Mission: Impossible

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1:50

Mission: Impossible

PG-13

Released May 22, 1996

1h 50m

Action

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

159 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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Philip Wuntch

Dallas Morning News

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

May 13, 2025

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

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

May 6, 2025

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Paul Kalina

The Age (Australia)

Many of the capable cast are wasted, misused or miscast.

May 6, 2025

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Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

Convoluted and captivating in the best possible way.

Jun 21, 2025

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Alan French

Sunshine State Cineplex

De Palma’s fingerprints are all over Mission: Impossible, but without Cruise’s superstardom, it might not have been the showcase we’d expect.

Rated: 9/10

May 26, 2025

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

If anyone but Cruise was behind “Mission: Impossible” and in front the camera, there would be no sequels.

May 17, 2025

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rjerrycaldwellmsncom

I enjoyed watching it but I have seen it before.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/25/21

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B F.

I mean it started a billion dollar franchise

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

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Marcos R

The action scenes were amazing, but the plot was very confusing and I really struggled to follow what was going on most of the time.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/05/25

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D P

I've seen other entries from this franchise, but I finally got around to seeing the first film. It was a bit on the predictable side. But Tom Cruise actually looks young and spry enough to play Ethan Hunt here.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

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Waki W

Rewatch this movie again was good and amazing! The action was stunning. It was a long time I haven't seen this movie after the pandemic but it is still good!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/18/25

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D3Z 1

Whilst the first Mission Impossible certainly knows how to deliver the thrills within its action sequences, it is a shame the same could not be said regarding to its rather convoluted plot and some of its characters lacking any sort of depth.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

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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

57%

42%

Mission: Impossible II

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TRAILER

for Mission: Impossible II

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)

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