Run, Tom, Run

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2006)

Ethan(Tom Cruise, who puts in a demandingly physical performance)is retired from field work, engaged, and happy until he's called upon to rescue an operative he trained(Keri Russell)from an evil black market "deliverer", Owen Davian(Philip Seymour Hoffman, who makes a great villain within the screen time he's given). When that mission ends tragically, Ethan and his MI task force(consisting of one-two-three punch of Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, & Maggie Q)will join to try and stop Davian's selling of weaponry and other dangerous war toys to varying countries. Davian is a national threat to everyone and must be stopped. What Ethan doesn't know, however, is that someone within his own organization is partnering with Davian. What's even worse is that Ethan's beloved wife Julia(the delightful Michelle Monaghan)is in grave danger(as evident, it seems, in the opening harrowing sequence).
With seemingly insurmountable odds(the deck is indeed stacked), how will Ethan ever be able to not only Davian, but uncover a high-ranking suit in his own organization? And, is there any hope for Julia? The mysterious weapon Davian has stolen from him by Ethan and the gang is a suitcase housing some sort of nuclear weapon nicknamed the "Rabbit's Foot." This could've easily been titled, "Run Tom Run" because Cruise is constantly moving and film briskly follows him. JJ Abrams creates an energy in MI:III very akin to his "Alias" series where you never know who to trust and the camera never stops moving. The film feels a lot like "Bourne Supremacy" and is almost as fun. It has one of those endings, though, that doesn't quite match other inspiring action set-pieces such as the remarkable "attack on the bridge" sequence where Ethan and his crew are being shot at by a jet plane's missiles not to mention helicopter soldiers' machine guns. Also, the Shanghai sequence where Ethan uses a fulcrum to swing himself from one building to another and then parachuting from that building almost being hit by several vehicles is also a masterful highlight. The ending just seems rather uninspired next to those sequences.
This film, I'd have to say, is the most entertaining and energetic of the series. The cast is much more lively and the pacing which darts after the characters is almost exhausting.