Throwback Thursday Review: 'Mission: Impossible'

Recently, I've taken a break from my Throwback Thursday Review series, but I'm returning to the format in order to review Mission: Impossible before the release of Mission: Impossible - Fallout next month. I realize it's not yet Thursday, but there are a lot of films I'd like to review this summer and not enough Thursdays to do so. For the time being, I plan to share Throwback Thursday Reviews of Ocean's Eleven (2001), The Incredibles, Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and Mission: Impossible II along with new reviews for Upgrade, Hereditary, Ocean's Eight, Hotel Artemis, Incredibles 2, Tag (2018), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Sicario: Day of the Soldado this June.

'Mission: Impossible' Review

Mission: Impossible accompanies American IMF agent Ethan Hunt as he's disavowed when a mission goes awry and Hunt is framed for killing his team of fellow spies and selling government intel. Determined to prove his innocence, Hunt recruits fellow renegades to help him track down the traitor responsible and retrieve the missing intel.

Mission: Impossible was directed by Brian De Palma, featured a screenplay written collectively by David Koepp, Robert Town, and Steven Zaillian, and served as the first film adaptation of a television series from the late '60s (which was rebooted in the '80s). At the time, no other spy franchise was quite like it. The Mission: Impossible series' claim to fame has always been the elaborate, outrageous stunts performed by the star himself. Over the years, they've grown gradually in regards to ambition and scale as Tom Cruise has gone from simply being suspended in a room and blown back by a 140mph wind machine to scaling the Burj Khalifa and hanging outside an actual airplane during take off. 

As director, De Palma leans into the intensity of the stunts and ensures the audience is able to understand the stakes and consequences associated with failing the feat. Before the Langley computer disc heist, De Palma quickly demonstrates the vault's extreme security measures, so every drop of Ethan Hunt's sweat feels like it could potentially be the end of it all. Even with the foresight of the film's ending, I still find the sequence to be quite riveting. 

Another thing that De Palma did extraordinarily well was establishing the blueprints for the franchise going forward. Every Mission: Impossible film since the first has featured an intro with a fuse accompanied by the trademark theme, Hunt assembling a team of agents, and memorable set pieces intended to one-up the previous film's show stoppers. Suffice to say, the franchise's barebones formula has been fairly effective considering a sixth installment is coming just next month. On top of the aforementioned qualities, Mission: Impossible shines in regards to the inventive camera movement from cinematographer Stephen H. Burum and an exciting score composed by Danny Elfman. 

Now twenty two years old, Mission: Impossible can't help but feel dated in comparison to today's blockbusters. While the practical stunts are still stellar, the visual effects are hit and miss in regards to authenticity. Of course I'm not holding this against Mission: Impossible too much, but I felt it was worth mentioning nevertheless. Where the plot of Mission: Impossible is relatively straight-forward and easy to follow, the twists and turns along the way either don't add up or require a slight suspension of disbelief because of their inherent cheesiness. Either way, it all felt indicative of the '90s.

Beyond launching a film franchise that's still ongoing, Mission: Impossible helped Tom Cruise's career skyrocket into the movie star stratosphere (although you could make an argument that Top Gun played a big role in the initial takeoff). Pushing semantics aside, Cruise's crazy commitment to stunt-work started here, and Cruise's formidable, magnetic charisma shines through it all tremendously. It's really no wonder that Ethan Hunt is one of Cruise's most popular roles to date. However, seeing as the first Mission: Impossible was largely a star-vehicle for Cruise, the surrounding ensemble wasn't given nearly as much to work with. Jon Voight, Henry Czerny, Emmanuelle Bėart, Jean Reno, and Ving Rhames make the most of their screentime, but are ultimately impaired by lacking characterization and are unable to define themselves much beyond the simple genre stereotypes spelled out in the script.

In spite of its age, Mission: Impossible holds up exceptionally well as an action-thriller. Should you choose to watch it, you'll discover that Mission: Impossible is an exciting, occasionally over-the-top spy flick full of spirit and spectacle. 

Film Assessment: B

'Darkest Hour' Review

Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor; Gary Oldman, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Production Design.

Won: Best Actor; Gary Oldman and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Darkest Hour informs audiences of the appointment of Winston Churchill to the office of British Prime Minister in the early days of World War II. The film then details the struggles he faced in his early days of office as Churchill must decide to negotiate a peace treaty with Nazi Germany or rally the British to fight for their freedom and liberty.

Some of you may or not remember that there was another World War II film released this year that depicted the mass evacuation of 338,000 troops from the beaches of Dunkirk, that being Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk of course. Well, Darkest Hour essentially is the administrative account behind those events. If you're looking to catch up on the year's awards contenders, I'd highly recommend watching the two together as a Dunkirk Double Feature in the order of Darkest Hour to first get the administrative context and then Dunkirk to see the events unfold, because I'm sure both films will bring in a substantial number of significant nominations based on the pedigree and craftsmanship. 

Joe Wright oversees the biographical picture with Anthony McCarten penning the screenplay, and each does a fine job in their respective roles of director and writer. The film is also stimulated by Bruno Delbonnel's captivating cinematography and a spellbinding score from Dario Marianelli that help Darkest Hour to stand out from the crowd of historical dramas. Unlike most bio-pics, Wright and McCarten don't simply define Churchill by his life story though. Instead, they let Churchill's character shine through Oldman's exceptional performance and the decision-making behind the evacuation of Dunkirk. One scene aboard a subway really speaks volume to the kind of man Churchill was, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about once you see it... Although not entirely accurate, Wright's gone on record to say there's no evidence to suggest something like that didn't happen considering Churchill would often disappear and was known to speak with the common people to hear their opinion on matters. However, the film never overtly glorifies Churchill. Wright and McCarten always show him for who he really is, even if that means starting the film with Churchill absent from Parliament and instead lounging about at home eating breakfast in his bathrobe...

Darkest Hour depicts Churchill in the most humane light possible, as it's shown that a great deal of pressure surrounded him on a daily basis due to being in such a high position of authority. You never get the sense Wright is toying with the audience to trick them into thinking he's one of Great Britain's most courageous Prime Ministers purely on account of his success. Wright ensures audiences feel the massive weight on his shoulders. There's a scene of him having to administrate from the loo for goodness sake! Wright makes it known that Churchill wasn't dubbed the "British Bulldog" for his ferocity alone. Wright reveals that Churchill is a revered historical figure because of his courageous strength and resolve in leading a nation amidst unsurpassable adversity. 

To me, some of the best acting performances are those where an actor completely disappears into the role, and Gary Oldman does just that with his take on Winston Churchill. Oldman's almost entirely unrecognizable due to the superb seamless hair and makeup work, and on top of that, he captures the quirks and mannerisms of Churchill so well that you genuinely feel like you're watching Winston Churchill onscreen. Oldman's had a distinguished career, so I wouldn't go as far to saying this is his best performance per say, but it definitely ranks high among his best work. At this point in time, Oldman seems to be the frontrunner for that coveted Best Actor Oscar, and it would certainly be a well deserved win if he winds up with one more opportunity to hold up the trademark "V" for victory come March.

Oldman's also backed by some solid supporting actors including Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Mendelsohn, Ronald Pickup, and Stephen Dillane in the respective roles of the steadfast secretary Elizabeth Layton, loving wife Clemmie, the regal King George VI, nervous Neville Chamberlain, and intense adversary Lord Viscount Halifax.

Whether you're a history buff or cinephile wondering if The Darkest Hour represents Churchill's finest hours, there's no need to fret, because The Darkest Hour is victorious in its efforts to pay respects to Winston Churchill while telling an inspirational and exciting account of what transpired behind the scenes of the massive evacuation at Dunkirk.

Film Assessment: B+