Mission: Impossible (1996) ****

I used to think that Mission: Impossible (1996) wasn't very De Palmaesque, but on this latest watch (my first time in 13 years and with the film looking the best I've ever seen it on 4K UHD) I realized that it very much is so. Sure, it's an action spectacle that requires major suspension of belief by the end of the film but there are so many great set pieces and thrilling sequences prior to that. De Palma employs his usual bag of camera and editing tricks to bring this world to the cinematic landscape, but does it in a subtler, more accessible way to create superb espionage entertainment.

I'm aware that cast members of the original TV series (which I'm also a big fan of) were not happy with the direction the characters were taken, but ignoring that isn't difficult for me to do. One of the reasons for that is that M:I is "big" blockbuster 90s fun. This movie is a ride; it's not John le Carré. That's not to say the film is dumb—it's far too well-crafted. And it has a lot of replay value, even when you know what's going to happen next. De Palma and writers David Koepp, Steve Zaillian, and Robert Towne made a polished piece of pop cinema featuring a bold score by Danny Elfman (a last minute replacement for Alan Silvestri) and a stellar cast, Tom Cruise grinning with bravado all the way through.

You can find my Brian De Palma Feature Films Ranked list here.

You can find my Top 20 Directors list here.