Friday, February 17, 2012

Great Moments in Springsteen Cinema History - Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Warning: Minor spoilers ahead! 
 
If you haven't seen the blockbuster Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol by now, you missed out on one of the most thrilling moments in cinema history.  No, I'm not referring to the high-wire act along the Burj Dubai, nor the thrilling Russian prison break, nor a catfight between Paula Patton and Sabine Moreau.  I speak, of course, of this:
 

That's right, that is Tom Cruise rocking a Bruce Springsteen Born In The USA t-shirt.  Ethan Hunt changes into this outfit after escaping from the Kremlin.  He ditches his military disguise and dons this in order to appear as a common American tourist.  That, my friends, is a brilliant disguise.  While it is unclear whose choice it was to use this t-shirt (the internet has been sadly lacking on articles about Cruise using this shirt), I'd like to imagine that it is a silent tribute to Brian DePalma, director of the first Mission: Impossible movie and the "Dancing in the Dark" music video.

However, there is some intrigue surrounding the shirt's role in the movie.  As Ethan Hunt escapes, he is caught in an explosion and ends up in a hospital....sans the t-shirt!  Now, one may claim that the shirt could have been destroyed in the explosions, but it is revealed that the Russians found Ethan's military disguise.  So what is the deal here?  A minor continuity error?  Or a secret Russian plot to find out the secrets of Bruce's rockingness?  We'll have to see in the next installment, Mission: Impossible - Code of Silence.

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