Mission: Impossible (TV Series) The System (1969) User Reviews

Superb direction and camera work

[mrmagical · 10/10 · 10 February 2008]

Without doubt, some of the best direction and camera work I have seen in the series. In the sequence where Barney opens the safe, the camera swings INSIDE the safe as he grabs the money bag with a claw at the end of a long pole. Impressive! Another continuous tracking shot is used when placing the money back in the safe. These long, continuous shots add to the realism of each sequence.

The extreme close-up of the blackjack sequence is astonishing, with a gliding camera move long before steady-cam was available. They didn't even have video playback back then, making the clarity of the shot and the smoothness of its execution even more amazing to me (and on a TV budget!).

Overall, a great episode for Mission Impossible fans!

One of the best episodes

[Guad42 · 10/10 · 19 April 2021]

As covered by others, great camera work, fine direction, and an excellent guest cast make this one of the best episodes. Martin Landau was such a good actor and he shines here as an accountant on a mission. The guest cast are all born to play criminals and they do it well without overplaying it. The plot moves along at a good clip while still making sense. Just a well done episode in a series that had many such outings.

One of the fun things with the show is Barbara Bain's character, Cinnamon Carter, is a world famous model as portrayed on magazine covers when she is selected to the team at the beginning of various episodes. She is always undercover but yet, nobody ever recognizes her. I bet neither Twiggy or Christie Brinkley could pull that off.

The scene at the end where the lawmen are getting out of their cars is also the same scene at the end of "The Town" in season 2. That accounts for the white picket fence in the background.

See this episode if you want to see the best this series offered. Well worth the time.