Mission: Impossible poster

Mission: Impossible (1996)

Film · 1h 51m · Rated PG-13

Action, Adventure, Thriller

A framed agent races against time to expose a mole, navigating a world of relentless, high-octane espionage.

Suspenseful and pulpy. A full-attention watch at full speed. Emotionally it carries some weight.

Streaming on Max, Paramount+ and Kanopy (free).

Mission: Impossible parents guide

No surprises for a PG-13: no sex or nudity and mild language.

Our estimate: fine from about 13. Rated PG-13.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
A couple
One or two sudden jolts.
Gore
No gore
Violence
Strong violence
Violence is frequent or intense.
Sex and nudity
None noted
Language
Mild
Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is Mission: Impossible scary?
No. Mission: Impossible is not a scary watch.
How gory is Mission: Impossible?
No gore and strong violence.
What is Mission: Impossible rated, and is it OK for kids?
It is rated PG-13, with strong violence. Your call for older kids.

What is Mission: Impossible about?

When Ethan Hunt, the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, he's surprised to learn that he's the prime suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

It leaves the ending open to interpretation.

Cast and crew

Directed byBrian De Palma
StarringTom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.