The best of the three

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2007)

An engaging piece of Cold War histrionics set in fine motion by DePalma and his stellar entourage of fine actors. To me, it stands far ahead of the two sequels, primarily because it is more subtle and cerebral and less visceral than the others. The cast itself is not laden with merely young hot-shot actors inserted into screenplays for box office appeal. Rather, it is almost too politically correct in its casting as all the demographics seem to be represented here: young, old, Black, White, male, female, American, European etc. Yet each of the principals and the supporting cast fits into his/her respective role quite well, with little wasted motion. It's as if they each have their own "raison d'etre" as it pertains to the overall story line.
The sophisticated spy-vs.-spy plot line is not only enhanced by the thespian talent, but also the inventive camera work that allows us to revisit "flashbacks" of prior scenes that are taken from perspectives other than the original. To wit, the Jon Voight bridge scene gets a few once-overs, if you will. Also, the European locales are well shot with no gratuitous indulgence, which helps to embellish the story line. Lest I forget, a sweet job by Danny Elfman adapting Lalo Schiffrin's "MI" theme to the soundtrack, especially during the ending credits where he shifts the theme's normal 5/4 tempo to a funkier, bluesier 4/4 time signature!
Tom Cruise takes a nice turnabout from some of his earlier more "cutesy" roles. His role here demands of him technical expertise as well as strength of character in order for him to merely stay alive. J. Voight and V. Redgrave are in fine form in their complex and beguiling portrayals.
In summary, this episode of the "MI" series characterizes what I consider to be a triumph of substance over form, of subtlety over the obvious. Maybe this attitude is a "no-no" for modern audiences, but it remains one philosophy that I will always endorse.