The “Mission: Impossible” series, led by the dynamic Tom Cruise, stands as a towering monument in the realm of action spy cinema. Since its inception in 1996, the franchise has consistently delivered pulse-pounding thrills, breathtaking stunts, and sinuous plots that has kept the audiences on the edge of their seats. At the heart of Mission Impossible movies, lies Cruise’s unwavering commitment to performing his own death-defying stunts, showcasing a level of dedication that has become synonymous with the franchise. From scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai to clinging onto a moving airplane, Cruise’s willingness to push the boundaries of what’s physically possible has elevated the series to iconic status.
Moreover, Mission: Impossible movies doesn’t just rely on spectacle; its narratives are a masterclass in espionage, filled with twists, turns, and double-crosses that keep viewers guessing until the final frame. As of of now there are seven movies in this series and an upcoming one, titled Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part Two, which is to be released in 2025. Since my childhood I’ve been a fan of Tom Cruise and I love the breathtaking action scenes that he performs on big screen. Today he is one of the most bankable star in Hollywood and his films have made billions of dollars at Box-Office.
Ranking Top 5 Mission Impossible Movies:
5. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III (2006)
Ethan hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from the fieldwork and he is enjoying his new life with his fiancé Julia (Michelle Monaghan). Julia works as a nurse and she is not aware about Ethan’s real identity. I mean he is a spy so why would he reveal that to anybody, right? Though Ethan seems out of action in the beginning but deep down he carries the same badass vibe of a spy. One day Ethan unexpectedly gets approached by IMF Director Musgrave (Billy Crudup) for a mission. Oh yeah!
Lindsey Farris (Keri Russel), one of Musgrave’s protégé has been kidnapped during a special mission and she is held as a hostage by a psychotic arms dealer Owen Davian, played bythe late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Ethan’s mission is to rescue Lindsey with his team; Luther (Ving Rhames), Benji (Simon Pegg), Declan (Johnathan Rhys Meyers) and Zhen (Maggie Q).
Ethan gets onboard for the rescue mission but things turn ugly as Lindsey dies during the operation. On the way back Ethan captures Owen and gets to know about “Rabbit”s Foot” AKA the biological weapon. In flight Owen threatens to kill Ethan and his loved ones and he makes a grand escape. Further the mission gets complex and Ethan’s wife gets kidnapped by Owen. Explosion, gun fight, high speed car chase, sudden plot twist and breathtaking action sequence make this installment from mission impossible movie a great watch. Furthermore, a special mention to Philp Seymour Hoffman who looks absolutely menacing as the villain.
4. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL (2011)
In the fourth installment of mission impossible movie the cold war between Russia and United States takes the center stage. Ethan Hunt is rescued from a prison in Moscow and his mission is to infiltrate Kremlin to gather information about “Cobalt” AKA Hendricks. Ethan and his team takes on the mission but before they can complete the task Hendricks blows up the mission an destroys Kremlin. Impossible Mission Force (IMF) is blamed for this attack and the President initiates ‘Ghost Protocol’ disavowing the IMF.
Later Ethan gets to know that Hendricks has access to Russia’s nuclear codes and he is planning a large scale war. By the way did I mention that Benji is now promoted to a field agent and he is part of Ethan’s high octane action sequences. There are instances though when he detests the field work and is scared for his life but hey that’s where the fun lies. In his pursuit of nuclear launch codes Ethan plans a secret mission with analyst William Brandt (Jeremy Renner), Jane (Paula Patton) and Benji. They travel to Dubai and disguise themselves as Hendricks associate.
At Burj Khalifa as Ethan and his team are gearing up for the mission, Benji witnesses a “slight wrinkle” in the plan. In order to control the security cameras and elevators they need access to the buildings server room which they can’t do from the inside. And the only option is to break the glass of a high rise building, climb it up and break into the server room, simple! Ethan Hunt pulls a death defying stunt for this mission and climbs the highest building in the world. He climbs, jumps and literally runs on the tower to complete the mission. Phew!
Directed by Brad Bird, Ghost Protocol is visually a stunning film with great cast and mind blowing action sequence.
3. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: ROGUE NATION (2015)
What I really love about Mission Impossible movies is that the makers don’t jump on to a sequel for the sake of it. For a spy thriller, a good script is one of the leading factors. Acting, Direction and stunts makes no sense if the script is weak. And mind you there have been instances in this series where the script hasn’t been convincing. Rogue Nation is the fourth installment in the series and it marks the entry of Christopher McQuarrie as the writer and director. The film also stars new team members like Rebecca Ferguson, Alec Baldwin and the return of Luther (Ving Rhames).
Ethan is tracking the “syndicate” a terrorist organization trained to complete highly impossible missions without any surveillance or accountability. In his pursuit of the “syndicate” Ethan meets Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson), who is an MI6 agent on a undercover mission. In Washington D.C CIA Director Alan Hunley (Alec Baldwin) convinces the authorities to decommission the IMF after the horrifying events in Russia. Again Ethan and his team find themselves in a middle of chaos and abandonment.
Ethan is determined to find the leader of the “syndicate” and he wont stop at any cost. Whether it requires him to cling to an airplane from the outside, ride a super bike at high speed through treacherous terrain, or drive a car and escape bullets in middle of the city. On one hand Hunt is hiding from the CIA and at the same time he finds himself embroiled in a middle of British espionage. In this film I was surprised by the performance of Rebecca Ferguson who plays the role of double agent Ilsa Faust and actor Sean Harris who plays the cold hearted villain Lane.
2. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (1996)
Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) and his IMF team, after finishing a mission in Kyiv and are sent to Prague to stop Alexander Golitsyn from stealing the CIA NOC list. On the mission everyone gets killed except Ethan, and the IMF Director Eugene Kittridge blames him for the failure. Soon Ethan realizes that the entire Prague operation was a decoy to reveal the rogue in IMF and he thinks that Kittridge now suspects him to be the impostor.
Ethan escapes a deadly attack from Kittridge and his team and unites with the other disavowed IMF agents, Luther, who is an hacker and Franz Krieger, the pilot. Tension builds high when Phelps return from the grave and the entire story becomes a thrilling ride. Till the final act the twits and turns are highly engaging and even after decades this movie looks refreshing. The famous latex mask stunt that Hunt uses to disguise himself is an absolute blast and it has become a recurring theme in mission impossible movies.
Directed by Brian De Palma and released in 1996, Mission Impossible marked the inception of the legendary franchise. It also introduced the audiences to the enigmatic Ethan Hunt who is ever ready to do the impossible task. My favorite scene from the movie is when Hunt infiltrates the CIA headquarter hung from a wire and manages to download the NOC list into a floppy disk. The entire scene is phenomenally shot and it’s one of the iconic scene from the movie. And also the climax scene where Ethan and Phelps are on top of a high speed train trying to kill each other, it’s way to entertaining.
1. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT (2018)
If you see carefully Ethan is always shown as an agent who saves the world and rescues his loved ones from the jaws of death. The consequence of his actions and his morals are always subsided by the bigger picture. While working on Rogue Nation writer Christopher McQuarrie wanted to explore Ethan’s character on a deeper level and that’s exactly what he does in this movie. In this mission impossible movie, McQuarrie purposely puts Hunt on trail and he wants the audience to be the judge of his actions.
After the events of Rogue nation “syndicate” makes a comeback as the “Apostles” and the terror group is hired by an extremist John Lark to acquire plutonium. Why? to start a nuclear war. Things turn ugly when Ethan is stuck between a choice to save his friend Luther or to get hold of the plutonium. Ethan saves his friend and faces the wrath of CIA for risking the lives of millions of people. This leads to a further questioning on Ethan’s character and the choices he has made over the years.
After the failure of this mission, CIA director Erika Sloane (Angela Basset) sends her agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) along with Ethan to get hold of plutonium. But hey it isn’t easy when you have Superman next to you because this is mission impossible baby. Cut to an intense fight scene in men’s restroom where Hunt and Walker fight with Lark. Clearly this is one of the most realistic and beautifully shot fight scene in the series. In a surprising turn of events Ilsa Faust makes a return and makes the plot more enjoyable.
In the final act when the villain flies away in a chopper with a detonator, Hunt being the badass he is, climbs on to another chopper and chases the villain mid air. Off all the mission impossible movies, fallout has the best twits and some amazing death defying stunts which I’ve never seen before. No wonder this is the highest grossing Mission Impossible movie so far. Clearly Tom Cruise loves this franchise and he genuinely wants to give the best experience to the audience in theatres.
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