Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan, Maggie Q, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Billy Crudup, Keri Russell, Simon Pegg, Laurence Fishburne
Release dates: May 5, 2006 (United States)
Running time: 126 minutes
Country: United States
Language: English
Budget: $150–186 million
Box office: $398.5 million
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10 (364K)
In the third installment of the Mission: Impossible film series, IMF (Impossible Mission Forces) agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is pushed back into the pitch just as he is about to marry his girlfriend Julia (Michelle Monaghan).
If he chooses to take it, his job is to capture Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a dangerous weapons dealer selling a toxic weapon. Finally, Davian turns the situation personal, and Hunt must defend those he loves.
In anticipation of Mission: Impossible – Fallout's release in a few days, I am continuing my evaluations of the Mission: Impossible franchise. My comments on Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible II have been written, and you can click on the titles to read my reviews for both films. With a substantial fall in quality from M: I-1 to M: I-2, this third installment revives the franchise!
Compared to prior films, a number of aspects have been enhanced. The action comes first. This may be THE film when stunt work truly reached jaw-dropping heights. Because this was J.J. Abrams's first feature picture, he made an outstanding debut, as seen by Cruise's epic dashes through the streets of Shanghai (filmed in a single take!) and the astonishingly shot money shots. He understands how to incorporate the actors with the visual effects, and this time everything appears really realistic and captivating. The action in this film is by far the best of the first three.
Mission Impossible Full Movie Series
Second, the characters in the story. J.J. Abrams brings back the original, non-copycat Ethan Hunt (looking at you, M: I-2). Everything about this character's evolution makes sense, and his relationship with Julia generates some nail-biting tension in the last act, where Michelle Monaghan also excels. Clearly, Tom Cruise remains to be the franchise's leading man, but there is now a worthy antagonist.
As the villain, Philip Seymour Hoffman gives an excellent performance. Exactly what he is: a terrible guy. Surprisingly, despite the lack of development for his character, Hoffman manages to make the writing work. He is the best villain in the franchise thus far, and he is involved in the most suspenseful scene in the film. Ving Rhames reprises his role as Luther, bringing with him the character's humour. With so much action and tension, it's a delight to be able to smile or even chuckle at Rhames' dialogue.
Last but not least is the tempo. The second film is the epitome of monotony. With one, I even understand some who think it has too much action and everything happens too quickly... Because it does. The previous film's breakneck pace returns, and it's stepped up a notch. There is not a single moment of respite between scenes, which may be a problem for some, but I needed a break after M: I-2. There are never any dull moments, and the excitement level is consistently high. This is what I refer to as amusement!
In spite of this, the plot has a few problems. Its structure, in addition to being so predictable, irritates me a little. J.J. Abrams begins the picture with a scene whose placement I do not fully comprehend. I won't reveal any spoilers, but there are a few odd decisions surrounding the plot that doesn't fully make sense to me.
Also, the tale itself is quite generic. Due to the lack of character development in the narrative, Hoffman's portrayal of the antagonist is the only thing that makes him impressive. The plot twists are obvious by the end of the first act. Thus they lose their power by the conclusion. The treatment of Michelle's character, though, somewhat marred an otherwise beautiful finale (albeit it's still a great finish). I will just state that it gets very illogical and artificial, and Julia is to blame.
Despite its limitations, Mission: Impossible III brings the tale back to life with the best action in the entire franchise, some fantastic additions to its ensemble, and a really fast and captivating pace. Tom Cruise performs some incredible stunts, Philip Seymour Hoffman is the best villain to date, and Ving Rhames remains awesome. Yet, the plot is extremely conventional and predictable, and the structuring of certain ostensibly scary situations causes them to lack emotional effect. It's just a hair below M: I-1 but miles and miles above the terrible M: I-2, owing to J.J. Abrams' outstanding directorial debut, which is replete with phenomenal camerawork, jaw-dropping stunts, and remarkable visual effects.
