Mission: Impossible (1996) BluRay 720p

The Impossible Missions Force (or IMF for short) is assigned the task of shadowing and ultimately apprehending the buyer and seller of one half of the NOC List, a highly classified document that contains both the code names and actual names of undercover agents. IMF veteran Jim Phelps (Jon Voight, Deliverance) as well as master of disguise Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise, A Few Good Men) lead the team.

Though the entire team works smoothly in tandem, inching ever so close to their objective, a series of mishaps and tragedies seemingly kills each member but Hunt before the night is over, leaving the agent shaken and confused at the precision of the retaliation against the team. Hunt is finally able to meet with IMF Director Eugene Kittridge (Henry Czerny) and learns that the entire mission was a set-up to oust a mole in the agency, and now that the team has been eliminated, Hunt becomes a prime suspect. He manages to escape to a safe house before he is apprehended and begins to track down both the buyer of the list and the identity of the true mole. Hunt and Phelps’s wife Claire (Emmanuelle Béart), herself a member of the team and surprise survivor of the botched mission, recruit former IMF agents Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames, Saving God) and Franz Krieger (Jean Reno, Ronin) to aid in the theft of the NOC list from the source at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia and reveal the true threats to the security of agents around the world.

Mission: Impossible is the sort of movie that requires viewers to be alert and glued to the screen to allow the film to work its magic. Thankfully, the effort audiences put into it will be rewarded with a story that slowly but surely unravels with small clues and fine details scattered about that hint at what the plot has in store for the thrilling final act. One aspect that sells the finely-woven script is the wonderful performance of the entire ensemble cast. Clearly, the film is headlined by megastar Tom Cruise as the lead in the first of three Mission: Impossible films, the actor’s only foray into a bona-fide franchise. His portrayal of Hunt is generally exceptional, creating a character that is both physically capable of daring stunts that mostly stay within the realm of possibility, but relying more on intellect, instinct, and cunning to get the job done rather than brute force and limitless ammunition.

The character remains firmly grounded in the realm of “hero” rather than becoming some sort of immortal superman, and given both the tone of the film as well as the covert yet dangerous nature of his profession, Cruise’s performance couldn’t have been any better. While the film also features standout efforts from Ving Rhames, Jean Reno, Henry Czerny, Vanessa Redgrave, and Emmanuelle Béart, veteran actor Jon Voight steals the show with his fascinating portrayal of Phelps, a key figure in the film’s intricate plot. Voight’s performance is one that rewards multiple viewings; his mannerisms in practically every frame — the way he glances about, his body language, and his dialogue delivery — subtly hint as to his place in the film. In a career filled with standout performances, Voight’s effort in Mission: Impossible ranks near the top.

Keeping everything together is the steady — and oftentimes mesmerizing — direction of veteran Brian De Palma (Carrie). He often utilizes cockeyed angles in frames that reveal extreme foreground information that contrasts with background details that often make for an intriguing juxtaposition of elements and generally fascinating filmmaking. Such frames often reveal some sort of imminent peril or offer an explanation to a shot or scene simply by the turn of a character’s head in the background or the revelation of a detail that ties a scene together. Meanwhile, the director showcases glimpses of varied styles throughout the film, notably the film’s noir-ish first act.

Viewers will see characters lurking in shadows, dense fog that diminishes visibility past the foreground, and only glimpses of color protruding from the midnight blue and black backgrounds, generally in the form of human faces that offer a distinct contrast to the shroud of darkness that besets the frame. Through this style, De Palma is able to nicely set the tone for the film’s portrayal of the clandestine, confused, and dangerous world of spies; elevate the level of tension during this particular mission; and set a somewhat dark tone for the remainder of the film. It takes something of an auteur to pull off such angles and objectives so precisely, and De Palma shows why he is one of the better pure filmmakers of the past quarter century with his effort in Mission: Impossible.