Mission Impossible III

Synopsis:

Retired from active duty, and training recruits for the Impossible Mission Force, agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) faces the toughest foe of his career: Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international broker of arms and information, who is as cunning as he is ruthless. Davian emerges to threaten Hunt and all that he holds dear -- including the woman Hunt loves.

Movie Review:

"Mission Impossible III" is directed by J.J. Abrams who gave us a fun and enjoyable movie that revived the franchise after a disappointing second one. This was J.J. Abrams directorial debut and managed to make a spy film with intense action scenes, likable characters, that includes the IMF team, and a strong villain played by the late Philip Seymore Hoffman, who in my opinion is the best villain of the Mission Impossible franchise so far. In this third film, Ethan Hunt, once again played by Tom Cruise, gives one of his best performances of the series. The powerful interrogation scene that involves Ethan Hunt strapped to a chair is suspenseful and gave me chills to watch in the first five minutes of the film. Ethan Hunt is semi-retired and is getting married to Julia played by Michelle Monaghan; she is a complex strong female character who isn't just a damsel in distress. After Owen Davion kidnaps Ethan's wife, he has to go rouge and stop him. This movie never stops its intense action scenes and passionate storytelling. The IMF team is led by Luthor Stickell played once again by the Ving Rames who brings humor and many laughs to the film. Also, Maggie Q and Jonathan Rys Myers play members of Ethan's team but they don't really have anything to do besides stunts for some action scenes. Some new members of the cast are Laurence Fishburne who plays Theodore Braser, the director of the IMF and he gives a demanding and authoritative presence to his character. Billy Crudup plays John Musgrave who is second in command and there is a plot twist that involves his character that was predictable and I saw it coming a mile away. The last new face to the franchise is Simon Pegg who plays Benjie Dunn, the chief engineer and he always brings a sense of humor to any role he plays. The action scenes in this movie are exhilarating and keep the audience on the edge of their seats like the memorable bridge attack scene which is the best action set piece in the entire movie. Some of the story elements are confusing and kind of slow. And the same repetitive story lines make it feel like I was watching the first "Mission Impossible" especially when he becomes a fugitive and tries to clear his name again. "Mission Impossible III" is a fun, action movie with a pulse-pounding ending, a highly entertaining villain who is terrifying to watch -- a real comeback for the franchise. I am giving "Mission Impossible III" a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Director: J.J Abrams

Cast: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, and Laurence Fishburne

Runtime: 126 minutes