The poster for Impossible Mission had me expecting a low budget knock-off of Atomic Blonde or maybe La Femme Nikita. Instead, I got, well actually I’m not sure just what I got. Filmed in Spain as The Vibe, this is a bizarre film about assassins, hackers, and possibly the Second Coming, or the arrival of the Antichrist. The script by writer/director Gilles Gambino makes so little sense you’re never sure what’s going on.
Rosa (Jimena Gala) is an assassin who specializes in poisons. We first see her talking to a victim as he dies. She doesn’t seem to like her job, but she’s good at it so the agency won’t let her quit. Somebody going by the name Frank Minolta (Gilles Gambino) hacks a communications satellite and turns up on TV talking about “the vibrations”. This apparently is a huge threat to the very roots of democracy as one expert says.
Her boss Henry (James Giblin) sends her off to take care of this threat the society. She’s teamed up with Will (Ben Vinnicombe, Don’t Speak). What she finds is anything but business as usual.
Originally titled The Vibe, Impossible Mission is a Spanish film shot in English. This may explain some of the really strange sounding dialogue. Much of the dialogue, such as the various television interviews sound so over the top it’s like a parody.
The plot isn’t any better. Impossible Mission’s story line is strange and disjointed. So much so it feels almost like the work of another Spanish filmmaker, Jess Franco. The weird editing choices and odd camera angles also feel like something from his films from the 70s and 80s. That and the overall nihilism of the whole film. On the other hand, there’s not nearly enough bare skin or general sleaze for one of those films.
If you’re a fan of those films, then you might enjoy Impossible Mission. If not you’ll be bored. There’s no real action and the script is way too messy to work as a mystery. It’s just a strange, almost surreal oddity. Just like something Jess would have made.
Impossible Mission, available On Demand and VOD May 7 from High Octane Pictures.
Sounds better then “False Flag” however…….but skipping this one too….
A smart move