Mission: Impossible (1996)

Mission: Impossible 1, editorial content, spy movies, espionage, spy movie podcasts, Tom Cruise
Mission: Impossible 1

In 1996, Paramount Pictures and Cruise/Wagner Productions released the first movie of the Mission: Impossible series.  So, the first of the series is called Mission: Impossible and did not have a number.   We will call it here Mission: Impossible (1996)  since we now have multiple great additions to the Mission: Impossible series.

In this curation (and in the podcast), we discuss things beyond the scope of the movie, and its interrelationship with other movies and events:

  • Relationship to Mission: Impossible TV Series
  • The masks!
  • Other movies mentioned: The Godfather: Part II; Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible III, and Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol; Dr. No; Operation Amsterdam; The Sting;  Lethal Weapon 2; Duece Bigalow: Male Gigalow;  Total Recall;  Push;  Eraser;  Jackie Chan’s First Strike; A Low-Down Dirty Shame; Topkapi;  Rififi; The Wolverine;  The General (1926;  The Flying Scotsman (1929);  From Russia With Love;  Skyfall
  • Importance of The Drake Hotel in Chicago – even though it is never shown on-screen
  • A connection to No!
  • Origin of “the secretary will disavow. . .” – Operation Amsterdam!
  • The Vault Scene: modeled after Topkapi? Rififi?  We do an analysis!
  • The train scene – and others before and after: The Wolverine, The General (1926) The Flying Scotsman (1929), From Russia With Love, Skyfall


... read more

While the TV show of “Mission: Impossible” ran for 7 seasons (1966-1973) in the US, it then set-up the future ability for the Mission: Impossible movies to be made.  Back then, there were 27 episodes in a season, not counting the pilot in season one. The TV show, excellently executed,  won 19 awards and was nominated for 39.  A two-season reboot of the show ran from 1988-1990.

All totaled, there were over 200 episodes of the show.  Listen to our Mission: Impossible 1 podcast for additional insight and discussion.

So, how do you bring such a successful TV show to the Big Screen?  The answer to this question was to bring in one of the biggest box office names in Tom Cruise to play the lead character and add a lot of very cool stunt work.  So let’s get to our Mission: Impossible 1 curation and see what all the excitement is about!

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Mission Impossible Opening

Mission Impossible Opening

Opening Title Sequence

Opening Title Sequence

This message will self-destruct

This message will self-destruct

First Mission

First Mission

Restaurant Scene

Restaurant Scene

Meeting with Max

Meeting with Max

Into the Vault Scene

Into the Vault Scene

Ethan meets Jim again

Ethan meets Jim again

On the train

On the train

The final train scene

The final train scene

Ending Scene

Ending Scene

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