Mission: Impossiblewas not only a great film that spawned an incredible franchise, but was a turning point in the career ofTom Cruise. The actor is now known as one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and while he burst onto the scene in the ’80s with performances in films likeRisky Business,Top Gun, andRain Man, by the time the 90s hit the Hollywood landscape was changing, and Cruise was in danger of being usurped by Hollywood’s hot new star: CG visual effects. But by making his producing debut onMission: Impossibleand taking a stronger hand in the creative side of filmmaking, Cruise ensured his own success for years to come – in ways both for good and for ill.
Paramount Pictures began developing a big-screen adaptation ofMission: Impossibleas early as 1991, and Cruise’s involvement first bubbled up in 1993 when Paramount was courting theA Few Good Menactor for a new project. It was at that point that Cruise sparked to theMission: Impossibleproperty, not only as a performer but also as a producer. It was also at that point that Hollywood was in the middle of a massive evolution. 1991’sTerminator 2: Judgment Dayintroduced the world to the first fully CG character, and 1993’sJurassic Parkperfected this new technology by bringing dinosaurs to life. Suddenly Hollywood was all about CG-driven blockbusters, and over the next few years the box office would be overrun by films likeIndependence Day,Twister, andArmageddon– where the spectacle was just as big (or bigger) as the movie stars.
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Cruise was certainly no stranger to box office or commercial success, but by the late 80s and early 90s he was branching out into challenging dramatic territory in films likeRain Man,Born on the Fourth of July, andThe Firm. As he looked towards the future of his career, he decided to take matters into his own hands by producing a film that would be a blockbuster, yes, but would also have a strong cinematic bent. And that’s whereBrian De Palmacomes in.
Cruise recalled that he was inspired to hire De Palma forMission: Impossibleafter spending an evening with the director over atSteven Spielberg’s house one night (as one does). De Palma –an auteur known for bold films likeBlow OutandCarrie– accepted Cruise’s mission, but it’s no secret that the development and production ofMission: Impossiblewas intense. So intense that at one point, De Palma had two separate screenwriters (Robert TowneandDavid Koepp)working on separate draftsof the script in separate hotel rooms at the same time.
By all accounts, Cruise was always interested in moviemaking. ProducerJerry Bruckheimerrecalled that Cruise was eveninvolved in the scripting phaseofTop Gun, and Cruise is the one who pushed to getDays of Thunderoff the ground. He was always eager to take a strong creative role in a majority of his films, and withMission: Impossiblehe would finally make it official by becoming a producer.
But whileDe Palmawas the director, Cruise was the captain of the ship, and De Palma makes clear in the documentary De Palma that Cruise was ultimately calling the shots onMission: Impossible. It was a creative partnership to be sure, but when disagreements occurred, it was ultimately Cruise’s call. One thing the two agreed wholeheartedly on was embracing practical effects and stunts, as the firstMission: Impossibleeschewed Hollywood’s newest trend in favor of nail-biting sequences that could largely be completed practically.
Cruise certainly charted his own career path beforeMission: Impossible, but it was during and after this film that he became even more pro-active not just in what kinds of films he would make, but how they would be made. His collaboration withCameron Croweon 1996’sJerry Maguirewas so fruitful that when they reteamed on 2001’sVanilla Sky, Cruise produced the film and helped creatively shape it. Even onStanley Kubrick’sEyes Wide Shut, the epically long production was very much a collaboration between Cruise, Kubrick, andNicole Kidman.
And of course when it came to theMission: Impossiblefranchise – specifically when it was time to make a sequel – Cruise made a concerted effort to go a very different way forMission: Impossible II, not only hiringJohn Wooto directbut encouraging him to make the film his own. To not try and fit De Palma’s style, but make a John WooMission: Impossiblemovie. This trend would continue on everyMissionsequel, even whenChristopher McQuarriebecame the first director to helm more than oneMissionmovie – when McQ returned forMission: Impossible – Falloutafter crafting the classical, somewhat throwbackRogue Nation, he did so under the condition that he would change up his style and create a different kind ofM:Imovie. That mission was successful.
Indeed,Mission: Impossible 7andMission: Impossible 8both on the horizon are said to include Cruise’smost dangerous stunt of his career– 25 years after this franchise first began. Cruise has always steeredMission: Impossibletowards success, empowering filmmakers likeJ.J. AbramsandBrad Birdto bring their own passions and points of view to the table, resulting in tonally diverse films. And to the most extreme, when Cruise’s career was spiraling downwards due to a couple of subpar films (looking at youLions for Lambs) and his personal life, 2011’sMission: Impossible – Ghost Protocolbrought him back to the top – literally. For the fourthMissionfilm, Cruise performed a jaw-dropping stunt in which he hung off the tallest building in the world.
But one could argue thatMission: Impossiblealso changed Cruise’s career for the worse, though not right away. The movie very much positioned Cruise as an action star, but in its immediate wake he continued working on more dramatic projects with interesting directors like Crowe, Kubrick, andPaul Thomas Anderson. But as the Hollywood marketplace became more and more saturated by blockbusters in the early 2000s – especially in the wake of the superhero boom ofX-MenandSpider-Man– Cruise fell back on this “action star” moniker at the expense of more interesting dramatic work.
So as Cruise took a more commanding creative role in the films he chose, he also made the decision to turn his back on straight dramas after the disappointments ofLions for LambsandValkyrie. One could argue that films likeJack ReacherorAmerican Madelet Cruise flex his dramatic talent (which is immense), and one would be correct, but those films are still wrapped up in “entertaining action” packaging – punching people inJack Reacher, and flying planes inAmerican Made. I adore Christopher McQuarrie and his collaborations with Cruise, but the actor hasn’t come close to making anything as exciting or dangerous or emotionally vulnerable asMagnoliaorEyes Wide ShutorCollateralsince those films came out.
And yet it’s an entirely conscious decision. Cruise has basically CG-proofed his career, continuing to push jaw-dropping practical effects in “audience-first” movies that succeed at the box office. In an age in which the term “movie star” appears to be fading quickly, Cruise is one of the few performers who is able to greenlight a massive movie all by himself – as long as it’s a blockbuster. Would he still be as successful or viable a star had he continued starring in boundary-pushing dramas from exciting filmmakers? Maybe not, and that’s probably why he went the other way.
As much as I love seeing Cruise dangle off a helicopter or jump across the roofs of buildings, a part of me longs for anotherMagnolia-like performance in which he really goes for it. Perhaps those days are gone, and to be honest theMission: Impossiblefranchise isn’t a terrible trade-off. But we can chart Cruise’s current career path all the way back to that 1996 effort, which changed everything.
