"I'm Part Of An AgencyCalled The IMF" --- Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise)

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2007)

"Mission: Impossible III" (2006)
Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q, Keri Russell, & Simon Pegg
MPAA Rating: "PG-13" (for intense sequences of frenetic violence and menace, disturbing images and some sensuality)
"Mission: Impossible III" was a sketchy project from the beginningso much so that I was beginning to doubt whether or not the movie would ever be made. David Fincher was first set to direct, but had to drop out to produce "Lords of Dogtown" (not the best career move on Fincher's part, if I do say so myself). Joe Carnahan was then slated to direct, but left the project and J.J. Abrams came onboard. Abrams did some cutting of his ownwith Carrie-Anne Moss's character (yes, the entire character was tossed out and Moss, unfortunately, went with it). Kenneth Branagh was cast as the movie's villain, but, after a series of delays, left to direct "As You Like It". Oh, and let's do not forget the much-publicized role of Scarlett Johansson who left the project. Days after her departure, rumors begin to swirl that Johansson left because of Tom Cruise pressing Scientology on her. After Cruise damaged his credibility (and lost many of his fans) in 2005 over his obsession with the controversial religion (and his attack on Brooke Shields and Matt Lauer), this only hurt the already crippled movie. But, Johansson denied the rumors and was replaced by Keri Russell. "Mission: Impossible III" gained praise from most critics, but was a disappointment at the box-officenot a disaster, but a disappointment. But, the question is: will "Mission: Impossible III" disappoint people who actually see it?
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) has settled into a typical lifetypical as far as IMF agents go, of course. He has turned to training agents rather than being one and has settled down with the woman of his dreams, Julia (Monaghan). The only problem is that she has no idea what he really does for a livingand, now, the kidnapping of a young agent, Lindsey Farris (Russell), is forcing him back into the business. When a mission to rescue her does not go as plan, Ethan and his gang of agents begin a mission to apprehend sadistic arms leader, Owen Davian (Hoffman). This mission goes perfectlyuntil a traitor leads to Davian's escape. Now, Davian knows who Ethan is and is willing to do anything for revenge. Usually, by the third installment in any given franchise, the plot line is getting rather thin. Surprisingly, "Mission: Impossible III" has got the best plot out of all three films. I've seen the two previous installments countless times and I could definitely recount so many of the action scenesyet I cannot, for the life of me, remember any major plot details. They just were not that memorable for me. But, "Mission: Impossible III" corrects this, giving us a coherent (though, simplistic) plot and blending it with plenty of action and computer-generated effects.
"Mission: Impossible III" suffers from one huge problem and it only shows its ugly head at the very end. Throughout the movie, Ethan Hunt is searching for something called "The Rabbit's Foot". We know that it is very important and that it must be very dangerous (as the film's villain wants it so desperately), but, really, what is it? The movie never tells us and even has a scene that shrugs off the notion of giving us an explanation completely. Now, some people say that this is just the filmmakers wanting to leave a little mystery and some may even go as far as to say that it is supposed to represent Ethan not knowing what he was truly chasing afterbecause that it is how it really is for secret agents, but those explanations give the movie far too much credit. My assumption would be that the writer just couldn't come up with something to explain the Rabbit's Foot so they simply decided to ignore it altogether. This is a good example of lazy film-making. Fortunately for the filmmakers, they paid their dues in other places.
"Mission: Impossible III" is a great action moviethe perfect movie to capture the audiences of the big-budget summer action movies (surprisingly enough, it didn't capture them, but most of that can be attributed to Cruise's fiasco from 2005). The action scenes are, of course, the highlight and there are plenty of them. It seems as though every ten minutes we are seeing another car explode or a plane crash. The pacing is brisk and done flawlessly. I never felt bored, but I also never felt like I was being rushed along either. The performances are good enoughno matter what Tom Cruise haters will say. Cruise is, and always has been, a competent leading man. Michelle Monaghan also does a nice job as the woman who finally won Ethan Hunt's heart for good. And who could forget Philip Seymour Hoffman? The winner of the Oscar for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role" last year nails his role here, as well. Hoffman is constantly showing his versatility as an actor. I still remember him as the quirky Dusty from "Twister"--good times, good times. I'll be honest, I had a blast with "Mission: Impossible III". Sure, it didn't explain one of its major plot points, but it just blew up another car a few seconds later to take our mind off of it.
Final Thought: It isn't the brightest crayon in the box and doesn't explain everything it should, but it is paced perfectly and a lot of fun.
Overall Rating: 8/10 (A-)