Mission: Impossible (1996)

The film has lots going for it including Cruise's charisma, De Palma's sleek direction, a first-rate cast and superb suspense sequences capped by a breathtaking climax stunt. The script is mercifully simple at heart despite its spy plot complexities.

De Palma makes action-movie magic with ingenious craftsmanship that elevates the big-budget film beyond crude entertainment. The director's strengths turn the script's commercial strategies into a dense, formally complex visual experience.

The film is a sleek, entertaining update of the TV series with Tom Cruise as the ideal superhero spy racing to protect a list of secret agents. De Palma directs with chilly suavity, balancing gadgetry and twists in an exhilarating way.

The critic praises how Brian De Palma and Tom Cruise's film fundamentally changed action cinema by blending Hitchcockian tension and intricate plotting with breathless stunts. It highlights the movie's success in rebooting the franchise and elevating Tom Cruise's image as a committed action star who performed his own stunts.

The piece argues the original remains the best entry, crediting De Palma for infusing the star vehicle with perverse suspense, artifice, and humiliation of the hero that still feels fresh and distinctive. It singles out the hybrid quality of classic thriller mechanics and Cruise's star power for praise.

The critic calls it a summer blockbuster that delivers with gadgets, disguises, and De Palma's masterful set-pieces like the wire-suspended vault sequence. The convoluted plot is forgiven because the film is enormous fun overall.

Cruise and De Palma deliver a thrilling extravaganza of jaw-dropping effects and stunts; forget the complicated plot and enjoy the epic rollercoaster, especially the vault burglary and helicopter pursuit sequences.

The critic praises the 1996 film as a smart, intricate spy thriller true to the original TV series, highlighting Brian De Palma's masterful suspense craftsmanship and complex plotting that distinguished it from later entries and Bond films.

The critic finds the plot nearly impenetrable and overly reliant on double-crosses but praises Brian De Palma's focus on style, suspenseful set pieces like the computer heist and train chase, and Tom Cruise's cool presence in the action. The film succeeds as slick, entertaining spectacle despite its logical flaws.

The film's appeal lies more in improbability than suspense, with De Palma and screenwriters crafting a meta-action piece full of defiant spectacles and narrative gaps that reward analytical viewing. It sustains interest through self-aware chutzpah despite not being a full postmodern masterpiece.

The retrospective views the film as unmistakably De Palma's work, a paranoid surveillance thriller that turns the spy premise into stylish suspense rather than anonymous action. It praises the director's signature set pieces and willingness to subvert expectations from the source material.

The critic finds the film glamorous, exciting, sexy and sometimes witty with indelible visual moments, but gleefully superficial and lacking depth or coherence. It belongs to a history of cinema of attractions, offering spectacle and set-pieces that assault the senses.

The film is a bewildering, ludicrous but mostly fun postscript to the spy genre, with more and less than meets the eye; De Palma crafts elaborate conceits and a nail-biting robbery sequence with Hitchcockian panache, though the result is ultimately superficial.

The critic finds the film dour and only fitfully entertaining, with a dreary script and half-baked characters that take themselves too seriously despite some strong actors being underutilized. The climactic train sequence provides crowd-pleasing fireworks, and performances like Vanessa Redgrave's stand out.

The film is dour and sexless escapism with a letdown from its top creative team, though De Palma generates tension in set pieces like the vault heist and train climax. It succeeds as a star vehicle for Cruise but lacks heart or identifiable villains.

The first Mission: Impossible remains the closest to perfect in the franchise and a perfect action movie with a perfect Tom Cruise. The critic singles out the tense, expertly choreographed Langley vault heist sequence for its sustained suspense, silence, and small human details like a bead of sweat.

De Palma's original remains a marvel for its restraint and tension-building, especially the iconic CIA vault sequence that showcases masterful suspense craft over CGI excess. The film excels as a sleek, knotty thriller highlighting the director's Hitchcockian skills and Cruise's stunt work.

The critic highlights how the film is thoroughly a Brian De Palma movie with stylish camerawork and memorable set pieces like the Langley heist, appreciating its auteurist approach over later standardized entries. They praise the director's playful style and the suspenseful sequences.

The review notes the film's complex plot but praises its strong set pieces and tension, particularly the train sequence, crediting De Palma for not underestimating the audience. It complains about some dated elements.

The critic praises De Palma's 1996 film for its deconstruction of the TV series concept and standout set pieces like the Langley heist, noting how it launched the franchise with a nihilistic twist. They single out the film's tension and iconic sequences for praise while highlighting its post-Cold War relevance.