Mission: Impossible

Plot hole: There is no reason whatsoever for Jim to have brought the bible from the hotel with him. Max says that Job never quotes scripture in his messages, so he has no reason to bring the bible. The only biblical reference is job 3:14, and that is simply a phrase to remember: having the bible with you will not help you remember it in any way.

swordfish

Factual error: The train is running on the right-hand track, but in the UK and France trains run on the left-hand side.

Factual error: Liverpool Street Station is shown as more or less deserted in the hours of daylight. The only way this could be achieved in real life is by phoning in a bomb threat.

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Suggested correction: It's night. After Ethan sees that his parents have been arrested, he walks out in the streets, and it's dark outside. Several shots later the big clock in the station is shown, and you can see that it's about 11pm.

This validates the entry rather than correcting it. If it is 11.00 pm the pubs have just closed and Liverpool Street Station would be heaving. This is true of any mainline station in London - as well as the fast food restaurants associated with them. Any Londoner knows that.

Visible crew/equipment: When Ethan is going down to the security room on a rope you can see a man standing on the floor at the bottom. It's right after he starts to descend.

gandolfs dad

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Suggested correction: The room is empty all the time until the employee enters.

Sacha

Revealing mistake: When Ethan uses the magnetic screwdriver to undo the screws holding the grille to the air-vent in the NOC list room, the spindle that is actually turning the screw is visible after it falls out.

Other mistake: The version of the Bible which Jim Phelps supposedly got from the Gideons at the Drake Hotel was a New International Version (NIV). The Gideons International distributes only the King James Version (KJV) or the New King James Version (NKJV).

Continuity mistake: At the end of the movie, when Ethan and Luther are sitting at the pub, just after the cheers/here's to you speech, Luther said "Hey, I'm flavour of the month" and brings his glass up to his lips for a drink. In a split second cut to a wide shot facing Luther his glass is on the table, and there are only two glasses on the table as established in a wide shot where Ethan says, "I'd better go catch my flight."

Factual error: In the scene of the eurotunnel train the ticket collector is wearing a 70s British Rail uniform This was the national railway company for Great Britain but is now defunct due to privatisation in the 90s.

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Suggested correction: At the time of filming, British Rail would still have existed as it was only being dismantled in the mid 90s. However, I think Eurostar would provide their staff with different uniforms.

Andy Benham

Plot hole: Accessing the secure room through the duct work would be virtually impossible (pardon the pun). First is this an air supply duct, return air supply duct or an exhaust duct? If it was an air supply or a return air supply duct there would be a squirrel cage fan moving the air. Not the propeller fan you see in the frame. If it was an exhaust air duct again no propeller fan. The size of whatever duct it is for that size of a room is questionable. The room was small yet the duct was large enough for a man to crawl through. The last reason why this would be impossible is where are all the screws that ducts are assembled with? They would definitely stick through the ducts and catch clothing, scratch hands, heads etc.

Continuity mistake: In the scene where Jim, Claire and Ethan are in the baggage car of the train Claire takes the money off of Ethan, the money is not folded in any way. However, in the next shot where she passes the money to Jim it is suddenly folded conveniently to fit into Jim's pouch.

Factual error: In the scene in the aquarium restaurant where Kitridge reveals to Ethan that the operation was a mole hunt Ethan uses the chewing gum explosive to smash the glass and make his escape. However, the explosion also causes a man within the aquarium restaurant to go flying through the air and through the window. It is physically impossible for a chemically composed explosive of that size, that is not enclosed, to create enough force to move him in that way, add to the fact that he is seemingly the only person or object (besides the aquarium glass) affected by it, all these combine in making this scene physically impossible.

Plot hole: There is absolutely no way Jim Phelps would have "died" when he got shot even if he was faking it. The first time we see his death he's pointing his gun right at the camera on his glasses which are on his head and not his chest. Later when we see the how he fakes his death he's not pointing the gun at himself anyway so he wouldn't be able to get the angle of the gunshot from his camera's point of view as we saw the first time.

jbrbbt

Factual error: The TGV (and also Eurostar) trains are powered by an overhead power transfer, so an escape from the train with a helicopter would indeed be a Mission Impossible.

Plot hole: In the famous raid on the computer room raid, where Hunt is lowered from the ceiling, we see a close up of the screws to the vent being undone and caught in a holder so they don't fall on the floor. But the screws cannot be put back in their holes and done up once the vent is closed, and there is not enough time for Hunt to be pulled back up and the vent closed and screws replaced when the operator returns to the room, as Hunt was pulled back up with seconds to spare.

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Suggested correction: They would not have to use screws to reattach it. They could use tape, glue, or magnets.

LorgSkyegon

Continuity mistake: When Claire finds Ethan disguised as Jim, he has his normal hands. However, in all previous scenes of him in disguise, he has fake hands as well, that are wrinkled like Jim's.

Franz Krieger: If we're going to Virginia why don't we drop by Fort Knox? I could fly a helicopter through the lobby and set it down right inside the vault. And it would be a hell of a lot easier than breaking into the goddamn CIA.

More quotes from Mission: Impossible

Trivia: Director Brian De Palma reportedly had creative difficulties with Tom Cruise, who was also a producer and thus had final say in the decisions made during production. While this has been disputed, many have noted the fact that De Palma did very little press for the film (including "politely excusing" himself from scheduled media interviews at the last moment) and never took up an offer to record an audio commentary for the film as evidence.

More trivia for Mission: Impossible

Question: Was Kreiger going to kill Ethan Hunt above the vault immediately after grabbing the disk from Ethan's mouth? Earlier when Ethan says, "Zero body count," Kreiger responds "We'll see," insinuating maybe he's still planning to kill somebody. As soon as Ethan's to the top, Kreiger grabs the disk, a quick, "Merci" (as if saying thanks, now goodbye), and the knife is already out, but luckily dropped. They are both so freaked out at such a near miss, Ethan doesn't even notice Kreiger was going to kill him. Did this cross anybody else's mind? Why else was the knife out to be dropped?

Answer: I disagree with the other answers. I watched it in slow motion and thought he was going for the kill. There would be minimal struggle since Ethan isn't in a fighting position and Krieger was inches from his throat with the knife before he dropped it. He wouldn't care if there's a lock down because he would be out by the time they notice Ethan's body above. I guess blood spilling would give it away, but he'd still be out and under cover before anything can be done. He doesn't have to know who Max is or how to contact her he's working with Claire and Phelps. Luther wouldn't care too much because he just met them. At most all they have to say is that there was an accident and Ethan didn't make it. Max wouldn't care because she just wants the real list. If Ethan dies early the bad guys win and IMF will think hey he was the mole and got double crossed. There is 0 reason for Krieger to not kill him at that moment. He has the disc and that's all he needs.

Job as Jim lost confidence of Max. The deal was with Ethan. Ethan had to survive.

Answer: Krieger presumably used his knife to kill the rat in the vent. It's unlikely he would have tried to kill Ethan above the vault, as there would have been a noisy struggle which would set off the intrusion countermeasures. Luther would have also seen it happen on Ethan's head-mounted camera.

Sierra1

Also, Krieger didn't know how to communicate with Max.

Krieger didn't need to communicate with Max because he was actually working with Claire and Jim, and Jim was in communication with Max.

Krieger may have killed the rat with the knife, but that's not why it's in his hand when he confronts Ethan. After killing the rat, he has both hands on the cable holding Ethan.

Answer: I don't think he intended to kill him. If so, why would Ethan continue to work with a guy who literally just tried to murder him? But I also have no idea why Krieger had the knife out.

More questions & answers from Mission: Impossible

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