1996 Rewind: Mission Impossible


It's hard to believe, but 1996 was 30 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 1996 that are turning 30 in 2026. Today, it's the start of a franchise.

Ethan Hunt: Can I ask you something, Kittridge? If you're dealing with a man who has crushed, shot, stabbed, and detonated five members of his own IMF team, how devastated do you think you're gonna make him by hauling Mom and Uncle Donald down to the county courthouse?

Mission Impossible
Starring: Tom Cruise and Jon Voight
Director: Brian De Palma
About: It's almost hard to believe the Mission Impossible franchise began 30 years ago. It wrapped up (probably) with the eighth film just last summer. But this is the one that started it all. It began with Cruise as Ethan Hunt in a film with a style and story that ended up being radically different than what it became. De Palma took the reigns here and delivered a solid franchise film. There are some iconic sequences here and it's an engaging story. I remember liking it a lot when it came out. While it's only middle of the pack for me when it comes to the final franchise, It's fun to look back and see where it all began!

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