Mission: Impossible [Special Collector' Edition]

Director: Brian De Palma Brian De Palma

Overview

After he is framed for the death of several colleagues and falsely branded a traitor, a secret agent embarks on a daring scheme to clear his name in the spy adventure Mission: Impossible. Though it drew its name from the familiar television series, director Brian DePalma's big-budget adaptation shares little more with the original show than the occasional self-destructing message and the name of team leader Jim Phelps (Jon Voight). The film focuses not on Phelps but his protégé, Ethan Hunt (a reserved Tom Cruise), who becomes a fugitive after taking the blame for a botched operation. He responds by banding together with a group of fellow renegades, and he is soon maneuvering his way through a twisted series of double crosses that mainly serve as excuses for spectacular high-tech action sequences. Much of the activity revolves around a missing computer disk, with the film's most famous scene depicting Hunt's delicate efforts to retrieve the disk from a secure, well-alarmed room in CIA headquarters.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/11/2006
UPC:	0097360420449
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Paramount
Language:	English
Sales rank:	21,003

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tom Cruise	Ethan Hunt
Jon Voight	Jim Phelps
Emmanuelle Béart	Claire(as Emmanuelle Beart)
Henry Czerny	Kittridge
Jean Reno	Krieger
Ving Rhames	Luther
Kristin Scott Thomas	Sarah Davies(as Kristin Scott-Thomas)
Vanessa Redgrave	Max
Ingeborga Dapkunayte	Hannah
Valentina Yakunina	Drunken Female IMF Agent
Nathan Osgood	Kittridge Technician
Marek Vasut	Drunken Male IMF Agent
Rolf Saxon	CIA Analyst William Donloe
Karel Dobrý	Matthias
Andreas Wisniewski	Max's Companion
John McLaughlin	TV Interviewer
David Shaeffer	Diplomat Rand Housman
Rudolf Pechan	Mayor Brandl
Gaston Subert	Jaroslav Reid
Garick Hagon	CNN Reporter
Mark Houghton	Denied Area Security Guard
Andrzej Borkowksi	Kiev Room Agent
Oleg Fedorov	Kiev Room Agent
Richard Sharp	CIA Lobby Guard
Ricco Ross	Denied Area Security Guard

Technical Credits

Brian De Palma	Director
Paul Hitchcock	Executive Producer
Tom Cruise	Producer
Paula Wagner	Producer

Editorial Reviews

A superior summer blockbuster in nearly every respect, this Brian De Palma-helmed adaptation of the '60s TV series provoked a lot of unnecessary head-scratching at the time for having a plot that actually required attention to follow (a criticism its inferior 2000 sequel apparently took to heart). But even those put off by David Koepp, Steve Zaillian, and Robert Towne's twisty screenplay still had plenty to enjoy: a charismatic lead performance from Tom Cruise, a well-chosen supporting cast, and some unforgettable set pieces to rank with the best of De Palma's career. Not that the film itself does. Clever without really being about more than its action sequences, nifty gadgets, and memorable locations (although it might be argued that all those surveillance devices tap into some familiar themes), this is clearly De Palma working as a director-for-hire. But like the best hired help, he gets the job done and then some.

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