johnlinkmovies

After finally finishing my rankings of the DIE HARD films, I figured I’d start up another series to revisit intermittently. I decided on MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE because it is a guilty pleasure which I think I like more than other people do.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE is the story of a secret agent who is framed for his team’s murders. He must go about getting his reputation back.

I watched MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996) on 7.29.09. It was my fourth viewing of the film, though my first time seeing it in several years.

NOTE: THIS RANKING UTILIZES THIS SITE’S ORIGINAL SYSTEMIC ARTICLE WRITING METHOD. THE METHOD BY WHICH THE RANKINGS WERE ARRIVED AT, HOWEVER, REMAINS THE SAME.

FILM

I wish Michael Bay would watch this movie and take notes. I don’t want to glorify MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE too much, but it is (at least) a summer movie which cares more about plot and character than big booms. There are really only three action sequences in this film. The first job, the infiltration of the CIA building, and the train sequence. Between those events are drama, character, and story. This film is not CITIZEN KANE. It still has its plot holes and eye-rolling moments. But, as far as I am concerned, it is hard for a summer action movie to be much tighter. SCORE: 6

MOVIE

So much fun. I know some people think it is convoluted and hard to follow. To those people I say… PAY ATTENTION! Yes there are things you may not garner on first watch (why exactly Cruise’s boss is in London at the climax, for example, if Cruise didn’t know the details of what would happen until later), but the plot is just slightly complex. I know that is probably too much for some fans of, say, TRANSFORMERS.

This movie is not as funny as one might think a summer blockbuster would be. Brian De Palma sets a nice tone, and there  is enough brevity to ensure that the movie does not take itself too seriously. SCORE: 8

ACTING

Through most of this movie, Tom Cruise is not the snarky smart-ass he usually plays. When he does put on this facade (with Max, and in the magic trick scene) it is for effect. He actually plays a serious, driven character. I know it is popular to hate on Cruise these days, but I’ll be damned if he doesn’t have a great percentage of good movies versus bad ones. The rest of the cast is good enough. Acting is not a strong point of this piece, but the character work is not throw-away either. The best stuff is the Cruise/Ving Rhames/Jean Reno stuff. I like all those guys, and they are a joy to watch together.  SCORE: 5

WRITING

Like I alluded to above, I appreciate the complexity of this script. I know some fans of the TV show hated what they did to some major characters, but that is not my torch to bear. Yes, the last climactic scene is a little bit silly. And (SPOILER ALERT!!!) I have no idea why Voight does not shoot Cruise at the end, but shoots only his own wife. Neither or both I could go with. Not just one. Too convenient. But I can’t complain too loudly, because the adventure getting there is a good time.  SCORE: 6

FINAL TALLY

FILM: 6; MOVIE: 8; ACTING: 5; WRITING: 6

6+8+5+6+0=25

FINAL SCORE = 6.25

~ by johnlink00 on July 30, 2009.

Posted in ~ M ~, ~~~ 1996 ~~~
Tags: action