MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE

"Your mission, should you choose to accept it"

Assigned with a mission to stop a traitor stealing and selling classified information, Jim Phelps's (Voight) IMF team are ambushed and only Agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) survives the hit. Now he is the man suspected of being the traitor and has to go on the run to clear his name. With help from Phelps's wife Claire (Béart), Ethan Hunt gathers together a new team to find out who the real traitor is and to do this they will have to break into one of the most secure places on Earth, CIA headquarters in Langley.

Updating classic TV shows might be the norm for Hollywood these days and they all tend to be not very good of late but the first 'Mission: Impossible' set the standard.

In the 60s and 70s, one spy show raised the bar when it came to intrigue and espionage was 'Mission: Impossible'. 'Your mission, should you chose to accept it' and 'this tape will self-destruct' became part of everyday conversation at the time and it was quickly embedded in the TV watching consciousness.

In 1996, Tom Cruise and director Brian De Palma resurrected the classic show and brought those impossible missions to the big screen with all the grandeur and spectacle that Hollywood could muster. Fans rejoiced as the biggest star in the world and one of the most visual and respected directors collaborated to bring 'Mission: Impossible' back and make it bigger than ever.

With the update came a new team and a new lead character. Playing IMF (Impossible Mission Force) agent Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise created an American version of James Bond but what made the role different from the spy with a licence to kill was the fact that he was young and reckless. Even though he has all the gadgets and technology that is available to the 00 and the knowledge and know how to use them, you are in essence watching him grow into a lead agent. This is the action role that Cruise longed for and he grasps it with both hands.

De Palma has gathered together an excellent ensemble cast to support his lead actor and even Hunt's initial team is filled with fine actors, Kristin Scott Thomas and Emilio Estevez to name but two. The rest of the cast do get a bit more screen time however. Ving Rhames and Jean Reno as Luther Stickell and Franz Krieger, provide the technology and equipment needed for the mission with their usual style. Emmanuelle Béart provides some beauty and French style as Claire Phelps. Vanessa Redgrave provides the class as the mysterious Max. Jon Voight resurrects the only character from the original TV series, Jim Phelps who was played by Peter Graves and Henry Czerny plays the sleazy head of IMF Eugene Kittridge.

The first 'Mission: Impossible' adventure is a classic example in the spy genre. Master filmmaker Brian De Palma is on the top of his game and musters all of his visual flare and gift for story to produce a movie that fans of the series will be engrossed by, action fans will revel in and people who want to have their brain stimulated as well as their adrenaline. This is one mission that you should choose to accept.