Hidden Details You Missed in Mission Impossible
By Juliet Smith
2 years ago
1. Gun action
(Image/ Source: screenrant.com)The Mission Impossible franchise is known for its OTT action sequences- but there’s a fact about the first movie that might take you by surprise. There are only five gunshots in the first movie, and not one of them is actually fired by Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. He steps into his role as an action hero in the later films though!2. Cappucino throwback
(Image/ Source: m.imdb.com)When Anthony Hopkins makes a welcome appearance in Mission Impossible II, fans are treated to a cheeky little throwback from the first movie. Ethan is asked by Anthony’s character Mission Commander Swanbeck if he’d like a cappuccino or an espresso, which is a nod to the first movie. Ethan originally meets with Jim Phelps and if IMF could get a cappuccino machine.3. Tom Cruises' love for Lake Wanaka
(Image/ Source: hollywoodreporter.com)Did you notice that Ethan can’t stop going on about Lake Wanaka in Mission Impossible III? Well, there’s a reason for that! Apparently Tom Cruise spent a LOT of time at this gorgeous lake in New Zealand while filming the 2003 hit The Last Samurai. He reportedly liked the place so much that he wanted to include references to it in the script for MI: III.4. Secret Top Gun references
(Image/ Source: comicbook.com)The Missions Force does their best to recover the stolen Non-Official Cover List (NOC) through the franchise. This list contains everything from shady operations to code names- and there’s a familiar code name in there too! In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it shot in the first movie, you’ll see the name “Maverick”- a throwback to Tom Cruise’s film Top Gun!5. Homage to North by Northwest
(Image/ Source: csmonitor.com)Top Gun isn’t the only movie that the Mission Impossible films tip their cap to. There’s also a subtle homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic movie North By Northwest- which Tom Cruise himself confirmed! The suit he wears during the opening sequence of Rogue Nation is meant to resemble Carey Grant’s in the 1959 classic.6. Lost nods
(Image/ Source: screenrant.com)Mission Impossible III was JJ Abrahams’s first movie after his work on the TV series Lost. His show was still a cultural phenomenon when MI:-III hit the cinemas, so it makes sense that Abrams would include a Lost Easter egg! A sheet of paper at IMF headquarters has a swan logo, which looks like something straight out of the Dharma Initiative.7. James Bond, is that you?
(Image/ Source: cbr.com)Have you ever noticed how similar Mission Impossible is to James Bond? Both franchises are two of THE most popular spy movies ever made, and they seem more similar than ever in Mission Impossible II. Just like in the Bond movie GoldenEye, both protagonists start the movie on vacation, get new bosses, and get involved in some serious car chases.8. Name drops at IMF
(Image/ Source: reddit.com)In the first movie, there’s a scene that shows Ethan looking up some names at IMF. The first name on his list is Simon Staines- who just so happens to be a computer graphics designer working on the film! Simon’s also worked on other cool movies like Planet of the Apes, V for Vendetta and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.9. Long-time cast members
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)While Tom Cruise has remained a constant in the Mission Impossible movies, the rest of the cast haven’t been so lucky- apart from Ving Rhames! He’s the only other cast member that has made an appearance in every single Mission Impossible film. Sometimes he’s a key member of IMF, other times he just does a glorified cameo.10. Sounds different
(Image/ Source: Paramount Pictures/ youtube.com)In Mission Impossible II, there’s a sneaky detail that confirms a plot twist in the later movies. When Ethan is shot in the leg by Sean Ambrose, he lets out a really weird mumble, which fans were quick to notice. This is because it’s not actually Tom Cruise who’s mumbling here! It’s later revealed that it wasn’t Ethan who was shot, but Hugh Stamp (Richard Roxburgh) who was disguised as Ethan. Richard recorded his reaction to the gunshot separately and the audio was added in post-production.11. Geography mistakes in Shanghai
(Image/ Source: etcanada.com)Unless you know your way around Shanghai pretty well, you might not have noticed the geography errors in Mission Impossible III. In one of the biggest action sequences in the film, Ethan jumps off of a skyscraper. He’s originally on the east side of the Huangpu River, which runs through the middle of the city. But when he lands, he’s actually on the west side of the river near Yanan Highway.12. Birthday boy
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)Another one from Ghost Protocol. After fleeing from a shady Russian prison at the start of the movie, Ethan gets his next mission. This time, he gets it via pay phone- and has to use a very special code to access the message. It’s 07362. These numbers happen to be the very same digits that represent a certain Mr. Cruise’s birthday.13. Another Lost reference?
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)Did JJ Abrahams add another Lost reference to Rogue Nation? Eagle-eyed viewers spotted another clue in the underwater service station in Morocco in the form of safe 108. This also happens to be a number that’s popped up in a fair few Bad Robot productions, and is the sum of those infamous lottery numbers from Lost: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42. Coincidence?14. Jack Ryan reference
(Image/ Source: hollywoodreporter.com)Rogue Nation introduces us to Alec Baldwin as Alan Hunley, who is head of the CIA. And he couldn’t have been a more perfect choice for the role! Alec Baldwin originally played Jack Ryan, the fictional CIA analyst all those years ago. If you’re not familiar with the story, let us fill you in; after his adventures come to an end, Jack Ryan becomes Deputy Director of- you’ve guessed it- the CIA.15. 007 Lighter
(Image/ Source: ew.com)Jim Phelps was an absolute enigma in Mission Impossible. He was fond of a cigarette or two, and it turns outs, it’s a Dunhill Rollagas- the very same brand of lighters featured in the James Bond movies. Die-hard Bond fans will immediately recognize this lighter from License to Kill, when Bond is given one by his friend Felix Leiter and his wife Delia.16. Russian swearing
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)It seems like JJ Abrahams is a fan of Russian cursing. When Ethan escapes the Russian hospital in Ghost Protocol, he ends up jumping on the roof of a van. The driver of this van leaps to the curb while shouting “Yo-mojo!”. There’s no actual English translation to this- it’s just general Russian swearing, usually used when someone is surprised. JJ Abrahams liked this phrase so much that he also used it in Star Trek.17. A113
(Image/ Source: reddit.com)Did you notice how often “A113” pops up in Ghost Protocol? It appears on Agent Hanaway’s ring, and Ethan also uses it as a call sign (Alpha 113). So what’s the meaning behind it? Well, it happens to be an Easter egg used by the Pixar alumni- and director Brad Bird just so happens to have worked on Pixar movies before!18. Record missions
(Image/ Source: legendarytrips.com)In Rogue Nation, Ethan ends up visiting a cool record store in London- which also happens to be an IMF outpost. He then receives his next secret mission on a long-playing record, which is a really nice throwback to how agents would originally receive their missions in the Mission Impossible TV series.19. See you in Casablanca
(Image/ Source: ew.com)Rogue Nation also throws a few nods to Hollywood classic Casablanca too. Rebecca Ferguson, who already looks a bit like Ingrid Bergman, plays a character named Ilsa Faust, who shares the same first name as Bergman’s character, Ilsa Lund. Rogue Nation also happens to have a sequence actually set in Casablanca, which features Rebecca’s character.20. Uncredited roles
(Image/ Source: collider.com)In the first Mission Impossible movie, Emilio Estevez appears in an uncredited role as IMF agent Jack Harmon. This is actually quite fitting in a way: Tom Cruise had also previously made an uncredited cameo of his own in Emilio Estevez’s earlier film Young Guns. So it seems that the actors are now even!21. Water tank explosion
(Image/ Source: stephencrippen.com)Mission Impossible is known for its practical stunts- and the first movie was no different. In the exploding water tank scene, Ethan’s jump from the tank seems pretty seamless. But this sequence was actually shot at two different locations; the actual tank explosion and Ethan’s jump through the restaurant window were shot at Paramount Studios, while the shots of Ethan in the street were filmed in Prague.22. Soviet defector
(Image/ Source: pantip.com)Speaking of Prague; remember when minor character Alexander Golitsyn is killed by Franz Krieger there in the first film? Turns out, this name has some real-world significance. His character’s name is a nod to the infamous Soviet KGB defector Anatoily Golitsyn, who defected to the CIA through Finland in 1961.23. The Invisible Man
(Image/ Source: pagelagi.com)When Theodore Brassel (Laurence Fishburne) is giving a debrief on Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) in Mission Impossible III, he says that he is invisible in terms of “Wells, not Ellison.” This is a reference to H.G Wells’ novel The Invisible Man, where the title character makes himself physically invisible, as well as Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man, which focuses on an ‘invisible’ minority.24. Yuri
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)In Ghost Protocol, Bogdan introduces Ethan to a Russian arms dealer (Ethan originally helps Bogdan break out of prison at the beginning of the film). When Ethan meets the arms dealer, there are tons of crates in the background stamped with the name “Yu-ri” in letters from the Korean alphabet. Turns out, “Yuri” is a reference to Russian and Soviet spies. Make of that what you will…25. JJ Abrahams cameos
(Image/ Source: reddit.com)Did you know that JJ Abrahams makes a few cameos in Mission Impossible III? It’s pretty unlikely you’ll recognize his hands as the capsule is extracted from Agent Farris’ head at IMF headquarters (JJ plays the doctor), but you might catch a glimpse of him in the background at the hospital when Ethan looks for his wife.26. The significance of Sergei
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)After the Kremlin bombing in Ghost Protocol, there’s a scene showing Russian investigators reviewing the files of Ethan Hunt and Bogdan after they escape prison. We then learn that Ethan’s fake identity is Sergei Ivanov. In real life, Sergei is actually a Russian senior official who has worked as the country’s Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister.27. TV flashback
(Image/ Source: youtube.com)Rogue Nation’s title sequence has a similar setup to the other movies. However, it has an added bonus this time around! During the (very slick) opening credits, you can see a super quick shot of a black folio with gold lettering. This is the same style that was used in the original Mission Impossible TV series.28. Take a closer look at the hands
(Image/ Source: eddiebinge.tumblr.com)Remember when Ethan is captured by Davian and wakes up tied to a chair in MI:III? Ethan is then given a charge, which is shot up his nose by Brownway (Eddie Marsan). But the hand holding the gun to Ethan isn’t actually Eddie- it’s Tom Cruise himself! Apparently Eddie was putting FAR too much pressure on his nose, so Tom offered to step in to hold the gun to himself.29. Helicopter designs
(Image/ Source: wired.com)Another one from Mission Impossible 3. Ethan and Agent Farris (Keri Russell) escape in a helicopter early on in the movie- and these scenes used a lot of CGI. However, you might not have noticed that there were also a fair few shots that used helicopter models, as this helped keep the budget for the movie down!30. Music man
(Image/ Source: indiewire.com)At the end credits of Ghost Protocol, you might recognize an interesting name listed in the music team. Dermot Mulroney is a pretty established actor, and is best known for movies like My Best Friend’s Wedding, About Schmidt, and Zodiac. But he’s also a classically trained cellist! He’s worked with composer Michael Giacchino on films including Mission: Impossible III, and Star Trek: Into Darkness.What To Read Next
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