Mission: Impossible (DVD)

Brian De Palma's super stylish adap of the TV series packs a stick of dynamite up the show's butt and blows it wide open, often flying in the face of everything its inspiration was about but avoiding travesty status by working as an incredibly slick, exciting thriller. It's a blinder. It's true to say that most of this classy film's strongest scenes hark back to the show – the opening teaser, the astonishing credits sequence, the vault break-in – but the writers have slotted references and ideas from the series into a clever and often underrated plot, managing a tricky balancing act in paying homage to the show without slavishly adhering to it.

Cracking set pieces like the aquarium explosion and the train/chopper finale are masterclasses in how to crank up tension and stage action; this is one of the most skilfully directed and edited films out there. Really. The cast is an interesting international mix, but it's The Cruiser who dominates, looking ultra cool and emanating charisma all over the place. I can see why fans of the series would hate it, but God, what a film.