| Franz Krieger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Name: | Franz Krieger |
| Status: | Deceased |
| Role: | Henchman |
| Age: | 48 (1996) |
| Date of birth: | c. 1948 |
| Date of death: | March 15, 1996 |
| Place of death: | Channel Tunnel |
| Cause of death: | Burned to death while flying a helicopter |
| Affiliation: | Jim Phelps, Impossible Mission Force |
| Profession: | Intelligence operative (formerly) Helicopter pilot Assistant |
| Rank: | Agent |
| Expertise: | High intelligence Piloting skills |
| Played by: | Jean Reno |
| First appearance: | Mission: Impossible |
| Last appearance: | Mission: Impossible |
Ethan Hunt (stopping Krieger from killing a guard): "Zero bodycount."
Franz Krieger: "We'll see."
Franz Krieger was the secondary antagonist of the 1996 spy action thriller Mission: Impossible, the firsts being Jim Phelps and Max. He was a disavowed former member of the Impossible Mission Force who was an expert helicopter pilot and former member of Ethan Hunt's crew, alongside Luther Stickell and Claire Phelps.
Biography[]
Meeting Ethan[]
After his former crew died, Ethan Hunt recruits two disavowed Impossible Mission Force agents: computer expert Luther Srtickell and pilot Franz Krieger.
They infiltrate CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, steal the real list, and flee to London. Eugene Kittridge detects the theft and has Hunt's mother and uncle falsely arrested for drug trafficking; he provides wide media coverage of it, forcing Hunt to call Kittridge. Hunt times the call to allow the CIA to trace him to London before hanging up, but when he is done, Hunt is surprised to find Phelps nearby. Phelps recounts how he survived the shooting, naming Kittridge as the mole who set them up in Prague. Though he verbally agrees, Hunt realizes Phelps is the mole and Max's "Job." Hunt also suspects Krieger had killed the other IMF members on the Prague job after recognising the distinctive knife he used on the Langley mission as the same knife used to kill Sarah Davies, but remains unsure whether Claire Phelps was involved. Hunt arranges with Max to exchange the list aboard the TGV high-speed train to Paris the next day.
Train Confrontation and Death[]
On the train, Hunt remotely directs Max to the list. Max verifies the list and gives Hunt the keycode to a briefcase containing his payment along with Job in the baggage car. Ethan calls Claire and tells her to meet him there. Meanwhile, Stickell uses a jamming device to prevent Max from uploading the data to her servers. When Claire reaches the baggage car, she finds Phelps, and tells him Ethan will arrive shortly. She questions whether killing Ethan is a good idea, since they'll need a fall guy if they want to take the money for themselves. To Claire's surprise, Phelps reveals himself to be Ethan in disguise, exposing her as a co-conspirator. Moments later, the real Phelps arrives and takes the money at gunpoint. Hunt dons a pair of video glasses that relays Phelps' existence to Kittridge, proving Hunt innocent of being Job and the mole.
With his cover blown, Phelps tries to kill Hunt but Claire intervenes and Phelps kills her. He then tries to escape with the money by climbing to the roof of the train, where Krieger is waiting with a helicopter with a tether. Hunt and Phelps fight atop the speeding train. At one point, Hunt connects the tether to the train itself, forcing Krieger to pilot the helicopter into the Channel Tunnel after the train. After Phelps 'boards' the helicopter, Krieger tries to kill Hunt with the helicopter's blades, but the tunnel proves too tight for him to get into the right position. Using this distraction, Hunt leaps onto the helicopter and places a piece of explosive chewing gum — a relic of the Prague mission — on the outside of Krieger's helicopter windshield, killing Phelps and Krieger. Aboard the train, Kittridge arrests Max and recovers the list before it can be sent.
Characteristics[]
Personality[]
Even before his unmasking as a willing henchman of the IMF’s mole, Krieger has an unscrupulous, greedy personality. He has no qualms about killing anyone who prevents him from getting paid or completing his missions.
Abilities[]
In addition to the hand-to-hand combat skills presumably expected of an IMF agent, Krieger seems to prefer and excel in combat involving knives. He is an expert helicopter pilot as well.
Gallery[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Franz Krieger is portrayed by French actor Jean Reno in Mission: Impossible.
Appearances[]
Mission: Impossible (First appearance)
Trivia[]
- Franz Krieger is the first antagonist to be killed directly by Ethan Hunt.