A definitive spy thriller

Rating: Null/10 (27 April 2000)

A very watchable movie that does stay true to the paranoid feeling and complex missions of the original TV series. However, the team concept of the series was pretty much gone from the film, and the action could have been more abundant.
The best sequence of the movie had to be the scene at CIA Headquarters in Langley, VA. The intense skill to both act and direct that sequence makes the film truly worth seeing. I don't think I started breathing again until after they sped out of the facility. It was *that* suspenseful and absolutely memorable! Small wonder that scene is on the posters and the movie jacket for the video. Yet, it was only one of a very disappointing few action sequences in the film.
The biggest problem that I saw with the movie was that it was too much a star vehicle for Tom Cruise rather than the team chemistry that the original series did so well. Cruise as Ethan Hunt sees his entire team killed and has to trust two former agents who are shady at best as well as the wife of his fallen leader, Jim Phelps. Not to spoil it for those that haven't watched it yet, but I did not really like the producers' idea for the bad guy in this one. It definitely ruins the enjoyment for many of the faithful fans of the original series.
Though I admit that I enjoyed this film after numerous viewings, I certainly hope that the action in the upcoming sequel is much more abundant (ABSOLUTELY guaranteed with John Woo directing), and the team concept is back. After all, this is not supposed to be Ethan Hunt, the American answer to James Bond, but the chronicles of the IMF. Cruise was very good as Hunt, but let's face it, this is his first sequel of *any* movie he has ever done and only because he is one of the executive producers. If he didn't have that other title, we might have never seen another Mission Impossible.