Mission: Impossible

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1:50

Mission: Impossible

PG-13

1996

1h 50m

Action

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

66%

Tomatometer

178 Reviews

71%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

When U.S. government operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his mentor, Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), go on a covert assignment that takes a disastrous turn, Jim is killed, and Ethan becomes the prime murder suspect. Now a fugitive, Hunt recruits brilliant hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and maverick pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) to help him sneak into a heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a confidential computer file that will prove his innocence.

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Critics Consensus

Full of special effects, Brian DePalma's update of Mission: Impossible has a lot of sweeping spectacle, but the plot is sometimes overly convoluted.

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Rick Groen

Globe and Mail

Oct 8

2.5/4

Although the attendant cast acquit themselves well enough... the money-in-the-bank star seems somewhat distracted.

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Philip Wuntch

Dallas Morning News

05/13/2025

The movie has too much vitality to allow itself to be overly analyzed; so just participate in the magic carpet ride.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

05/06/2025

The screenwriters, David Koepp and Robert Towne, barely sketch in relationships among the characters.

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Marc Horton

Edmonton Journal

Apr 22

3/5

The performances are generally fine but forgettable, becoming like the story itself: filler between the special effects.

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Alison Mayes

Calgary Herald

Apr 22

4/5

Cruise makes sparing use of his obnoxious grin and acquits himself adequately as a tense -- if basically characterless -- action figure.

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Ronan Farren

Sunday Independent (Ireland)

Apr 22

Brian de Palma, who has made several worthwhile thrillers, directs without much style.

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Dimitri B

May 20

Iconic. Classic. Pure Cinema.

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Zachary M

May 20

I dont know why but this viewing this viewing was special. Maybe it was because I took a friend that had never seen it? Or hearing the Dolby Atmos track for the first time? Or the sound system being ear piercingly loud? Or Danny Elfmans score finally making an emotional connection with me? I dont know. This just had the sauce. It reminded me why I love this franchise so much and why it will be known as the most consistently great film franchise in film history. The best to ever do it. One of the best movies made and theres like 4 other ones like that in this franchise. Peak cinema.

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Anita M

Jan 7

Exciting, suspenseful.

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kyle

Jan 7

Peak cinema take me back to these days

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John D

Jan 7

Quintessential DePalma!

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rjerrycaldwellmsncom

06/25/2021

I enjoyed watching it but I have seen it before.

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Brian De Palma

Director

Tom Cruise

Ethan Hunt

Jon Voight

Jim Phelps

Henry Czerny

Kittridge

Ving Rhames

Luther

Kristin Scott Thomas

Sarah Davies

Movieclips: Mission Impossible's Best Scenes

32:30

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Is He Serious?

0:59

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Tunnel Chase

2:12

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - High-Speed Train Ride

2:12

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Master of Disguise

2:11

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Out of the Vault

1:33

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Into the Vault

2:13

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Close Call

2:13

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - Mission Gone Wrong

2:07

Mission: Impossible: Official Clip - A Mole Hunt

2:13

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Mission: Impossible II

58%

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Mission: Impossible III

73%

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Mission: Impossible III

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7%

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Mission: Impossible: Trailer 1

1:50

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Synopsis

When U.S. government operative Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his mentor, Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), go on a covert assignment that takes a disastrous turn, Jim is killed, and Ethan becomes the prime murder suspect. Now a fugitive, Hunt recruits brilliant hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and maverick pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) to help him sneak into a heavily guarded CIA building to retrieve a confidential computer file that will prove his innocence.

Director: Brian De Palma
Producer: Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner
Screenwriter: David Koepp, Robert Towne
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Cruise-Wagner Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $180.9M
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby Digital, DTS, Surround, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)