Welcome Back Mr. Hunt, You've Been Gone for Too Long.

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 2006)

The last couple of years weren't very kind to Mr. Cruise. He went crazy on talk shows, War of the Worlds had a lukewarm reception, and for almost 2 years, he couldn't get the latest installment of the Mission Impossible franchise off the ground. Fortunately, with MI3, he finally seems to be back on track.
IMF member Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is almost retired. He's engaged to beautiful nurse Julia (Michelle Monaghan). But when Hunt knows that international arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is about to kill his protégé Lindsey (Keri Russell), Hunt has to reunite with his team to save Lindsey.
The first 2 films of the franchise couldn't be more different. Mission Impossible, directed by Brian De Palma, was an intelligent thriller, with a confusing plot, and it didn't have enough action. On the other hand, MI2, directed by John Woo, was an action-driven film, and its plot was silly. MI3 follows in the footsteps of MI2, but with better action, better acting, and a better story.
The action in the film is an action fan's wet dream. Almost every gimmick in the book is there; Shootouts, check. Car chases, check. Chopper chases, check. The bridge scene in particular made me drop my jaw in awe. It was better than any action scene since Return of the King. The Vatican operation, very reminiscent of the Prague operation in the first film, was also stunning. Director J.J Abrams (the man behind hit series Lost) did an amazing job. The action sequences are well orchestrated, well edited, and unlike many recent action films, you could always tell what's going on. And all the money is up on the screen. In fact, I'm surprised the film only cost 150 million to make.
While the story isn't as good as the first part, it's far better than the paper-thin story of the sequel. The best thing about it was the comeback of the IMF team, who were totally absent in the sequel. The domestic angle gave more humanity to the character of Ethan Hunt. And I was also glad that double-crossing was back in full force this time around.
Hoffman gave the best performance. There is a very thin line between being a great villain and being over the top. But because Hoffman knew exactly what he was doing, he never crossed it. Cruise was very good as Hunt, and Simon Pegg was great as the comic relief.
Of course, the film wasn't flawless. The last 20 minutes are very cheesy, the ending is somewhat anti-climactic, and Hoffman was criminally underused. But everything else was so good that it atones for all these sins.
So, I'd definitely recommend seeing MI3. Bring on part 4.