Name: Mission: Impossible
Genre: Adventure, Action, Thriller
Released: 1996-05-22
Duration: 111 min
Rating: 7
Cast: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno

Mission: Impossible

Coffee Critique Among Team Members

Ethan Hunt Yeah. Could we get a cappuccino machine in here? Cause I don't know what you call this.

Jack Harmon I call it cruel and unusual.

Claire Phelps Hey, I made that coffee.

Ethan Hunt Exactly. Is it possible that it's any worse than the sludge you made in that barn in Kiev?

Claire Phelps Thank you.

[sarcastically]

Jim Phelps Take it easy on my wife's coffee.

Ethan Hunt We missed you in Kiev, Jim.

Jim Phelps Missed you too, Ethan.

Jack Harmon You're off on one of your cushy recruiting assignments again?

Ethan Hunt Yeah, where did they put you up this time? The Plaza?

Jim Phelps Drake Hotel, Chicago.

Jack Harmon Ooh! Punishing! 24-hour room service!

Ethan Hunt Yeah, chauffeured cars.

Jack Harmon Fat expense accounts.

Ethan Hunt He's getting soft in his old age.

Jack Harmon Yes he is, look at him.

Jim Phelps All right. Now, listen, if that list gets out into the open, the names of all our agents in every country in Eastern Europe will be up for grabs to the highest bidders. Third World terrorists, arms dealers, drug lords, any and everybody who'd love to get rid of long-term coverts like us. If they're exposed, they'll be executed. So, I'll run the whole show from the crow's nest here. Everyone knows their roles. Let's punch out the details.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Ethan and Luther Prepare for Action

Ethan Hunt {{small|One. Two.}} Three. TOAST. TOAST.

[testing decibel meter on his wrist]

Luther Stickel Check.

[through radio]

Ethan Hunt {{small|Good. Okay, Luther, I'm goin in. Everest, man, you ready to plant the flag?}}

Luther Stickell Damn!

Ethan Hunt {{small|Krieger, from here on in, absolute silence.}}

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Miscommunication About Apology and Misunderstandings

Luther Stickell Reach your folks? How do they feel?

[Ethan nods]

Ethan Hunt About what?

Luther Stickell The apology from the Justice Department, VIP treatment. You know, the whole nine yards.

Ethan Hunt Well, my mom was a little confused how the DEA could mistake her and Uncle Donald for a couple of dope smugglers in the Florida Keys.

[holds up a glass of beer]

Luther Stickell Cheers.

[holds up his glass]

Ethan Hunt To you, Luther. And being off the disavowed list.

Luther Stickell Hey, I'm the flavor of the month. Why don't you come back with me?

Ethan Hunt I just...don't know why I'd be doing it. Better go catch my flight. So, how does it feel to be a solid citizen again?

Luther Stickell Man, I don't know. I'm gonna miss bein disreputable.

Ethan Hunt Well, Luther, if it makes you feel any better, I'll always think of you that way.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Tension Between Senator and Jack Harmon

Sarah Davies Tell me, Senator, do you all have someone on your staff named Jack?

Jack Harmon Relax your crack, Foghorn, I'm working on it.

[seeing Hunt's point]

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Ethan Hunt's Desperate Call to Claire

Ethan Hunt WAKE UP, CLAIRE! JIM'S DEAD! MY TEAM'S DEAD! THEY'RE ALL DEAD!

[to Claire]

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Mission Briefing and Team Introduction

Jim Phelps I prefer the theater.

Flight Attendant Would you consider the cinema of the Ukraine?

Jim Phelps Perhaps you'll choose one for me. Thank you.

[She gives him a cassette]

Voice on Tape Good morning, Mr. Phelps. The man you're looking at is Alexander Golitsyn, an attaché at our embassy in Prague. He is also a traitor. He has stolen one half of the CIA NOC list, a record of all our deep-cover agents working in Eastern Europe. For security reasons, the NOC list is divided in two. The portion that Golitsyn already has contains code names, but this half is useless without its mate, which matches the code names with their true names. It is this half which Golitsyn plans to steal from the embassy during a reception tomorrow night. Your mission, Jim, should you choose to accept it, is to obtain photographic proof of the theft, shadow Golitsyn to his buyer, and apprehend them both. We've already dispatched a team selected from your usual group. Sarah Davies is already undercover, Jack Harmon can hack into any security system, Hannah Williams will handle surveillance, your wife Claire will cover transport, and Ethan Hunt will be your pointman as usual. He is now in Kiev and will rendezvous in Prague at a safehouse of your choosing. As always, should you or any member of your I.M. force be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Unexpected Encounters in Secret Meetings

Ethan Hunt I thought I was going to see Max.

[face covered by hood]

Matthias You misunderstood. No one sees Max.

Ethan Hunt Then what am I doing here?

Matthias Allowing Max to see you and hear what you've got to say.

Ethan Hunt I don't communicate very well through a shroud.

Matthias If Max doesn't like what you have to say, you will be wearing that shroud indefinitely.

Ethan Hunt I'm willing to take the chance.

[thinks a second]

Matthias Very well.

Max Who are you and what are you doing here?

Ethan Hunt I need $150,000.

Max Oh, really?....And you thought if you simply showed up, I might give it to you?

[Laughing]

Ethan Hunt Why not? You gave Job 125.

Max Hmmm... The penny drops. You are not Job... Job is not given to quoting scripture in his communications... Then there was its tone, aggressive but playful. Job is not playful... So you are something of a paradox.

Ethan Hunt Well, that depends.

Max On what?

Ethan Hunt Whether you like a paradox.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Traffic Command in Mission: Impossible

Ethan Hunt RED LIGHT! GREEN LIGHT!

[Holding the wad of explosive chewing gum before jumping off a chopper in the Channel Tunnel]

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Planning a Complex Operation with Multiple Players

Ethan Hunt Simple game. Four players. Exfil opens the pocket, Cyber Ops lifts the wallet.

Franz Krieger Bank?

Ethan Hunt IMF mainframe.

[shakes his head]

Franz Krieger Where exactly is it?

Ethan Hunt In Langley.

Luther Stickell In Langley? The-one-in-Virginia Langley?

Franz Krieger Inside CIA headquarters at Langley? Is he serious?

[to Claire]

Claire Phelps Always.

Franz Krieger If we're going to Virginia, why don't we drop by Fort Knox? I can fly a helicopter right in through the lobby and set it down inside the vault. And it would be a hell of a lot easier than breaking into the goddamn CIA.

[scoffs]

Luther Stickell What are we downloading?

Ethan Hunt Information.

Luther Stickell What kind?

Ethan Hunt Profitable.

Claire Phelps Payment on delivery.

Luther Stickell I don't know. I just don't know.

[doubtfully]

Ethan Hunt Well, this doesn't sound like the Luther Stickell I heard of. What'd they used to call you? The Net Ranger? Phineas Phreak? The only man alive who actually hacked NATO Ghost Com.

Luther Stickell There was never any physical evidence that I had anything to do with that... with that... ...that exceptional piece of work.

[smiles]

Ethan Hunt You don't know what you're missing. This is the Mount Everest of hacks.

Luther Stickell You're all kidding yourselves. Even with top-of-the-line crypto, Cray access, STU-3's...

Claire Phelps Krieger can get it. Right?

[cuts him off; to Krieger]

Franz Krieger It may take a little time.

Ethan Hunt What the hell do you mean, a little time? That's not what Claire tells me about you.

Luther Stickell Thinking Machine laptops? I'm talking about the 686 prototypes, with the artificial intelligence RISC chip.

[to Krieger]

Franz Krieger Twenty-four hours.

Luther Stickell And, uh, I get to keep the equipment when we're done.

[laughs]

Ethan Hunt Well, Luther, I guess you're all out of excuses.

Luther Stickell Hmm. Look, uh, I just can't hack my way inside. See, there's no modem access to the mainframe. It's in what we call a standalone, which means I'd have to be physically at the terminal.

[laughs]

Ethan Hunt Relax, Luther. It's much worse than you think. The terminal is in a black-vault lockdown. The only person allowed in the room has to pass through a series of security checks.

[voice-over, the scene goes to William Donloe approaching the door to the computer vault]

CIA Analyst William Donloe William Donloe.

[to keypad microphone]

Ethan Hunt The first is a voice-print identification, and a six-digit access code. This only gets him into the outer room. Next he has to pass a retinal scan. And finally, the intrusion countermeasures are only deactivated by a double electronic key card... ...which we won't have. Now, inside the black vault, there are three systems operating whenever the technician is out of the room. The first is sound-sensitive. Anything above a whisper sets it off. The second system detects any increase in temperature. Even the body heat of an unauthorized person in the room will trigger it if the temperature rises just a single degree. Now, that temperature is controlled by the air conditioning coming in through an overhead duct, 30 feet above the floor. That vent is guarded by a laser net.

[voice-over; Donloe enters a code; the door opens and he enters an office; Donloe removes his glasses and looks into a retinal scanner; Donloe inserts his ID card into a reader; cut to Hunt on the train; Donloe then enters the vault and logs in at the terminal]

Ethan Hunt The third system's on the floor and is pressure-sensitive. The slightest increase in weight will trigger the alarm. And any one of these systems, if set off, will activate an automatic lockdown. Now, believe me when I tell you, gentlemen, all three systems are state-of-the-art.

[voice-over; Donloe shuts the door, activating the security systems]

Luther Stickell And you really think we can do this?

[After a stunned silence]

Ethan Hunt We're going to do it.

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

The Limits of Emotional Impact in Conflict

Ethan Hunt If you're dealing with someone who's crushed, shot, stabbed, and detonated five members of his own IMF team, how devastated do you really think you're gonna make him by hauling Ma and Uncle Donald down to the county courthouse?

Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.

Mission: Impossible

Exfiltration Plan and Acknowledgment of Loss

Eugene Kittridge I am...I can't tell you how sorry I am. I know how much Jim, in particular, meant to you, Ethan...personally as well as professionally.

Ethan Hunt Yeah.

Eugene Kittridge Here's a passport, visa. Usual drill. We'll work the exfiltration through Canada, debrief you at Langley. Throw the Prague police a bone or two. You know, toss them a few suspects....You follow me?

Ethan Hunt Yeah, I follow.

Eugene Kittridge I think we've lost enough agents for one night.

Ethan Hunt You mean, I've lost enough agents for one night.

Eugene Kittridge You seem hell-bent on blaming yourself, Ethan.

Ethan Hunt Who else is left?

Eugene Kittridge Yeah. I see your point.

Ethan Hunt Why was there another team?

Eugene Kittridge What?

Ethan Hunt Of IMF agents at the embassy tonight.

Eugene Kittridge I don't quite follow you.

Ethan Hunt Well, see if you can follow me around the room. The drunk Russians on the embankment at 7:00 and 8:00...The couple waltzing around me at the embassy at 9:00 and 11:00...The waiter standing behind Hannah at the top of the stairs..Bow tie, 12:00...The other IMF team. You're worried about me. Why?

Eugene Kittridge Well, for a little over two years we've been spotting serious blowback in IMF operations. We have a penetration. The other day, we decoded a message on the internet from a Czech we know as Max.

Ethan Hunt The arms dealer.

Eugene Kittridge That's right. Max, it seems, has two unique gifts: a capacity for anonymity and for corrupting susceptible agents. This time, he'd gotten to someone on the inside. He'd gotten himself in a position to buy our NOC list. An operation he referred to as "Job 314." The job he thought Golitsyn was doing tonight.

Ethan Hunt But the list Golitsyn stole was a decoy.

Eugene Kittridge That's correct. The actual list is secure at Langley. Golitsyn was a lightning rod. He was one of ours.

Ethan Hunt This whole operation was a mole hunt. This whole operation was a mole hunt.

Eugene Kittridge Yeah. The mole's deep inside. And, like you said, you survived. I want to show you something, Ethan. Since your father's death your family's farm has been in receivership, and now, suddenly, they're flush with over $120,000 in the bank. Your father's illness was supposed to have wiped out that bank account. Dying slowly in America, after all, can be a very expensive proposition. So...why don't we quietly get out of here and onto a plane? I can understand you're very upset.

Ethan Hunt Kittridge, you've never seen me very upset.

Eugene Kittridge All right, Hunt. Enough is enough. You have bribed, cajoled, and killed, and you have done it using loyalties on the inside. You want to shake hands with the devil, that's fine with me. I just want to make sure that you do it in hell!

Mission: Impossible

Deployment Order for Radar Tower Assignment

Eugene Kittridge I want him manning a radar tower in Alaska by the end of the day. Just mail him his clothes.

Mission: Impossible

Strategic Approach to Pressure Points

Eugene Kittridge Let's not waste time chasing after him; let's make him come to us. Everyone has pressure points, Barnes. You find something that's personally important to someone and... you squeeze.

Mission: Impossible

Humor and Tension Among Team Members

Ethan Hunt Saved your ass again, Jack.

Jack Harmon Give me a break, Pops.

Sarah Davies Such a nice ass.

Jack Harmon And a lonely ass.

Mission: Impossible

Mission Activation in Central Europe

Ethan Hunt My God.

[wiping blood from his hands]

Operator Satcom seven.

Ethan Hunt Central Europe, unsecured.

Operator Designator?

Ethan Hunt Bravo-echo-one-one.

Operator Switching.

[dials number]

Eugene Kittridge This is Kittridge.

Ethan Hunt Go secure.

Eugene Kittridge Okay, go ahead.

Ethan Hunt This is Ethan Hunt. They're dead.

Eugene Kittridge What? Who's dead?

Ethan Hunt My team. My team is DEAD!

Mission: Impossible

Secrecy and Consequences in Mission: Impossible

Eugene Kittridge You and I know about this. That's where it stops, understand? It never happened.

Frank Barnes What about him?

Eugene Kittridge I want him manning a radar tower in Alaska by the end of the day. Just mail him his clothes.

Mission: Impossible

In-flight Conversation About Movies

Flight Attendant Excuse me. Mr. Hunt? Would you like to watch a movie?

Ethan Hunt Oh, uh, no thank you.

Flight Attendant Would you consider the cinema of the Caribbean? Aruba, perhaps?

Mission: Impossible

Debate on Mission Outcomes and Ethics

Ethan Hunt Zero body-count.

Franz Krieger We'll see.

Mission: Impossible

Secrets and Accountability in Government Operations

Tape Recorder This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim.

Jack Harmon Stick of gum, right? No. Red light, green light. Come up against a lock you can't pick, you mash them together... Hasta lasagna, don't get any on ya. You'll have about five seconds. Just don't chew it.

[''referring to a stick of exploding gum''; imitates an explosion]

Senator John Waltzer I want to know who these people are and how they're spending our taxpayers money. We were living in a democracy the last time I checked.

Max I don't have to tell you what a comfort anonymity can be in my profession. It's like a warm blanket.

Franz Krieger Try any sleight of hand with my money and I'll cut your throat.

Jim Phelps When you think about it, Ethan, it was inevitable. No more Cold War. No more secrets you keep from everyone but yourself. Operations, you answer to no one but yourself. And then one day, you wake up, the President of the United States is running the country without your permission. That son-of-a-bitch,Kittridge !? how-dare-he? And you realize, it's over. You're an obsolete piece of hardware not worth upgrading, you got a lousy marriage and sixty-two grand a year.

Mission: Impossible

Greeting a familiar adversary

Eugene Kittridge Good morning, Mr. Phelps...

Mission: Impossible

Legal Tensions in Negotiation

Eugene Kittridge Hello, Max.

Max My lawyers are going to have a field day with this. Entrapment, jurisdictional conflict...

Eugene Kittridge Well, maybe we'll just leave the courts out of this one.

Max I'm sure we can find something I have that you need.

Mission: Impossible

Challenging the Elusiveness of Trained Operatives

Eugene Kittridge What can we do, Barnes? Put a guy at the airport? How many identities do you think Hunt has? How many times has he slipped past customs, in how many countries? These guys are trained to be ghosts. We taught them to do it for Christ's sake.

Mission: Impossible Quotes

find it. watch it.