听 Mission: Impossible (1996) set Tom Cruise on the path to becoming a Hollywood mogul. It was his first producing project with friend and former agent Paula Wagner and they raked it in with this slick action thriller inspired by the 60s TV show. Brian De Palma was hired to direct, but of course it was TC's name on the marquee that put bums on seats, playing super spy Ethan Hunt. As Paramount gears up for M:I3, so the first film gets the Special Edition treatment.
Mission Statement
There's a nod to the original TV series in the featurette Mission: Remarkable, but it's chiefly focused on the genesis of the film. Screenwriter David Koepp declines to comment, but the man who rewrote his script - the legendary Robert Towne - recalls the experience of working for TC. Apparently this involved writing scenes "in the middle of the night" and "between takes" while the film was being shot. Naturally the action scenes were conceived before the story (although that is only implied). In the five-minute featurette Explosive Exploits it's evident TC relishes any opportunity to attach himself to a wire or get chucked through a plate glass window. Wagner utters the immortal line, "He does all his own stunts!" and there's a smattering of behind-the-scenes footage to prove it.
Catching The Train is a fleeting look at the most ambitious sequence of the film. And, yes, apparently that really was Tom Cruise spread-eagled atop a train speeding along at 200mph. It's all a bit of a blur for the poor lad, who explains, "I mean when we were on the train, we really had to hang on to the train," - well, yeah... "But I think it added a wonderful reality to the film." At just over two-and-a-half minutes long, it's hardly an in-depth look at this complex bit of filmmaking. In fact there's virtually nothing on special effects on either of two discs. Meanwhile Brian De Palma's contribution is limited to a peppering of soundbites.
For gadget freaks there's a quick tour of the International Spy Museum, which houses all kinds of crazy exhibits, including the time-honoured single-shot pistol secreted inside a tube of lipstick. Meanwhile Spies Among Us talks to retired CIA agents who ponder the likelihood of an agency offshoot like IMF (Impossible Mission Force) existing and operating in the real world. In short, yes it could and probably is - but without the Cirque Du Soleil-style choreography...
To Dream The Impossible Dream
If the sight of TC being yo-yoed on a length of fishing wire isn't enough to make you nauseous, the remainder of the extras will. Excellence In Film charts the unstoppable rise of TOM CRUISE into the Hollywood stratosphere with a thundering orchestral soundtrack to connote just the right level of starriness. But wait, that's not the worst part. As well as including TC's acceptance speech for an LA/BAFTA gong, we get to see a replay of Katie Holmes presenting her beau with MTV's Generation Award. At least they spare us the gratuitous snogging...
Of course this Special Edition release wouldn't exist without a sneak peek at M:I3. But don't get too excited, it's just the teaser trailer. Aside from introducing Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the portly villain, it sees the sparkly-toothed Cruiser dangling from wires and breaking yet another window. Rounding things off are a few more trailers and TV spots for the first film, a photo gallery and a dossier of character profiles. If you can wade through all the fluff and fawning, there are a few interesting notes on the production, but as Special Editions go, it's barely a cut above average. That's Mission: Just Passable.
EXTRA FEATURES
The Mission Impossible: Special Collector's Edition DVD is released in the UK on Monday 1st May 2006.
