Good and bad, thrilling and frustrating.

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2015)

Mild spoilers ahoy. Can one really spoil a 19 year old film though?
I very much enjoyed this film when seeing it on its initial release in 1996, at the fabulous Empire, Leicester Square, London. Whilst never a die-hard fan of the TV series, I had been entertained and absorbed by it, and I liked that they attempted to introduce many elements of that series into the big-screen incarnation whilst broadening it out with big action sequences (notably the Channel Tunnel finale) to cater for the 90s Blockbuster audience. And this is why the film both thrills and annoys me.
The throwbacks are all nice (the masks, the intricate con-job set- ups etc), but ultimately undone by the decision to make an action- leaning set-piece laden film. They were largely jettisoned as the franchise progressed, which is fine, but I felt short-changed here. This may be petty, but having Jim Phelps (for those that don't know, the protagonist and hero of the series from its second series onward) turn out to be the villain was just plainly unforgivable. Imagine if the "Star Trek" reboot had cast James T Kirk as the antagonist. That left a real sour taste in the mouth.
I'm surprised that the screenplay was handed in by writers as esteemed as David Koepp and Robert Towne, because much of the early dialogue, notably in the session where the team are briefed, seems forced and unrealistic - Hollywood quippy rather than natural. It's not helped that Tom Cruise's performance oscillates wildly between stern, serious, and meaning business, and toothy grin, over keen to quip and be liked. Maybe it was intended for the character, but it's at odds with how I felt it should be played, and different from the later portrayals of operative Hunt. I like Cruise in the latter films but he's too "Jerry Maguire" here for me. I did love his "disc disappearing" trick in Liverpool St though, and the rest of the cast were all solid. I'm glad Ving Rhames (as Luther) has become a mainstay of the franchise, Henry Czerny fits the mould of every disgruntled MI team boss throughout the series to a tee, Emmanuelle Beart is HOT, Reno is... well, he's Jean Reno, only with more attitude. Kristin Scott Thomas adds a welcome touch of class, and the Lithuanian lady playing Hannah is also one not to KooBoaCN. And of course there's the sublime Vanessa Redgrave... very watchable all round.
The plot is not difficult to follow, despite common perception. It's just, frankly, a little silly. The idea that all this confidential information about non-confirmed agents would be stored in one place (even in the most secure room in the world, but with lousy server security) just doesn't ring true. And, incidentally, if it's the most secure room in the world, have they not thought about putting in a simple CCTV camera as well? But that's by the by. DePalma is an infamous admirer of Hitchcock, so I'm not surprised he's happy to hoist such a heinous MacGuffin on which to hang his outlandish, stylized, and highly engrossing set-pieces without too much concern for credibility. But those set pieces are impressive. The Prague setup, the raid at Max's, Langley (despite being so goofy), the train (London Terminus on the TGV - bless!), are all expertly staged and enticing scenes. There's just that niggling sense of "this could have been more" haunting the picture.
M:I 2 I'll give a pass to, M:I 3 I think hit the mark completely and utterly, and is still my favourite of the bunch. GP is fun too, and I look forward to RN next week. This first one, I keep thinking about though, because it's not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, it's just not as good as it could have been. This review will self destruct in...