t's been a long time coming. It's April 18th 2006. It's been ten years since this film was released and its second sequel is less than a month away. Now seems like the perfect time to reach back into the wells of my cinematic career and re-examine one of the single most important movies in my life. This is one of the movies that made me fall in love with movies. It made me appreciate the meaning of a good plot, the importance of cerating tension, the methods with which one creates suspense...and how to flawlessly set up, construct, and execute an explosive finalé so effective that you could've swore it gave you an errection. [***SPOILERS***] The movie opens with the simplest of shots: a camera slowly tracking in on a security monitor with an unknown guy hunched keenly over it watching two equally unidentified figures talking in a room. All we know is that we are in Prague. But our ignorance soon turns to astonishment as the layers of this lie - courtesy of fictional(? ) CIA special branch, IMF (Impossible Missions Force) - are stripped away and the truth is revealed. This one opening scene effectively establishes the style for the rest of the film; confused ignorance followed by shocking revelations. DePalma crafts an extraordingary plot of intrigue and betrayal and, of course, impossible missions whose tasks include a pursuit on the roof of a high-speed train and infiltrating the Central Intelligence Agency. But as well-conceived as the plot may be, the cinematography is equally commendable. With a range of shots being able to take the viewer from a sense of extreme panic and disorientation all the way to the most in-your-face shots that allow the action and story to carry the film on their own merits. I've seen other highly commended DePalma works, including 'Scarface' and 'The Untouchables', and whilst the former is exceptional in its style and excecution the latter is miserably out-of-synch with its own content. Even against 'Scarface', 'Mission: Impossible' more than holds its own. In fact, if there is one thing that 'Mission: Impossible' has over 'Scarface', it's the presence of a much more satisfying conclusion and a much more streamlined story. Heck, even the visuals give the reverred 'Scarface' a run for its money. I must have been about twelve or thirteen when I first saw this film, and it's as affecting today as it was all those years ago. Unfortunately, I'm not a member of the 'Star Wars' generation. Nor is my childhood filled with images from 'Star Wars'. My childhood was defined by movies like 'The Neverending Story' and 'The Land Before Time'. 'Mission: Impossible' was one of the first mature films I'd actually seen. It certainly left quite an impact on me...if only for the fact that I resolved I would one day understand the plot completely. Which, you'll be pleased to know, I now do :-D… Expand

Amazingly entertaining, but does leave some questions unasked...nonetheless...rent this movie!!!

This is the best mission impossible film due to its originality and flair. Remember this film was made in 1996, 10 years ago yet it is still very captivating today.

The movie was exciting and suspenseful, but needed a better adventure.

it was a pretty enjoyable movie. Decent acting by the cast (could have been better), Action packed, Story isn't hard to follow as some reviews said if you have the capability of paying attention. I think the one problem I had with it is that there is no depth in the plot. It's too straight forward with no back story. Other then that, It was still a solid film and I am going to give the sequel a chance.… Expand

I like MI-2 better, but this one certainly is more ambitious plot-wise. The safe-heist and bullet train sequences are keepers, but the other sequences aren't that good. THe plot kept me guessing. However, that complex plot ultimately backfires on itself at the end, failing to achieve it's highly ambitious goal, but you got so many satisfying thrills out of the plot that you can forgive it's somewhat implausible ending.… Expand

A great movie, but such boring drama scenes did not surprise me and Tom Cruise could have done a lot more in this first action adventure movie. Brian De Palma brings a lot of suspense to this one.

While the plot doesn't make complete sense until the very end of the movie, but that's just a minor nuisance from a thrilling spy movie.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The first of the "Mission: Impossible" series, starring Tom Cruise as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt. Brian De Palma (Scarface/The Untouchables) directed as well.

When a mission in Prague goes wrong and most of his team killed, Impossible Mission Forces Agent Ethan Hunt realizes that he has been set up by a mole within IMF itself, and he must assemble a rogue crew to clear his name and find out who the traitor actually is.

A very entertaining film, but can be a little confusing if you don't like to think while watching a movie. Plus, a very nice cast including Ving Rhames (awesome as always), Jon Voight, Jean Reno and Henry Czerny.… Expand

What you get from Mission: Impossible is spectacle. And that's all you should want from an action thriller. It doesn't offer you too much more in terms of drama or performance, but the plotting is tight, and the storytelling involving (and this is a real achievement considering the film went into production without a finished script). It's just entertainment at the end of the day, and Brian De Palma's stylish direction makes it a very high-end, polished example of entertainment at that. The set-pieces are extremely well handled (particularly the iconic scene where Ethan Hunt hangs from the ceiling of a high-security CIA vault) and Tom Cruise proves he is more than able to handle the stunt work. Cruise was also one of the main driving-forces behind the film's production, and he's clearly aware what audiences want from an action movie. When judging the cast's performances, there's no-one who particularly stands out - Tom Cruise is serviceable, and Jean Reno plays the same character he plays in every film, though Jon Voight has a decent attempt at reading the mediocre dialogue straight-faced, and at least Vanessa Redgrave appears to be having a lot of fun with her role. Yes, the screenplay is nothing special, the character development a bit lacking, and the cutting-edge-for-the-90s technology Ethan Hunt's team uses in their escapades looks laughably dated to a modern audience. Mission: Impossible is good fun to watch, and as long as you don't dwell on the little details, you can get a lot out of this glossy and engaging, yet undeniably silly thriller.… Expand

A really entertaining action/thriller film from the great Brian De Palma. This is by far the best in the series and by the previews of Ghost Protocol it will probably remain the best.

This one is a killer! I loved the action and scenario. Even though got some holes in story, it was a less than 2 hours adventure which i will probably never forget.

The plot is shallow yet hard to follow, there's no action at all and the only good part is very bland and could not be directed any worse. No editing took place at all to capture the intense moment. If the actual "Mission Impossible" part lasted half an hour with solid direction and editing it could have been great.

Despite it being action-packed with an awesome theme tune, there doesn't seem to be much more. Cruise's Mission Impossible films seem to be nothing but repetitive, however many times they have different actors. Even though films are sometimes a step away out of reality, the actions that Hunt does completely shatters the meaning of the word 'logic'. This doesn't bring anything new to the genre anyway. Yeah, look, OMG, brilliant technology, but that just means they try too hard to look clever. If we don't know what they're doing, how on earth does that mean it's clever?… Expand

I found the story's lack of tension to be boring amongst entertaining adventures without enough thrills and suspense along with underrated action sequences. Not that impressive, but it was OK.