Kylie Firmin '26
Mission: Impossible premiered in 1996, and its debut redefined the spy film genre, bringing storytelling and action together into one film. It was directed by Brian De Palma, and features Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, the protagonist. This movie serves as the benchmark for both spy movies and thrillers.
The protagonist Ethan Hunt is a charismatic and innovative character that captures the audience’s attention from the beginning of the film. Tom Cruise’s acting as Ethan Hunt brings out the most potential within the character.
Tom Cruise’s commitment to his own stunts is what brings this character to life. By being committed to his stunts, Cruise created a new precedent for action films and also brought the realism of the action to a new level.
The plot consists of Ethan Hunt, an Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent who is accused of treason and becomes a fugitive of the organization. His team is eliminated and the higher-ups in the organization accuse him of being an informant.
He then has to gather a group of other ex-agents so that he can clear his name of what he was accused of. Everything becomes more intense when a list of all undercover agents will be exposed if Ethan Hunt doesn’t get to it first.
The most popular scene, and one you might have seen before or in references, is the scene where Ethan Hunt infiltrates the CIA headquarters. He’s lowered from the ceiling where he has to avoid several types of alarms. He has to avoid pressure sensors, sound sensors, and temperature sensors.
This scene uses silence as a means to tell volumes, in contrast to the general idea of loud action. De Palma’s decision to make this scene silent has caused thousands of other people to make the same decision he did, paying homage to De Palma’s notable scene.
De Palma put all of his creativity into his styling, which goes along with the plot of the story, and also separates this film from others in its genre at the time. The final scene was centered around a chase scene on top of a high-speed train.
While this movie follows a very complex plot, the camera work, along with the pacing, kept it engaging. Mission: Impossible undoubtedly started a new era for spy movies, and almost 30 years later it is a billion dollar franchise that leads the genre.