Mission: Impossible
Movie, 1996, 1996–1999, Set in 1996
Mission: Impossible is #17 of 26 in release order and #15 of 26 in chronological order in the '90s Action.
The story
When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Mission: Impossible recap
IMF agent Ethan Hunt's team, led by Jim Phelps, tries to stop the theft of a list of undercover agents, the NOC list, in Prague. The mission is a disaster: almost everyone is killed, and Ethan learns from the IMF director Kittridge that the operation was a mole hunt and he is the suspect. Ethan escapes, joined by Phelps's wife Claire. He contacts the arms dealer Max, who wants the real NOC list, and recruits two disavowed agents, Luther and Krieger, to steal it from CIA headquarters at Langley, where Ethan is lowered into a sealed vault on a cable. Phelps turns up alive and blames Kittridge.
Mission: Impossible ending explained
Ethan works out that Phelps is the mole and Claire is in on it. On the Channel Tunnel train, Ethan exposes Phelps to Kittridge using a camera in his glasses. Krieger flies a helicopter into the tunnel tethered to the train, Phelps kills Claire, and Ethan blows up the helicopter with explosive gum, killing Phelps and Krieger. Ethan is cleared and offered a new mission. Mission: Impossible 2 follows.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is streaming on Paramount+, Kanopy, and HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 65%
Where it fits
Cast
- Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
- Jon Voight as Jim Phelps
- Emmanuelle Béart as Claire
- Henry Czerny as Kittridge
- Jean Reno as Krieger
- Ving Rhames as Luther
- Kristin Scott Thomas as Sarah Davies
- Vanessa Redgrave as Max
- Ingeborga Dapkūnaitė as Hannah
- Valentina Yakunina as Drunken Female IMF Agent
- Marek Vašut as Drunken Male IMF Agent
- Nathan Osgood as Kittridge Technician
Directed by Brian De Palma.