Mission: Impossible

PG-13

Released May 22, 1996

1h 50m

Action

Adventure

Mystery & Thriller

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65%

Tomatometer

66 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 convoluted.

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Carol Buckland

CNN.com

The "set" pieces of this film come off like clockwork, but there's no connective tissue -- no story line, no solid characterization, etc. In the end, De Palma's work seems full of sound and visual fury without signifying much of anything.

Jan 5, 2018

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

When it’s over, and the Rubik’s Cube finally does line up, we’re left with the odd sensation that, distracting as the picture may have been, there never was very much to it.

Rated: B

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

De Palma has a choppy, episodic sense of story, and he crafts individual scenes rather than telling a single unified story.

Rated: C+

Oct 29, 2008

Full Review

Betsy Sherman

The Improper Bostonian

What should have been a finely honed spy thriller is on Cruise-control in more ways than one. Or maybe the impossible mission is expecting a coherent movie from director Brian “Setpieces ’R’ Us” De Palma anymore.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jul 15, 2024

Full Review

Patrick Hicks

Feelin' Film Podcast

This works as a really great conservative prototype for future installments, complete with fun tech gadgetry and big action set pieces.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 3, 2023

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Brian De Palma's Mission: Impossible is clever sleight-of-hand filmmaking on a Hollywood scale, earning the label of pure cinema.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 6, 2023

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rjerrycaldwellmsncom

I enjoyed watching it but I have seen it before.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/25/21

Full Review

Brian H

65%? Really? This movie's a classic!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/01/24

Full Review

Fabrícia F

Um suspense de ação épico que reinventa o gênero e surpreende o cinéfilo com demonstrações de força e inteligência.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/25/24

Full Review

Sebastian L

Mission: Impossible puts all the money on suspense and trickery and does a decent job keeping you invested in the plot. In the meantime, the writers forgot to put actual characters in the story and it becomes a problem when things are supposed to be at stake and you don't really care that much.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/22/24

Full Review

Nicholas V

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MARATHON: Starting with the obvious one for this amazing franchise! Tom Cruise is magnificent! It’s old but yet still on its game for being a great spy movie! Go Team Cruise!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/22/24

Full Review

Audience Member

The best mission or tied for it imo

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/16/24

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

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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

56%

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Mission: Impossible II

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Mission: Impossible III

71%

69%

Mission: Impossible III

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for Mission: Impossible III

Extreme Ops

7%

28%

Extreme Ops

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

94%

87%

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

93%

76%

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

TRAILER

for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

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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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