Okay Blockbuster

Rating: 6/10 (28 July 2010)

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 3 was originally to have been directed by David Fincher but he dropped out . Next director was Joe Carnahan but he quit before third choice JJ Abrams was hired . Condidering Abrams had never directed a film before you get the impression that the studio were starting to get desperate not to pull the plug on the project . Humanity might have struggled on without seeing MI3 and evolution wouldn't have been affected one way or the other but a studio needs to make money
It's an okay Summer blockbuster , not something you'll remember days later but not something you think you've wasted two hours of your life over and could have been far worse due to the production problems . . It's an uneasy mix of the two previous films in the franchise , where as the first was too complicated for its own good and the second was overly simplistic the third one tries to be character driven as well as plot driven . The back story involves Ethan Hunt failing to save a female IMF agent from the clutches of international arms dealer Owen Davian so makes it his life's mission to bring Davian to justice . Hunt almost succeeds which leads to Davian making it his life's mission to seek cruel revenge on Hunt and Davian is used to seeing his plans succeed
This character driven dynamic of the narrative just about works but it's more to do with the cast rather than the writing . Philip Seymour Hoffman was considered to be the world's best actor when this was released and easily carries the film as baddie Owen Davian . He's hardly the most multi layered written character in the history of cinema but he probably doesn't have to be . He doesn't have to do anything evil because he has the money and power to get other people to carry out his dirty work . Tom Cruise is of course Tom Cruise rather than Ethan Hunt . He smiles a lot which means he's a good guy and you don't want to see him get tortured or killed . One slight casting distraction for Brits is that Simon Pegg who is forever associated with Channel 4 sitcoms crops up as does Sean McGuire who will be forever known for his role in EASTENDERS along with a spectacurally unsuccessful pop career
The film's major set piece , one which involves Davian being rescued by his mercenary team on a bridge . It's an impressive enough Summer blockbuster set piece but unfortunately after this the final third lacks a climax to match this . Instead there's plot turns revealing a traitor and double crosses , lots of running around and Ethan trying to save the woman he loves along with cinematic convention that says if you're heart has stopped it can be easily started by heart massage rather than a defibrillator