Far and Away 1992
Cited as Cruise trivia: he trained to box for Ron Howard's period drama with soon-to-be wife Nicole Kidman, long before the stunt era.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Rankings
The ‘Mission: Impossible’ Mailbag, and Movie Rankings
July 18, 2023/ 91 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins · Bobby Wagner
Sean and Amanda bring on producer Bobby Wagner for a strike-week Mission: Impossible mailbag, then rank all seven films in the franchise.
34 films across 3 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The SAG-AFTRA Strike and the Fall Festival Seasonbefore the mailbag
Days of Thunder 1990
Brought up while debating whether Cruise has ever personally dialed a phone, maybe to discuss dailies with John C. Reilly.
Challengers 2024
Luca Guadagnino's Zendaya tennis drama, set to launch Venice; discussed as a film that needs her red-carpet star power to sell a mid-tier sports drama.
Don't Worry Darling 2022
Held up as a contrast: its off-screen drama drew attention at Venice last year even though the film itself wasn't beloved.
The Holdovers 2023
Alexander Payne's new one; flagged as a film that will lean on Paul Giamatti to sell it if star promotion stays frozen.
Barbie 2023
Used as the case study for how much a press tour matters: the Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling blitz was called inescapable.
Oppenheimer 2023
Sean is headed to a screening as they record; discussed alongside Barbie as a test of legs without full star-driven marketing.
The Mission: Impossible Mailbagwith producer Bobby Wagner
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 2023
The mailbag's spine: whether the franchise survives Cruise's eventual exit, who could plausibly replace him (no one, they conclude), the Gabriel/entity plot, which stunt they'd actually attempt, the best villain, and the Ilsa Faust death fans are still mad about.
Top Gun: Maverick 2022
Referenced repeatedly as the ceiling. Cruise is 'still Cruise, but not the Cruise of Maverick, because no one is.'
Extraction 2 2023
Chris Hemsworth's 'po-faced' action turn, cited while debating whether he could plug into an Ethan Hunt-style role.
Ballerina 2025
The John Wick spinoff with Ana de Armas, used as the closest comp. Amanda says she's showing up for Keanu, not the franchise.
John Wick: Chapter 4 2023
Its exploding gun becomes the punchline for a Mets bullpen collapse.
X-Men: First Class 2011
The model for recasting a franchise around one or two familiar faces in a period setting.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest 2006
Cited as a cautionary tale for how hard it is to keep a franchise's tone while writing around an absent lead.
Casablanca 1942
The joke answer to 'bring back any character': Rick, for Dead Reckoning Part Two.
EverAfter 1998
Dougray Scott's other credit, raised after his what-if casting as Wolverine comes up.
Green Lantern 2011
The bar The Flash is failing to clear: even Ryan Reynolds' version out-grossed it domestically.
The Flash 2023
Cited as the summer's box-office disappointment.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023
Used to illustrate how tepid reception shortens a film's theatrical life.
Elemental 2023
Called the summer's most interesting box-office story for its unusually small weekly drops.
Insidious: The Red Door 2023
Its steep opening-weekend drop is contrasted with Elemental's staying power.
Casino Royale 2006
Vesper Lynd's train scene with Bond is pointed out as the direct model for Ethan and Grace's Italian-prison speech.
Doctor Sleep 2019
Rebecca Ferguson's other big performance, brought up when Amanda mixes up its hat with Ilsa's death scene.
Eyes Wide Shut 1999
Cited as part of Cruise's 'strange era': filming for eight years while his marriage ended.
Vanilla Sky 2001
Named in the same breath as Eyes Wide Shut as Cruise's pre-Woo detour.
Dr. No 1962
Invoked to argue MI original vs. Fallout isn't like picking the first Bond over Skyfall: the original stands fully on its own.
Skyfall 2012
The other half of that Bond comparison.
The Mission: Impossible Rankingsall seven films, best to worst
No. 1
Mission: Impossible – Fallout 2018
No. 1 (2-1 vote): Amanda and Bobby call it 'the peak of the form.'
No. 2
Mission: Impossible 1996
No. 2: Sean's pick for the top spot and, he says, the 'correct letterboxd answer.' De Palma's template-setter, tube heist and all.
No. 3
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation 2015
No. 3: wins out over Dead Reckoning on the strength of the opera sequence and Solomon Lane's introduction.
No. 4
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One 2023
No. 4: the Rome car chase is praised, but the opera-house showdown edges it out for two of the three.
No. 5
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol 2011
No. 5: the Burj Khalifa climb 'sets the mold' even if the CGI has aged; the Kremlin break-in gets a late shout-out.
No. 6
Mission: Impossible III 2006
No. 6: praised for Philip Seymour Hoffman's villain and the Vatican heist, docked for a visual style that 'looks like TV.'
No. 7
Mission: Impossible II 2000
Last: John Woo's maximalism, they agree, was never a fit for the series.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing DetroitThe HostSnowpiercerThe Way of the GunHustlersThe Good, the Bad and the UglyFord v FerrariBlue CollarPhoenixWomen TalkingFuriosa: A Mad Max Saga
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The Drew Barrymore ShowThe Rosie O'Donnell ShowSuccessionThe CrownFull Circle
Games Immaculate Grid
Ads Netflix (FIFA World Cup Launch Edition)Boar's HeadNOS EnergyFanDuel
Podcasts The Press BoxThe TownThe Watch