Question: What I have never understood is why Jim wires the money to Ethan's parents' bank account. He would have presumably had to have done that some time before the mission took place, at a time when Jim didn't know it was a mole hunt. What would have been his reason for setting Ethan up well in advance of the Prague mission?
LorgSkyegon
15th Oct 2025
Mission: Impossible (1996)
5th Jun 2013
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Question: I've always wondered, but what is the scene about at the beginning of the film before the titles? Is it just there to showcase the team or is there another reason?
Chosen answer: It's an excuse to show off the team, as well as the reason they are already in Eastern Europe.
1st Jun 2013
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Question: OK I have a few questions about this. (1) Who blew up the car with Hannah? Was it Jim or Clare? (2) Ethan taunts Krieger because he has the real NOC list, but was it also because Ethan knew he was a traitor and wanted him to walk out? (3) At the end when Ethan is disguised as Phelps, he is wearing the same trenchcoat as the real Phelps (who then shows up). Is this because he knew Jim was onboard, or simply cause he knew how his old boss loved to dress? (4) And lastly after Clare is killed, Hunt acts devastated and goes after Jim in anger. Given that she was a traitor who was always on Jim's side (and might even have killed Hannah), why would Hunt feel this way at all?
Chosen answer: 1) Jim most likely did it when he emerged from the water (as seen in the flashbacks/Ethan's theory, but it's hard to be 100% certain). 2) Ethan was just fooling Krieger. He didn't know he was a traitor yet. 3) Ethan likely knew exactly what Jim was wearing, as he planned the whole thing all along. 4) He's upset because Jim just murdered his wife to escape, someone who until very recently Ethan still considered his friend. You can't just turn loyalty off like that.
Answer: Claire killed Hannah. Ethan didn't want to believe it. Jim had no way of knowing when Hannah was in the car.
Answer: Jim had been setting up Ethan the entire time. He knew that there was always a possibility of his actions being discovered, and he wanted Ethan as a fall guy.
LorgSkyegon