Product: Mission: Impossible (1996)
Rating: 4.0
As confusing a movie as you'll see . . .
I saw "Mission: Impossible" the movie and walked out conflicted. On one hand it was a terrifically exciting film, on the other it was confusing as all and seemed to lack the critical elements that made "Mission: Impossible" the television show such a success during the 1960s.Brian De Palma is an exceptionally talented director quite skilled at using the camera to give the viewer a deeper window into the story (check out his use of camera angles in the restaurant sequence), and Tom Cruise is a surprisingly talented actor who really carries the movie by himself. Fans of actor Ving Rhames will be happy to know he has a number of good scenes.Fans of the old show had a gripe about the movie's focus on Tom Cruise. After all the "Mission: Impossible" television show was all about the team- each team member used their talents to catch the bad guy in the nick of time each week. "Mission: Impossible" the movie was about a man, Ethan Hunt, clearing his name. The spirit of the show was not there, which in my estimation hurt the movie.The movie's complex labyrinth of doublecrosses and triplecrosses is rather confusing. I'll wager half of all moviegoers hadn't a clue what the plot was really about.Otherwise "Mission: Impossible" is a great movie. The music is excellent, the action sequences are clever and much more complex than in the usual, garden variety action flick.