Mission: Impossible

What’s it about?

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organisation.

The facts

• Directed by Brian De Palma (Body Double, The Untouchables)
• Starring Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Jean Reno, Ving Rhames
• English, French, and Czech languages
• Runtime: 110 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was cross-rated by the Film and Video Labelling Body. You can find out more about cross-rating here.

All Mission: Impossible films carry an M rating, but the content can vary, and tends to get stronger as the franchise goes on – our breakdown below is here to help parents and whānau decide what’s suitable for their tamariki or rangatahi.

Violence 

This film contains constant action sequences depicting fighting violence and large-scale destruction, which may unsettle or frighten some younger viewers, due to the constant risk of certain characters being killed.

Some of the strongest moments of violence include:

• In the opening scene, we see a knife being pulled out of a man’s bloody gut.
• A man is stabbed in the eye and crushed by elevator equipment. The camera cuts away just before a sharp piece enters his eye. Gory sound effects are heard.
• A woman enters her car, then the car explodes and is engulfed in flames. We do not see anything graphic, but it is later said that she dies.
• One man shoots a woman, killing her, before hitting another man in the head, dazing him.
• In a dramatic scene, a helicopter chases a train into a tunnel. The helicopter blows up, killing a man that was holding on to it after he smashes against the train tracks (we don’t see any gore). The blades of the helicopter come frighteningly close to Ethan’s neck.

Animal cruelty

It is implied that a rat is killed. We hear it scream and see a silhouette of its dead body in the following shot.

A fish tank is blown up and it is implied that many fish suffocate and die, but these are not shown in close up.

Offensive language

This film contains some offensive language. The F-word is used in a non-English language, but translated in the subtitles, and words like “ass,” “bullsh*t,” and “b*tch” are used.

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?
• Brain development – how it works, why it matters
• What the M?! (Blog)