Just a bit different from your average action film.

Rating: 8/10 (5 July 2000)

Action films, they come and go, thrill you while you sit there in the seat and when they're finished, they're gone from your mind. Some however, stick in your mind a little longer, and some you can even watch again, and again, and again.
Mission: Impossible is one of those action films. What is it that first made it stick in my mind? Well, it starts off as a typical, though rather high technical, espionage thriller, albeit one with a flashier than usual opening credits sequence. But from this the film plays on your expectations, bred by years of action and thriller movies that have run together on the same clichés, and of course, the original series, and within 40 minutes the audience is left bewildered, breathless and with absolutely no idea where this thing is going to go next. And it lives up to these expectations, throwing the audience into increasingly complex situations, casting questions on the morality of all of the cast members, even Tom Cruise. It delivers surprises right until the end.
Of course some of these things are big no-no's for Hollywood, and a lot of people are left confused and in the dark by this movie. Yes, there are some problems with dialouge, and it does sometimes go a little over the top and a little "Yeah Right!" but, hey, it's Mission: Impossible isn't it?
OK so riveting on first viewing, but what would make us want to see it again once you know all the surprises waiting? You could argue for director Brian De Palma and Screenwriters excellent build-up of paranoia, but then of course there are the set pieces, the trap at the start, the CIA break in, and of course, that train sequence, implausible, but brilliant stuff.