the first mission impossible had no business looking this good

#MissionImpossible #TomCruise #videoessay

With the release of the seven the Mission Impossible movie, Dead Reckoning Part I, I wanted to take a look back at the original Mission Impossible movie, from 1996. This isn't just a great action film... or a great Tom Cruise movie... it's a beautifully shot suspense thriller with visuals that frankly astound me every time I watch it. Director Brian De Palma and his long-time cinematographer, Stephen Burum, put their all into crafting a tense and subdued first entry into the franchise. Mission Impossible wouldn't be what it is today without this movie. And while each new Mission Impossible film has found a way to triumph over the last, Tom Cruise's first foray will always remain a classic.

Written & edited by Danny Boyd

[CinemaStix]

So.. Similar to what happened a few months ago with my Rocky video, when I went to upload this video in its entirety it got automatically copyright claimed. Yet, for reasons I can only begin to theorize over, when I tried cutting it in half, and trying each part separately, it was fine..? I’m used to videos getting claimed and not making any money off of them. It sucks. But it is what it is. The reason this is a big deal in these cases is that the original, uncut version of this video was over 8 minutes. That means, when it gets claimed, all ad types, including mid-rolls, get automatically place on it. As a rule, I don’t enable mid-rolls on my channel because.. I mean.. they’re the worst. But with a claim, I not only lose control over whether they get turned on in the first place—I also can’t control where in the video they get run. And that’s just terrible. I realize, of course, that by cutting my video in half myself, your viewing experience is still getting disrupted. Which I regret. At least this way, though, I get to choose a natural break point myself. And because each half is unclaimed when uploaded separately, I’m able to turn off monetization altogether for part 2 so that you (hopefully) don’t get an ad before watching it (because if you did, that would kind of defeat the whole point). Anyway, I’m sorry for the disruption and the weird bandage solution. I just want to give you the best experience I can, always. And I hope this is all understandable. Thank you all so much for your continued support! A few obstacles is worth it to get to do what I love and to share these movies with you :)
-Danny

[sonny]

I always loved how dark and mysterious the first mission impossible film was. Almost film noir-esque.

[Marcushalberstram]

i really love how bold the first scene was by showing that nobody is safe - there is no plot armor. plus i love all the details and practical effects of spying (sarah spraying perfume with a heat signature, ethan sprinkling glass outside the floor to spot intruders) it makes it seem so gritty and realistic

[_The_Archive_]

Fun Fact: While filming the famous scene where Tom Cruise drops from the ceiling and hovers inches above the ground, Cruise's head kept hitting the floor until he got the idea to put coins in his shoes for balance.

[AndyWarpol]

Good timing. Before knowing anything about cinematography, as a kid I could tell there was something special about the light in the Prague sequences. It’s so rewarding to hear you put that feeling into professional words that now make sense as an adult. Thank you 🙏

[thetalentof]

DePalma directed the shit out of this one. The other sequels have still used directors with unique styles (especially Woo and Bird) but DePalma's style works so well for the spy genre, before the films became more reverse engineered from cool stunt ideas. I would love to see them return to a more bare bones, spycraft focused thriller that's more grounded but as highly stylized as this one, throwing every trick in the book to prioritize atmosphere and tension building. DePalma had a strong background in horror films so I think someone like Guillermo Del Toro, Sam Raimi or if they wanted to take a chance on someone like Aneesh Chaganty I think could also do a good job.

[johnprudent]

That, for me, is why M:I 1 felt more like a spy vs. spy or espionage film than all the other films. It build tension and suspense until every so often a set-piece came in for the pay-off. That’s why I love this movie to this day.

[Replicaate]

Having re-watched the entirety of the MI series in the leadup to Dead Reckoning Pt. 1 I cannot get over how ballsy the opening of this movie must've seemed in the 90s, just killing EVERYONE off and having the nice old guy you think you can trust turn out to be the big bad. Plus, it really sets up Ethan in the subsequent films especially from Ghost Protocol onward - he will throw himself into the fire to spare his team, without a thought because he knows what might be at stake.

[ElBacalaoMedia]

After almost thirty years watching this movie, this video FINALLY explains why I've always loved the look of MI1. It is a canvass that looks so good, you wanna walk over to the screen and lick it, hoping you'd be sucked into that world of intrigue and mystery.

[ParkerFriedChicken]

YES! Thank you. The first Mission Impossible got more care and craft than any action movie I can think of. It's more of a movie than any of the others and it feels organic and pointed and masterful.

[seancorrigan]

I was absolutely in love with Emmanuelle Béart when I was a kid. One of life's great beauties. Classic film.

[kalebmanning]

I think people forget that De Palma directed this. They have just been turning them out so long that people forget that there was once only one Mission Impossible movie.

[varieedeventualii]

I was a 12 yrs old Italian kid at the time, I've seen this movie in a theater with my father and loved it. When the VHS came out I asked my dad to buy it and we would watch it again from time to time. Still my fav Mission impossible... and Jean Reno :D

[swaroop_pany]

Just re-watched it today. It's a completely different experience from today's Mission Impossible films, incredible nonetheless. In my opinion this film has the most "style" in terms of directorial style, apart from MI:2, which for me falls short story wise. I can't also help but notice how this film paves the way for Ethan Hunt's entire character. Here he risks the lives of his friends for the mission, eventually losing them, something that the present Ethan would never do.

[mrsam]

One of the major game changers in movie industry . It made James Bond look like a Nickelodeon show lol. The 90s were really innovative

[mixdown]

You only realise how "Video" the new MI-7 looks, when you see this Masterclass-true-Art old one. This is art of Film-making

[ajaynagaraju]

This video is superbly written, narrated and edited! Thank you!

[StonefolkNetwork]

Because it's a film in its own right and not just an entry in a franchise. Also, De Palma is one of the greats – miles above any of the other directors in the franchise.

[terrygoyan]

I'm a photographer and love the cinematic lighting done on this movie. It really establishes a sense of place and time. Thank you so much for this video and now I need to watch it! Beautiful!

[JohnLutherable]

I will never forget the whole train sequence back in cinemas in 1996, from the longest zoom from the hills surrounding the high speed train to the wagon window with the "mole" to the final showdown with the copter into the Channel following the train. Amazing visuals for the time