MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
A film review by John Robertson
Copyright 1996 John Robertson
Directed by: Brian DePalma
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emilio Estevez, Emmanuelle Beart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Ingeborge Dapkunaite
Perfect Person Rating*: The Perfect Person for Mission: Impossible is someone in the mood for an action thriller, with a keen mind for details coupled with the ability to suspend disbelief for a little while. The Perfect Person for this film would probably give it a 9 out of 10.
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There is an episode of The Simpsons, when Marge and Homer go to a movie called "The Stockholm Affair", a taut, political thriller. As the movie progresses, Homer makes comment after comment, like:
"Who's that guy?" "Who's THAT guy?" "What did that guy say when I said, "Who's that guy?"?" "Oh, that submarine is so fake!" Gasp, "An octopus!"
Misison: Impossible made me feel alot like Homer Simpson.
Mission: Impossible is a fast moving, stylish thriller, based on the television show of the sixties. Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, disguise expert and point man of an expert team of super spies with a reputation for doing the impossible. The movie begins with Cruise and his team of experts performing another mission -- only this one goes horribly wrong.
Cruise escapes, only to discover that he's now considered a traitor. How will he get his clean name back? By performing another impossible mission, of course!
There are several different types of scenes to this movie, and they all work in different ways. When Cruise and his pals are performing missions, it's a tight suspenseful film, very well-done. When Cruise is trying to figure out what's really going on, it's a cerebral film. When Cruise is forced to abandon plans and improvise, it becomes a top-notch action film. I have no complaints with any of the three types of scenes you see in Mission: Impossible, but you do need to be able to follow closely and use your mind or suspend your disbelief in turns, something that isn't too easy to do.
Cruise works well as the charismatic lead of the film, though his acting is strained at times. The supporting actors acquit themselves similarly -- effectively, but not flawlessly. Interestingly, Emelio Esteves appears uncredited in the film, only to make a rather quick and brutal exit.
When you talk about summer blockbusters, Mission: Impossible fits the bill. It's not a perfect film, but it thrills you, engages your mind, and lets you leave the theater thinking. It's pretty hard to follow at times, and you do start to feel like a certain member of the Simpsons, but you could do much worse.
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Copyright 1996 by John Robertson. Retransmit freely if unedited. My opinions are solely my own, and in no way reflect those of my employer.
* Perfect Person Rating: The Perfect Person Rating is an attempt to give the reader a new way of understanding my rating. Rather than give a film a score, either overall, or on several attributes, the Perfect Person Rating tries to identify the type of person would enjoy this movie the most. Since a reviewer is by nature someone with a great deal of experience in what they are reviewing, their experience may not be the same as someone who has less experience, is less jaded, or more attuned to the subject. Hopefully the Perfect Person Rating will go further toward eliminating reviewer bias than a simple rating scale. Comments are appreciated.
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