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Tom Cruise may have a phonebook of different roles in his illustrious movie career, but his most recognised is arguably IMF Agent Ethan Hunt of the Mission: Impossible franchise (now available to stream on Paramount+). With this movie series spanning nearly 30 years, Hunt has performed enough stunts to leave a Cirque du Soleil artist in cold sweats.
He’s gone free solo climbing, hung on to an airplane mid-takeoff, completed a HALO parachute jump and ran down the tallest building in the world. However, there’s still room for a few more death-defying feats as the franchise wraps up with the release of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
With this in mind, our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to rank all the Mission: Impossible movies and discover which of these thrilling spy action flicks takes the top spot.
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7. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
MI’s trademark scintillating stunts and John Woo seemed like a perfect match, so why is the first sequel widely regarded as the worst of the franchise?
Well, beyond those franchise-defining action setpieces involving a breathtaking free solo opener and the bullet-ridden motorcycle chase finale, the main story ends up feeling fairly dull and uninvolving. And even if the premise revolves around a deadly bioengineered virus, there’s a love triangle between our leads that falls flat due to a severe lack of chemistry. Still, between a languid stopover in Seville, a half-hearted heist at the horse races and a cliffside careening courtship scene, you’ll be egging for the action to kick in again. Fortunately, these rousing OTT sequences are enough to kick you out of drowsiness, for those who stick with it are treated to Woo’s trademark slo-mo balletic gunplay and doves. It’s a John Woo film, you can’t not have doves.
6. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Ethan Hunt’s fifth mission introduces shadowy organisation The Syndicate, a cabal of disavowed operatives turned rogue. If those individuals weren’t enough, the IMF also faces blowback from the CIA, which brands the agency as uncontrolled and unchecked due to previous events in the series.
With Hunt now on the run from both sides, he needs to bring down The Syndicate’s leader, Solomon Lane, before the net closes in.
This movie still fizzes with action and those ludicrous stunts, one of which features Ethan clinging onto the side of an Airbus transport aircraft during takeoff — talk about no-frills flying. Extra credit also goes to new addition Rebecca Ferguson as the mysterious Ilsa Faust, a capable foil for Ethan with a penchant for rifles and badassery.
Still, Rogue Nation doesn’t quite carve out its own place in the franchise, as villainous group The Syndicate doesn’t quite feel as fleshed out and threatening as it could be, even though Sean Harris offers a brutal antagonist to Ethan and co. The final act is also somewhat forgettable, ending proceedings with a subtle whimper rather than a bombastic crescendo.
5. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Part one of the team’s final mission revolves around an AI asset known as The Entity gone rogue, which is right on the money, given public perception of this strange new tech. As various organisations race to secure this potential weapon, Hunt and his team need to make uneasy alliances and discover who or what is pulling the strings from afar.
Adding to the mix are a whole host of new and old players, including Hayley Atwell as thief Grace, Henry Czerny as Kittridge, whom we haven’t laid eyes on since the very first M:I, and Esai Morales as intimidating assassin Gabriel.
Despite its lofty ambition, decent set pieces and technical prowess, Dead Reckoning feels very unbalanced under its vast juggling act, with an overly intricate plot, an excess of side characters with shifting loyalties, a bloated runtime, and confusing double and triple crosses aplenty. And while its endgame motorcycle jump was no doubt impressive, it was marketed to death, dulling its impact in theatres.
4. Mission: Impossible (1996)
The opening Mission: Impossible is very much a different beast to the missions that followed it, playing it straight and focusing on a deadly game of shadows, Cold War paranoia, and Dutch angles… lots of Dutch angles.
When a mission goes awry, Ethan, framed and wanted by his own agency, must dive into a murky world with his talents for espionage and forge new partnerships with unscrupulous types if he’s to clear his name and discover who’s behind it all.
As cool as its lead (perhaps a little too cold), Mission Impossible rarely ventures into OTT territory, though that train versus copter finale more than makes up for it. It takes things at a more slow-burning pace, with shady conversations over espressos rather than explosives. With lashings of suspense, it serves as a great introduction into this shadowy universe where you really can’t trust anyone, while the CIA break-in scene is still a highlight that’ll have you on the edge of your seat.
3. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
A much-needed shot in the arm for a franchise that faltered somewhat with the previous entry, Mission: Impossible III sees J.J. Abrams take up the helm, having previous experience in shooting sleuthwork on Jennifer Garner’s excellent ALIAS series.
The story is much more accessible this time around, with Ethan Hunt trying to juggle a normal life with fiancée Julia and being a clandestine operative, which goes as well as you might expect.
The teamwork, which the original TV series was famous for, is on point in this one, particularly during a hostage extraction job in a factory and a drone showdown on a highway. The standout sequence is the mid-movie heist, in which our team needs to infiltrate Vatican City to retrieve an arms dealer, played by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman, who provides real menace and presence as one of the franchise’s best villains.
The plot moves at a breakneck pace and the screen is littered with Abrams’ signature lens flares and grittiness thanks to its digital camerawork. Combining fun, humour, top drawer action and plenty of emotional stakes, this mission proved a great spy film needn’t be so po-faced.
2. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission: Impossible confidently strides into its fourth film with big shoes to fill, but director Brad Bird nails it with Ghost Protocol, an enjoyable action romp with plenty of absurd stunts and a gripping story. The team is on a mission to track down stolen Russian nuclear launch codes, which takes them on uncharted ground. After disaster strikes, the team must regroup and stop a plot to envelop the world in nuclear fire. It’s a suspenseful movie that expertly blends well-drawn characters and a rip-roaring story.
Brimming with unforgettable action and some of the finest stunt (and wire) work in the franchise, including a high-altitude jaunt on the exterior of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa no less, and a surprisingly tense Kremlin infiltration mission, Ghost Protocol benefits from a tight yet explosive plot that doesn’t let up until the credits roll. Peppered in with the action is a fair bit of human drama and baggage, courtesy of a bowless Jeremy Renner as Agent Brandt, Léa Seydoux as shady assassin Sabine, Simon Pegg’s fan favourite Benji, and Paula Patton as a vengeful Agent Carter.
1. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Fallout easily takes top billing as the gang’s best mission, a perfectly taut thriller that quintessentially captures what makes this franchise such a hugely enjoyable popcorn blockbuster.
Featuring an all-star cast, including the returning Ving Rhames as Luther and Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa, new additions include Henry Cavill’s one-man (and meme-d) gun show, August Walker, and Vanessa Kirby as the daughter of the infamous arms dealer Max from the OG M:I. Fallout expertly positions these characters as valuable pieces on the chessboard who serve their own agendas while helping or harming our heroes’ endeavors.
Of particular note is the HALO jump onto a Parisien skyline, a helicopter duel that ends on a heart-stopping cliffside encounter and a brutal bathroom brawl that’s less WC and more “did you see that??”
Fallout breaks new ground in its thrilling sequences, thanks to Tom Cruise always going that extra mile, and then some, cementing the film’s place among the hallowed halls of the finest action movies.
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