Mission: Impossible III (2006) Paramount/Action RT: 125 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence, sequences of intense frenetic action and menace, disturbing images of torture, brief sexual content) Director: J.J. Abrams Screenplay: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and J.J. Abrams Music: Michael Giacchino Cinematography: Dan Mindel Release date: May 5, 2006 (US) Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, Eddie Marsan, Laurence Fishburne, Bahar Soomekh, Jeff Chase, Michael Berry Jr., Carla Gallo, Greg Grunberg, Sasha Alexander, Tracy Middendorf, Bruce French, Jose Zuniga. Box Office: $134M (US)/$264.4M (World)
Rating: ***
Yes, this is more like it! Mission: Impossible III is a slamming action movie directed by J.J. Abrams (Alias). It comes along six years after the disappointing second entry directed by John Wood. I’m happy to report J.J. is a better fit for the series.
Just when Ethan Hunt (Cruise) thought he was out, the universe conspires to drag the retired IMF agent back into the world of international intrigue. Just as he’s about to settle down with fiancee Julia (Monaghan, Gone Baby Gone), the new Director of Operations (Crudup, Almost Famous) makes contact, pulling him away from his engagement party. He has a mission for Hunt should he choose to accept it. It seems that one of the young agents he trained (Russell, Waitress) was captured in Berlin while investigating arms dealer Owen Davian (Hoffman, Boogie Nights). He wants Hunt to lead the team going to rescue her. He initially turns him down, but changes his mind by the next morning. What, did you think he wouldn’t? Get real!
Hunt’s team for this impossible mission consists of Declan (Meyers, Match Point), Zhen Li (Maggie Q, Live Free or Die Hard) and of course, Luther (Rhames, Pulp Fiction). Hunt manages to get her out of there only to have her die right in front of him after micro-explosives implanted in her head by Davian detonate. Now Hunt’s POed. He intends to go after Davian despite the head guy at IMF (Fishburne, The Matrix) ordering him to back down.
The plan to take down Davian involves something called the “Rabbit’s Foot”. It doesn’t really matter what it is exactly; it’s the movie’s MacGuffin. It merely provides the framework for the film’s action sequences. Davian wants it for nefarious purposes. When he doesn’t get it, he goes after somebody important to Hunt. In turn, the angry spy comes after his nemesis with a greater vengeance. In other words, it’s business as usual.
Abrams is one of the biggest names to emerge in Hollywood in the last 25 years. He created three hit TV shows- Alias (2001-06), Lost (2004-10) and Fringe (2008-present). He restarted the stalled Star Trek movie franchise with his 2009 reboot. He directed two of the three Star Wars sequels, The Force Awakens (2015) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019). He also did Super 8 (2011), one of the very best summer movies of the new millennium. The man has the magic touch. It’s no surprise he breathed life back into Mission: Impossible with this third installment. He gave the franchise a much-needed jolt of adrenaline. Thank you for that, sir.
Mission: Impossible III moves along at a rapid pace. It’s suspenseful and action-packed. The sequence in the Vatican where Hunt goes face-to-face with Davian for the first time is a bravura piece of filmmaking. Keep in mind we’re talking about one of the most secure places on the planet. It’s where the Pope lives (no, he doesn’t do a cameo). Hunt and his team stage an awesome, elaborate break-in that requires some serious acrobatics, a keen sense of timing and several disguises including a facial mask that’s completed on-site just in the nick of time.
There’s also a thrilling, dizzying raid on the very tall Shanghai building where the Rabbit’s Foot is kept locked away. If you’re freaked out by heights like me, you will be grabbing the arms of your chair for dear life, I promise you that. The stunts Hunt performs and the things his team manages to pull off emphasize the “impossible” part of Mission: Impossible.
Once again, the emphasis is on the action, but this time some character development manages to sneak in. Hunt is about to marry a wonderful lady who has no idea what he really does for a living. She thinks he works for the Department of Transportation observing traffic patterns. He can’t bring himself to tell her the truth. He wonders more than once how can he reconcile his chosen career with a happy personal life that includes the possibility of starting a family.
Cruise turns in his usual performance; there’s really nothing to say about it. The screenwriters add some depth to his character, but he still seems like the same Ethan Hunt. Monaghan is also good as the supportive fiancee/wife. It helps that she’s easy on the eyes. Hoffman delivers a great performance as the cold-hearted, sadistic villain. Instead of hamming it up, he plays it down to the point of almost flatlining. Not being able to get a read on him makes him all the scarier. As we all know, an action movie is only as cool as its villain and Owen Davian is one mean bastard. He’s definitely the most memorable villain in the franchise. His “boo and hiss” factor is very high.
Fishburne is sufficiently unlikable as the uptight, by-the-book bureaucrat who impedes Hunt at every turn. He excels at playing this type of character. Russell makes the most of her brief screen time while Maggie Q kicks some serious ass. It’s nice to see the girls playing as hard as the guys. I’d expect nothing less from the guy who turned Jennifer Garner into an action heroine in Alias. Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead) adds nice comic relief as computer tech Benji who becomes part of the team after finding valuable intel sent to Hunt.
Michael Giacchino provides a great orchestral score for Mission: Impossible III. It’s a welcome return to form after the migraine-inducing one from the previous installment. He does a cover of the theme that sounds like a total throwback to Lalo Schifrin’s original version. Even the title sequence evokes memories of the original series.
Mission: Impossible III is almost exactly what summer movies should be, enjoyable actioners with a reasonably intelligent plot. I like this one very much. It’s a very welcome addition to the franchise and makes me optimistic about the future of the series. This is the Mission: Impossible movie we want and deserve.
