Sean Witzke has put together the following video essay exploring the work of Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams and Brad Bird over the Mission: Impossible franchise and it’s a fascinating study of influence from a director’s perspective and what has come of the franchise, primarily following Abrams’ taking over ever since Mission: Impossible III.
Witzke spends a ton of time exploring De Palma’s contributions and influences when it comes to Mission: Impossible (1996) and as he moves on the time spent on each film decreases, which is interesting in and of itself. Talk of the influence of Alfred Hitchcock on all the films, as well as Ronald Neame‘s Gambit, Jules Dassin‘s Topkapi (which I have not seen, but desperately need to) and Roman Polanski‘s Macbeth are all referenced and he also discusses, as I have before, the fact Woo’s Mission: Impossible II is essentially a remake of Hitchcock’s Notorious
The interesting note he makes about M:I 2 is how Tom Cruise‘s Ethan Hunt is more Steve McQueen than Robert Redford as the conversation turns more toward Cruise’s character than the actual directors at the helm. Witzke makes an interesting case for Cruise as the auteur rather than the likes of Abrams and Bird and, you could argue, the same goes for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation director Christopher McQuarrie, and this isn’t meant as an insult or a means of diminishing of the directors, but more as a realization how Abrams brought the focus back where it was lost in Woo’s feature.
Hunt becomes a family man in Mission: Impossible III and the repercussions are felt throughout Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which is pretty much the only direct sequel in the five film franchise. Hunt, however, is showing signs of aging, weariness, something you could certainly argue when it comes to Rogue Nation, particularly the underwater scene, a moment you may actually think the Hunt from the first M:I film might have pulled off without so much trouble.
One thing the essay doesn’t get into, and is an aspect of the franchise I think is worth exploring, is the role women play in the franchise… a role that has elevated since M:I 3 and was one of the crowning achievements with Rebecca Ferguson in Rogue Nation, but hey, you can only fit so much in…
Give the video a watch below.
[vimeo id=”134370688″ width=”640″]
