Mission: Impossible

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise]) is an agent of an Impossible Missions Force team led by Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), which assembles for a mission in Prague to catch an American traitor from stealing the Non-official cover (NOC) list, a comprehensive list of all IMF agents in Eastern Europe. The mission goes inexplicably wrong, resulting in the murders and deaths of the entire team, leaving Hunt the sole survivor. Fleeing the scene, Hunt rendezvouses with Agent Kittridge (Henry Czerny), a high-ranking member of the CIA, at a café. Hunt, very much in shock, is disturbed to learn from Kittridge that a mole named Job has infiltrated the IMF. The Prague operation intended to ferret Job out by allowing him to aquire the NOC list and attempt to sell it to Max, an illegal arms dealer known for corrupting IMF agents. With Hunt the sole survivor, the CIA believes he is the mole. Hunt realizes this moments before mounting a daring escape from the café and fleeing into Prague.

Ethan Hunt steals the NOC list from the computer at the CIA headquarters.

Ethan returns to the IMF safe house, where he fellow IMF agent Claire (Emmanuelle Béart), Jim Phelps' wife, actually survived the mission. Ethan masks himself as Job, begins correspondence with "Max" (Vanessa Redgrave), explaining that the NOC list stolen that night was a fake, and offering to deliver the real NOC list in exchange for the identity of the mole, who is codenamed "Job". Ethan uses a Bible to form his communications with Max, who later responds to his email and sets up a meeting and agrees to his proposal. Ethan uses Max's sizable cash advance to form a team comprised primarily from blacklisted or disavowed intelligence agents, including Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Franz Krieger (Jean Reno). Together with his new team, Hunt infiltrates the heavily fortified headquarters of the CIA in Langley and successful steal a copy of the full NOC list before hastily escaping to their safe house in London. Once there, Hunt discovers that his uncle and mother have been arrested for drug trafficking, a charge that infuriates Hunt, who contacts Kittridge, who in turn offers to drop the false charges the moment Hunt surrenders to authorities. Hunt hangs up, turns around and walks right into Jim Phelps.

Phelps, presumed dead in the Prague operation, reveals \that Kittridge is the mole and is tying up loose ends by trying to apprehend Hunt. Hunt reflects on this, while in reality piecing together the clues he discovered leading up to his operation and realizes that Phelps is the mole, Job. Hunt pretends to accept the story while further realizing Krieger's and Claire's place in the conspiracy. The next day, Max and Ethan arrange to meet aboard the TGV en route to Paris, with Claire and Luther aboard to provide backup. Kittridge is also aboard, having recently arrived in London and received tickets for the TGV and a video watch. In the train, Ethan delivers the NOC list to Max, who directs him to the luggage compartment to find his money and Job. Max then attempts to transmit the NOC list to a server, an operation hindered by Luther, who activates a jamming device to prevent the upload. Claire, observing Kittridge's presence aboard the train, vacates her seat and meets with Phelps in the luggage car, confirming her part in the conspiracy. A silent Phelps slowly peels away his mask, revealing himself as Ethan. Suddenly, the real Phelps appears, armed and demanding the NOC list money. Ethan surrenders it before pulling out a pair of glasses. He slides them over his eyes, activating the camera inside and transmitting Phelp's image to Kittridge, overruling reports of Phelp's death.

Phelps, now revealed as a survivor and probable traitor, tries to shoot Ethan before accidentally hitting Claire, and escapes the roof of the train, where Krieger waits to extract him with a helicopter. Ethan follows Phelps, impeding his efforts to escape and tethering Krieger's helicopter to the train as it heads into the Channel Tunnel. The two fight atop the wind-swept train before Phelps disconnects the helicopter from the train and attempts to escape. Ethan follows, leaping onto the helicopter's landing skids and attaching explosives to the windshield. The enusing explosion kills Phelps and Krieger, with Ethan narrowly escaping. Kittridge, now in possession of the NOC list and Max's true identity, drops his investigation against Ethan and reinstates Luther as an IMF agent. As Ethan flies home, a flight attendant approaches him and through a coded phrase asks if he's ready for another mission.