Mission: Impossible

Having seen this multiple times, the twists are known. But the movie surprisingly holds up minus a few technology things. Cruise is still a baby in this movie and not the Ethan Hunt we get to know. The turns and twists in the movie are good but often underdeveloped or unexplained. They need to spend about 90 more seconds to explain a few things. Wish some of the characters were either more developed or out of the film. Some unnecessary items make the film drag a bit. Overall, enjoyed the movie and what ends up being an introduction to an ongoing franchise that wows at every stop.

I'm not the biggest fan of the diminutive Mr Cruise - but I have to hand it to him here. Brian de Palma has created an end-to-end action adventure and he is superb in it. He brings oodles of charisma to the screen as he ("Ethan Hunt") has to recover from a disastrous mission and build a team to discover not only who betrayed them, but to obtain a top secret list of American overseas operatives (i.e. spies) before it falls into enemy hands spelling doom for all concerned. What ensues is a fast-paced, well constructed movie that moves along cohesively with plenty going on - loads of tension, suspicion, nobody knowing whom to trust coupled with plenty of exciting stunts and a classy performance from Vanessa Redgrave bringing some gravitas to the proceedings as the stylish, but ruthless, "Max". Sure, it relies on tech and CGI a lot of the time, but the ensemble - Ving Rhames, Emmanuelle Béart and Jon Voight all deliver well into a plot that keeps us guessing until well into the denouement. Even Henry Czerny - not noted for the flexibility of his performances - turns in a decent effort and the ending might make you think twice before using the Chunnel! If you're looking for a good, high-octane piece of cinema; then this is certainly up there - on a big screen, if you can.

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