Product: Mission: Impossible (1996)
Rating: 5.0
'Bloody Brill'
I don't know why I like this film as much as I do. Looking over the reviews here and seeing a lot of the rather mediocre reception, and lauding of such scenes as the CIA breakin and Chunnel chase as the best in the film and 'reasons for buying', I wonder, what IS it I'm so fascinated by? Because for sure, even though the aforementioned sequences are definitely ranking high on a cool-level, they're not my favorites by far. They're not close to why I like the movie.So WHY? Let me examine. Ethan Hunt - he's not the flashy, trigger-happy action hero that 'gets the girl' in so many modern blockbusters. In fact, the guy only picks up a gun once in the entire movie, and doesn't even fire it. (Too bad this all went down the drain in M:I-2, a sequel which felt like a parody of this.) The top of his class in the IMF - Impossible Mission Force - Ethan likes to be quick and effective. He doesn't like needless killing. As a plus, he resists his love interest, Claire, because he respects her marriage to his boss (Jim Phelps)...is this unheard-of? The movie is free of any sex. (!) As a result of all these traits, and the complete gut-wrenching mess Ethan is put in for the duration of the film, he ends up as quite a likeable character. And that's the heart of it.The plot - I hear over and over about how it's 'so confusing', but it's not. You only need to be an attentive viewer. This movie wasn't made for people with short attention spans seeking a few thrills and wowzer action effects. It requires you to PARTICIPATE...what a concept! - and one I greatly appreciate. Every piece of the story unfolds perfectly onscreen, but if you're being lax, you'll miss it. It's almost as if you're going on a detective mission WITH Ethan, and you're just as surprised as him when things start clicking.So what are my favorite parts of the film? The vault infiltration and Chunnel ending sequence get so much recognition that I sometimes wonder...am I simply nuts for absolutely loving the way Ethan's final chat with Phelps goes? 'It was Kittridge,' Phelps says, trying to sound convincing (and he will to the nonattentive viewer)...but Ethan knows better, and it shows as he replays all the events of the Prague mission out in his mind. And it's no fun either, because Phelps is his boss and friend. Then he asks the encrypted question...'Why, Jim, why?' Assumed to be 'Why would Kittridge do it', it's really 'Why would YOU do it?'It's stuff like this that makes the movie work on a personal level for me, and I have no idea exactly how it pulls off. I've heard over and over the 'all style no substance' criticism plastered on and it just goes right over my head. But oh well. I'll enjoy my Mission: Impossible, thank-you-very-much, and critics can take their views elsewhere. This'll always remain one of my very favorite movies - it just don't get old.'Bloody brill', indeed. Buy it.