The Impossibility in the Impossible Missions Force: Can It Really Be Achieved?

The Impossible Missions Force (IMF) is a fictional organization in the movies and TV shows where missions often seem impossible. But are these missions truly impossible, or are they simply beyond the scope of traditional law enforcement agencies?

What Makes the Missions Impossible?

In most cases, the missions in the IMF are described as impossible, particularly in comparison to what traditional law enforcement agencies or government departments can handle. These assignments, handed out to the IMF, are not officially sanctioned, with the lead agents always reminded that if any of their agents are caught or killed, the government will deny their existence. Thus, the missions are both possible and impossible. They are possible within the context of fiction, but impossible in real life.

Are All Missions Impossible?

Not all missions are entirely impossible. For instance, the IMF's missions could be possible, at least within the fabric of the show's universe. However, many missions depicted seem impossible or highly improbable. Here are some examples:

Dismantling a Cocaine Syndicate

Paris promises a villain 500 kilograms of cocaine by morning. When the villain returns, Paris presents four cardboard “banker’s boxes” on a table. Each box is designed to hold sheaves of paper—maybe 30 or 40 pounds maximum. This suggests that the boxes could not actually contain 500 kilograms of cocaine, which would take up a much larger space.

Race and Surveillance in Eastern Europe

Barney, an African American, never causes raised eyebrows in Eastern Europe. This implies a level of racial invisibility that may seem unusual in real-world settings.

Language and Cultural Impersonations

Paris not only passes as Japanese but also performs convincingly enough to fool Japanese theater fans into believing he is a famous star. Similarly, the team easily communicates with multiple people from other countries while passing as natives by speaking accented English.

Material Deception and Crafting

Roland creates rubber face masks that fool even people who know the person being imitated and who see the masked person up close. He even makes one by melting a plastic sheet in an autoclave in a medical office.

Gold Theft and Alchemy

Willy and Barney melt gold bars stored in a vault and capture the liquid as it flows into a cave. In the cave, they re-form the molten gold into brick-sized bars. However, the weight and temperature of the molten gold make this scenario highly improbable. A brick-sized gold bar weighs about ten times as much as a real brick, which would be a significant strain. Additionally, cooling the massive amount of molten gold in a reasonable time frame is unrealistic given the heat and time constraints.

The Theory of Impossible Missions

Much like the missions, the theory behind their success relies on a combination of improbable scenarios, ingenuity, and innovative techniques. It is important to distinguish between what makes a mission seem impossible and what makes it possible within the fictional context of The Impossible Missions Force.

Conclusion

While the missions in the IMF appear to be impossible under real-world conditions, they are plausible within the fabricated universe of the show. The episodes explore themes of ingenuity, resourcefulness, and improbable success. However, a critical eye reveals that many missions stretch the limits of believability, making them highly improbable in reality.