredibly suspenseful infiltration of CIA security, leading to a spectacular chunnel climax that would make Hitchcock proud. Thanks to crisp, inventive direction from Brian De Palma and Danny Elfman's dynamite electronica score (including a catchy update of the original Lalo Schifrin theme), this mission is great fun. The talented roster of stars backing Cruise includes Ving Rhames, Vanessa Redgrave, John Voight, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Jean Reno. A witty script by Robert Towne (CHINATOWN, SHAMPOO) and David Koepp keeps the ball rolling in unexpected directions, with the paranoia always set to high. A box-office record-setter during its original release, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE led to a well-deserved sequel, also with Cruise and Rhames.
Synopsis
The Impossible Mission Force is called into action and then into question in this thriller based on the hit television series. Big-budget special effects and action sequences propel the complex story, as does the unmistakable musical score.
Film Notes
Released theatrically in the USA Wednesday, May 22, 1996. Its whopping six-day box-office gross of $74.9 million broke a bunch of records: biggest sneak-preview opening, biggest Wednesday opening, biggest May opening, highest Memorial Day opening, and highest six-day opening. The film went on to gross more than $180 million domestically and $465 million worldwide.
Shot on location in the Czech Republic (Prague); Scotland; Washington, DC; and at Pinewood Studios London, England.
Industry Reviews
"...MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE is an explosion of pleasures..."
Sight and Sound - p.46-8 - Philip Strick (07/01/1996)
"...Stylish, brisk..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
USA Today - p.1D - Mike Clark
"...A Rubik's cube that keeps on twisting..." -- Rating: B
Entertainment Weekly - p.44 - Owen Gleiberman (06/07/1996)
"...Cruise tackles the action genre even more convincingly than he did in TOP GUN....And he looks great, too..."
Variety - Greg Evans (05/20/1996)
"...A sleek, whooshingly entertaining update of the vintage television series....MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE catapults you into the wildest movie ride of the year..."
New York Times - Stephen Holden (05/22/1996)
"...MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE has lots going for it -- a charismatic star in Tom Cruise, Brian De Palma's sleek, elegant direction, a first-rate cast, a superb suspense sequence, lots of action capped by a breathtaking stunt at the climax..."
Los Angeles Times - Kevin Thomas (05/21/1996)
4 stars out of 5 -- "Jacking his own paranoid angst into this slicked-up spy thriller, Brian De Palma maxes suspense and style to cut the template for post-Bond techno-blockbusters."
Total Film - Jonathan Crocker (07/01/2006)
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