The Best Movies of 1996

 

Twenty-five years ago, Tom Cruise, who was already a superstar, made his debut as an action hero in Mission: Impossible. Tom performed his own stunts and ran at full-speed during a key scene in the film. Next year, the 7th Mission: Impossible movie will hit theaters and it's been reported that, as usual, Tom performed his own death-defying stunts. Odds are that at least one scene will feature his iconic character, superspy Ethan Hunt, running at top-speed. 

Bonus: Sleepers

Sleepers is a harrowing tale of organized crime, sexual assault and lifelong trauma in Hell's Kitchen.

6. A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Martin Lawrence wore nearly every conceivable hat on his directorial debut and shares the screen with Bobby Brown in this story of fatal attraction.

5. Independence Day

In Independence Day, the human race is united by perhaps the only thing that can unite it: aliens bent on the destruction of mankind. A marine pilot, an MIT-trained satellite tech, a Vietnam-era fighter pilot with a few screws loose and the U.S. president all band together to kick the E.T.s off the planet.

4. The Substitute

After his teacher girlfriend is assaulted by gang members who attend her high school, Vietnam Veteran Jonathan Shale poses as a substitute teacher at Columbus High in order to root out the extent of the criminality. Shockingly, Shale and his team of mercenaries discover that they're the ones who are in over their heads. 

3. Executive Decision

Unquestionably the greatest of the many Die Hard rip-offs, Executive Decision centers on a U.S. Army intelligence consultant, backed up by a team of commandos, who infiltrate an airliner -- midflight -- in order to take down terrorists armed with a biological weapon. 

2. Mission: Impossible

In November of 1995, Goldeneye was released, featuring Pierce Brosnan in his long-awaited first portrayal of James Bond (Bronsnan wanted the role as far back as 1986). Six months later, Tom Cruise's decision to become an action star culminated in the debut of Mission: Impossible and the end of 007's iron-clad monopoly on movie spydom. 

Mission infused the genre with brains and acrobatics and completely eliminated the freakshow villains and henchmen common in the what's-his-face-movies. Hunts acrobatic and silent CIA computer vault break-in became a classic movie scene the instant that the film was released. But who knew Ethan Hunt would still be around 22 years later?

1. The Nutty Professor

After ruling the box office for 14 years, comedy legend Eddie Murphy returned to theaters with a vengeance with arguably his best movie to date. The Nutty Professor, a remix of Jerry Lewis 1963 hit of the same name, showcases Murphy's incomparable talent for embodying multiple characters in a single film (which he previously showed off in Coming to America).