Top 10 Awesome Mission: Impossible Facts

There’s being dedicated, and then there’s being positively attached. As it happens, Tom Cruise seems to subscribe to the latter; after all, he’s been a producer on every “Mission: Impossible” film since the original in 1996. This may explain why the actor has prioritized his role in these films over other projects – if you were invested in the development of a series since its inception, you’d want to stay involved and see your vision come to life, too.

Sometimes it’s the little things that catch our eye. “Mission: Impossible,” being a film franchise about espionage and spy-versus-spy action, would naturally have some degree of violence inherent to the concept. Yet a funny thing happened with the first film: none of the action involved guns. There were no firefights or shootouts, and not once did Tom Cruise’ character Ethan Hunt use a gun. We have to say, we weren’t expecting that, but knowing this detail makes the original film’s widespread success all the more sweet.

Hollywood is quite the competitive place, even when you aren’t seeking conflict. When “Rogue Nation” was initially announced, it was given a release date of December 25th, 2015. All well and good... except it would be released against “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Spectre,” the latest James Bond film. Not wanting that sort of competition, the distributor Paramount Pictures made the call to move up “Rogue Nation”’s release to July 31st of the same year. It remains to be seen if their decision will pay off.

There’re just some marketing choices that defy conventional logic. Take the marketing for “Mission: Impossible III”, for example – the studio decided to promote the film by rigging more than 4000 random Los Angeles Times vending boxes with audio devices, which would play the iconic theme when one of the box’s doors was opened. Unfortunately, some of the devices became exposed and were reported as bombs, leading to police bomb squads blasting several of the boxes and even shutting down a veterans’ hospital because of the potential threat. Yikes.

Callbacks can be a loving tip of the hat to the past, and this is no different. “Rogue Nation” is pitting Ethan Hunt and the assembled Impossible Missions Force against the villainous Syndicate... which just so happens to have been a key antagonistic organization from the 1966 TV show. This time around, The Syndicate is being played up as intentionally opposed to the IMF and more aggressive in their methods. We’re certainly interested to see how that dynamic will play out on the silver screen.

We know that Tom Cruise has been a part of the films since the start, but how about other actors? For the most part, no actor or actress besides Cruise has reprised their role for all five of the films... save for one: Ving Rhames. As Ethan Hunt’s loyal ally and hacking specialist Luther Stickell, Rhames has appeared in every “Mission: Impossible” film to date – even if it’s only for a brief cameo.

First time projects can be quite the undertaking. Yet it comes as a surprise that “Mission: Impossible III”, the directing debut of J.J. Abrams, would stand out from the bunch. Reports state that the 2006 film cost a total of $150 million to make, meaning it was the most expensive film made by a first-time director to that point. Abrams didn’t cease his involvement in the franchise after “III,” however; he has a producing credit on “Ghost Protocol,” as well as on the forthcoming “Rogue Nation.”

Give a hand to Mr. Cruise - he’s certainly enthusiastic. In the climactic fight scene of “Mission: Impossible II”, Ethan Hunt and Dougray Scott’s character Sean Ambrose battle on a beach. The fight takes a turn when Ambrose pulls a knife and pushes in on Hunt’s eye. During production, Cruise apparently wanted authenticity; he asked that a real knife be used, that it be hung from a wire exactly one quarter inch from his eye, and that Scott use as much force as possible. That’s a lot of risk, but the result speaks for itself.

Talk about an odd thing to become a running gag. In every “Mission: Impossible” film to date, there has been a scene where one of the characters hangs from a cable while breaking into a location. The most amusing variant might be Tom Cruise’s cable descent sequence from the original film; it’s a tense and engaging scene on its own, but it becomes funnier with the knowledge that Cruise had coins in his shoes. Apparently, he was so unbalanced on the cord that his head kept hitting the floor, requiring counter-weight to properly perform the scene.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- John Woo’s First Cut of ‘Mission: Impossible II’ was 3.5 Hours Long
- ‘Mission: Impossible’ was 1st Film Released to 3000+ U.S. Theaters
- ‘Mission: Impossible III’ Had Fake 2nd Unit with Nuns & Bikini-Clad Girls
- Nicole Kidman Suggested Thandie Newton for ‘Mission: Impossible II’

Tom Cruise is not shy about his work - that much is clear. He has always been keen on doing his own stunts, to the point of risking six injuries during “Rogue Nation”’s production. Both he and co-star Simon Pegg handled their own driving stunts during shooting. And that scene in which Ethan Hunt climbs the outside of a plane? Cruise elected to perform the sequence without special effects or a stunt double, requiring him to be suspended 5000 feet in the air. Courage isn’t a good enough word for that.

Do you agree with our list? What facts about “Mission: Impossible: do you find awesome? For more possibility-defying Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.