De Palma’s mastery of cinematic space bears itself out in the rush of a pre-credits set-up, which employs such CV-echoing tics as false sets, POV-tracking shots and (literally, in this case) masked and mistaken identities.
The glee with which he approaches the film’s central set-piece – a raid on an impenetrable vault – is at once a model of economy and the very explication of Hitchcock’s definition of cinematic tension.
Ethan Hunt
Tom Cruise Jim Phelps
Jon Voight Claire
Emmanuelle Béart Kittridge
Henry Czerny Krieger
Jean Reno Luther
Ving Rhames Sarah Davies
Kristin Scott Thomas Max
Vanessa Redgrave Hannah
Ingeborga Dapkunaite Kittridge Technician
Nathan Osgood CIA Analyst William Donloe
Rolf Saxon Matthias
Karel Dobrý
Director
Brian De Palma
Related Posts
Days of Thunder (1990) Take a star - here it's top gun Tom Cruise - and mix in fast planes, bikes, cars or anything…
That Thing You Do (1996) Tom Hanks made his directorial debut with this immensely likeable pop fable about the meteoric rise and fall of The…
Jerry Maguire (1996) "You had me at 'Hello'" After a sudden realisation of his moral vacuousness as a sports agent in charge of…
Gattaca (1997) Gattaca is set in a dystopian future society where the socio-economic class divide is determined by genetics instead of education…
Bitter Moon (1992) While onboard an ocean liner bound for India, a tedious, very English married couple - Nigel (Hugh Grant) and Fiona…
Man For All Seasons, A (1966) King Henry VIII was used to getting his own way and, on those rare occasions that he didn't, he merely…
Liar Liar (1997) Lawyer Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a compulsive liar. When his deceits lead to him missing his son's birthday party,…
Jacob's Ladder (1990) Jacob’s Ladder is a horror movie as an ethereal journey. Most of the film takes place in the spiritual world…
