Mission: Impossible

THE GIST: A team of highly skilled spies is tasked with retrieving a stolen file that could compromise the identity of countless secret agents before it falls into the wrong hands. The mission ends in disaster, with all dead except for Ethan Hunt, who now becomes the prime suspect. Hunt has to go dark and seek help from unlikely sources in order to clear his name and find the mole responsible for his team's demise.

The big screen adaptation of a very successful TV show, Mission: Impossible is a verified hit, actually starting one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood's history.

Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, a role he reprises for each subsequent film and that fits him like a glove.

Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, and the great Vanessa Redgrave round up an excellent cast.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A cool plot, a good script, great acting, tons of action, and some very cool visual effects all combine to make a smash hit. Not to be missed.

Grade: 8