I (Re)Watched Every Mission: Impossible Movie
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Mission: Impossible. The 1966 TV series has, against all odds, become decade-spawning titan of modern action cinema. Led by the indefatigable Tom Cruise, the series went through 5 directors in 5 films, rapidly evolving its style, tone, and scope - before settling onto the McQuarrie formula we now know. Cruise, a true mad titan among a sea of studio stooges, has crafted a 29-year journey of stunts, masks, and spectacle. And in the last 2 weeks, I rewatched all of them.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Mission: Impossible is the first film that Tom Cruise ever produced, marking the start of his ascent to Peak Tom Cruise. The story of Mission: Impossible really is the story of Cruise: Action Star. It sounds ridiculous, but prior to this film, he hadn’t really done a straight-out action movie. He doesn’t punch anyone in Top Gun, there’s some action in Legend and The Firm, but Cruise (5’7”) didn’t fit into the era of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. But as that era faded, and Die Hard ushered in a new era of more relatable action heroes, the door opened for our man Tom Mapother IV
Cruise hired Brian DePalma personally. De Palma brings a paranoid, stressful energy to the film which sets it alight, full of split-diopters and wild dutch angles. The scene where he realizes that Kittridge (Henry Czerny) is actually there to arrest him in is fantastic, and leads to the series’ first great stunt, as a huge tank of water crashes around him.
The stunts offer our first look at what the series will become. The Langley heist is obviously iconic, but it’s the sight of Crusie clinging to the side of a speeding train that most evokes the star as we now know him. These days, he would have insisted that they do that for real.
Even if it had never spawned a franchise, Mission: Impossible would still be remembered as a landmark film. That Langley heist is really something special, and we’re starting to see just how much old Tommy Boy suits action.
Movie Rating: 8/10
Luther Rating: 6/10 Luther (Ving Rhames) is virtually unrecognizable in this film. Playing a disavowed (we never find out what for) IMF agent, Luther is cocky, cool, and a little dangerous; showing few of the characteristics that come to define him. The coda, where he and Ethan share a drink while Dreams by The Cranberries quietly plays in the background, is the first true “Luther Scene”
Da Baddie Rating: 7/10 Fans of the TV show were outraged when the hero of the series, Jim Phelps (now played by Jon Voight), turned out to be the baddie. His status as a mentor to Ethan helps sell the moment, but outside of the twist there isn’t much to the character. Also, and this is important.. fuck Jon Voight.
Da Big Moment Rating: 10/10 The “Mission: Impossible Jump” is one of the most iconic movie moments ever. I love Tom’s dumb face when he lands.
Mission: Impossible II (2000)
6 months after Mission: Impossible Tom Cruise earned his second Oscar Nomination for Jerry Maguire (it should have been his fifth) Then, back-to-back, he laid down two of the best performances of his career. He earned another Oscar nomination for his beautiful supporting role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s sprawling masterpiece Magnolia, but went unrewarded for Eyes Wide Shut, which was somehow nominated for a grand total of zero Oscars. Tom Cruise had never been bigger, and the Mission matched it.
Mission: Impossible II is one of the MOST movies ever made. Director John Woo unleashes a maximalist smorgasbord, filled with slo-mo, crash zooms, explosions, doves, masks, helicopter shots and sweaty close-ups. The action scenes are something to behold, never letting logic get in the way of an awesome moment.
It’s also SO Australian. Set on the outskirts of Sydney, it’s kinda weird to watch. Instead of the usual cavalry of black SVU’s, the villain’s fleet of vehicles are a world-class selection of “Early 2000s Aussie Battler Cars” - Holden Commodores, Ford Falcons, the works.
Movie Rating: Either a 4/10 or an 8/10, depending on my mood
Luther Rating: 4/10 Luther is the only other returning character. Idk, he’s here.
Da Baddie Rating: 3/10 The movie introduces Ambrose (Dougray Scott) as a kind of Anti-Ethan, a dark mirror of what he could become. It then proceeds to completely abandon this thread.
Da Big Moment Rating: 8/10 The climactic bike/car chase is a whole lot of fun, and the practical stunt where Tom Cruise goes within a few millimetres of being stabbed in the eye is a heartstopper.
Mission: Impossible III (2006)
The world got weird for Tom Cruise after Mission: Impossible II. He split with Nicole Kidman, worked with Spielberg (twice) and Michael Mann, he became more publicly involved with the Church of Scientology and professed his love for Katie Holmes by trying to kill Oprah.. actually lets play that clip..
Breathtaking.
Anyway, in the middle of all that, he returned to Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible III is a lot like Fast & Furious (the 4th one) in that it takes the disparate elements of the previous films and brings them together to establish the tone, style, and formula that the series will follow into the future. It’s also like Fast & Furious in that everything it pioneers will be done better in later films.
III is the first movie where Ethan Hunt, the character, really emerges. He starts the movie attempting to live a quiet life with new love Julia (Michelle Monaghan), but he’s quickly drawn back into active duty. It’s here that we get our first glimpse of the character trait that will most define Ethan for the rest of the series; his absolute refusal to sacrifice any life but his own, no matter the circumstance. Also debuting here is the team dynamic. Ethan’s had a team in each of the other films, but this is the first to feel like a true ensemble, including Keri Russell (always great), the debut of Benji (Simon Pegg) and the impossibly beautiful duo of Maggie Q & Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. Also, Aaron Paul is in this.
We are clearly in a post-Bourne would. Abram’s action is full of close angles, quick cuts and shaky cam, always kinetic but frequently disorientating. To be honest, it’s a little much. The film’s anchor comes in the form of the late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The legend is firing on all cylinders as the villainous Daven, brandishing a callous cruelty with dead-eyed determination. The opening flash-forward is one of the best scenes in the series, he’s amazing.
Movie Rating: 7/10
Luther Rating: 7/10 Ethan and Luther’s banter in the early half of the film is too aggressive for my tastes, these guys are besties (and maybe more), not friendly rivals.
Da Baddie Rating: 10/10 PSH stands for Perfection-Seymour-Hoffman
Da Big Moment Rating: 3/10 The movie’s biggest drawback is that it lacks an iconic set-piece. The action is all solid, but it’s the only film without an immediate “ohmygoddidyouseethat?thatwassofuckingcool” moment. It’s best scene is ‘the run’. It’s the moment where sprinting became Cruise’s cinematic calling card. It’s a spectacular physical performance, but, like everything in this movie, it will be done better in a later film.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission: Impossible III was decently-reviewed, but did little to lift Cruise’s public reputation. Scandals, divorces and his growing closeness to the church of scientology saw his stocks plummet to record-low levels. The studio even floated the idea of replacing Cruise as the lead of M:I4. How the hell do you pull your career back from all of that drama? Why, it’s almost like climbing the tallest building in the world.
And who would be nuts enough to do that?
If Mission: Impossible III set the formula for the rest of the series, Ghost Protocol perfects it. The tone is a little more playful, and director Brad Bird (best known for his animated work like The Incredibles & Ratatouille) directs the action with more clarity than Abrams. The team dynamic is the best its ever been, elevating Benji to a lead player, and bringing in fantastic contributions from Paula Patton and Jeremy Renner.
Ghost Protocol is a blast. Ethan Hunt draws a perfect sketch of Michael Nyqvist from memory on his hand in a moving car, Paula Patton wears nice dresses and fights Lea Seydoux, there’s a horny Indian rich guy in the third act. It’s the one where the President initiates Ghost Protocol, for god’s sake! That’s gotta be one of the coolest Protocols for the President to possible initiate! My favourite element of the film is the constantly malfunctioning IMF tech, it adds so much tension to every scene because you know the equipment is bound to fail.
Movie Rating: 9/10
Luther Rating: 2/10 Luther only has a cameo at the end of the film, but its a great one where he shares a beer with Ethan, and makes fun of him for being corny.
Da Baddie Rating: 3/10 Easily the weakest element of the film, Nqvist has very few lines and fails to make any kind of impact. It is cool that his whole motivation is just “I think nuclear war is good, actually”
Da Big Moment Rating: 10/10 The Burj Khalifa climb is one of the best moments in the entire series, it’s utterly spellbinding. Tom Cruise - mad person, is really out there, and Bird’s direction is tremendously effective. A beautiful moment.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
If Ghost Protocol perfected the Mission: Impossible formula, then Rogue Nation really perfects it. All the great elements of previous films are dialed up to eleven in my favourite of the series so far. There stunts are bigger and more spectacular, the villain is better, and Ethan Hunt - crazy person, ascends from man to myth.
This is the film that introduces Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa, arriving as an instant star. Ferguson is spectacular in this movie, sparkling onto the screen with her impossibly blue eyes, and her relationship with Hunt is maybe the best in the entire franchise. Two sides of the same coin; one forced to sacrifice everything for the Mission, and one who refuses to.
Benji is again a standout, while Luther and Brandt each make a welcome return. Plus… man.. Alec Baldwin. There are certain things Alec Baldwin can do in front of a camera that nobody else can. His.. forceful whisper? of a voice was born to perform the “manifestation of destiny” monologue. The quiet “Hunt!” he delivers at the end? That’s pure magic right there. Watch it right now.
The Opera sequence is my favourite in any M:I movie, an absolute masterclass in tension. Then you add on the opening plane stunt, the underwater heist, the god damn motorcycle chase?? This movie rules.
If there are any drawbacks, its that there’s maybe one too many twists in the Ilsa plot, and the movie’s biggest moment occurs before the opening credits, leaving the final chase to feel a bit anticlimactic.
Movie Rating: 9/10
Luther Rating: 8/10 Great Luther stuff here. He comes back to help Ethan, and starts shifting into “Peak Luther”. Peak Luther is the kindest man in the world, who refuses to lose faith in Ethan Hunt, and refuses to do anything that can’t be done sitting down.
Da Baddie Rating: 7/10 Sean Harris’ raspy snarl of a voice does a lot of heavy lifting here, but he still works pretty well. I love his little facial ticks when he loses control.
Da Big Moment Rating: 8/10 Tom Cruise hangs onto the side of a very real plane as it takes off. It’s an incredible stunt that only loses points by being the very first scene.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Okay, if Rouge Nation really perfected the formula, Fallout really REALLY REALLY perfects it. Chris McQuarrie became the first two-time director in the series, and elevates his own spectacular work with the absolute high-point of the series.
There’s a nightmarish atmosphere to Fallout, which introduces dream sequences to the series for the first time, sliding reality through Ethan’s tortured mind. The film’s darker tone helps sell the gravity of Ethan’s mission, as do the stellar cinematography (Alex Garland regular Rob Hardy) and score (Lorne Balfe).
It’s also, and this is important.. sick as hell. After a tense prologue, the film kicks into gear with a high-octane HALO jump sequence, followed by the best hand-to-hand fight scene in the series, which leads into the best foot chase in the series, which leads into the best.. you get it.
The finale is a thing of beauty, as Tom Cruise - maniac, hangs from a helicopter, soaring above the mountains of Kashmir. McQuarrie shoots the whole thing like a documentary, never losing track of the sense that “this madman is really doing this”. The cast, most of whom return from Rogue Nation (this is the first true sequel in the series) are uniformly spectacular, even Henry Cavill gives his career-best performance. Good picture.
Special mention to the trailer, which is also one of the best movies of 2018. Here it is.
Movie Rating: 10/10
Luther Rating: 10/10 Peak Luther. This is Luther’s finest hour, Ethan saving his life in the opener seems to genuinely effect him in a way even he can’t really process. The chat he has with Ilsa about Julia, and his love for Ethan is one of the movie’s best scenes. And, most importantly, he delivers a '“my man” at the climax so beautiful it shakes the earth.
Da Baddie Rating: 8/10 I do like that, while Ethan seems to genuinely respect and fear Solomon Lane, he just cannot fucking stand John Lark. Throughout the film, his presence does nothing but irritate and annoy Ethan, it’s a great dynamic.
Da Big Moment Rating: 10/10 Finally, a Mission: Impossible movie that realizes the movie’s best moment should be at the end of the film
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)
With Fallout, Cruise and McQuarrie threw themselves full-time into securing their legacy. Since 2018, Tom has only appeared in 4 films: 3 Missions and Top Gun: Maverick. And the result.. is a weird one.
Dead Reckoning aka Dead Reckoning Part One returns to the paranoid scramble of the first film, but mixes in moments of slapstick comedy. It’s an overstuffed mess of a movie that somehow wrangles all its disparate elements into a very watchable ride.
Henry Czerny’s return as Kitteridge from the first film lends immediate weight to proceedings, while Hayley Atwell’s Grace is a scene-stealing charisma machine. There’s a lot of exposition, but it’s delivered with such muscular steely-eyed determination by a collection of our greatest actors that it all kind of works as a kind of gonzo experiment.
The action scenes work, without equivocation. The car chase through Rome is a series highlight, certainly the funniest action scene in the franchise. The final hour, set aboard the Orient Express, is also stellar. Like all great spy movies, the sequence runs like clockwork, every setup paying off with great moment after great moment.
It’s also the most obviously “About Something” of any film in the franchise. Dead Reckoning is about the dangers of AI and our over-reliance on technology. That through-line helps the film stay the course, even as its messy plot threatens to fling it off the rails.
Movie Rating: 8/10
Luther Rating: 7/10 “Ethan.. what if [insert plan] is exactly what The Entity wants you to do?” - repeat x30
Da Baddie Rating: 7/10 I think the focus on The Entity works. It gives the film a unique “trust nothing” energy. Esai Morales is fun as Gabriel, The Entity’s agent, but it feels like he’ll be more fleshed out in the next movie.
Da Big Moment Rating: 8/10 The film heavily marketed Cruise’s insane motorbike jump. It’s great, but it loses some points due to all the CGI needed to cover up the ramps. It gains a few points back for the hilarious subversion when he finally lands.
So we’re up to date, it’s been a journey.. but there’s one more to go, The Final Reckoning.
See you tomorrow
My Ranking So Far:
Fallout
Rogue Nation
Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible
Dead Reckoning
Mission: Impossible II
Mission: Impossible III
Here’s Patrick Willems explaining Ethan Hunt as Cruise-Avatar in one minute, better than I can (starts at 5:50).