Cruise into this incredible MISSION!

Rating: 9/10 (12 May 2006)

There is no vacation, no time off, and no escape for newly dubbed IMF trainer Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), when it comes to impossible missions. You see, when you're the best at something, its hard for people not to recruit you and bring you in, which is why for the third time, Hunt is coming back to work to help lead and direct the next impossible task. The mission for Hunt, if he chooses to accept is, to assemble a team and rescue one of his top trainees Lindsey (Keri Russell), who was captured while on a simple reconnaissance mission. Sounds simple enough, but once into it Hunt realizes there is a lot more to just Lindsey being at the wrong place at the wrong time, after finding out Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a malicious arms dealer, was behind the whole thing. Shortly after that when Hunt and Davian cross paths, Davian swears to get back at Hunt in the worst way possible, by hurting everything that Hunt held dear. That of course meant Hunt's fiancée Julia (Michelle Monaghan), who up to this point had no idea what her fiancée really did for a living. But, all that would change quickly when Davian gets his hands on Julia, forcing Hunt and his team {Luther (Ving Rhames), Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Zhen (Maggie Q)} into a new rescue mission, all the while stopping Davian from doing whatever he had plans to do, eventually leading to a wild conclusion full of twists and turns.
Setting aside my bias nature for Cruise and everything he does in film, this cast was one to remember at the end of the day. Having a great iconic leader in Cruise though never hurts, but I must say everyone else involved here pulled their weight very well, making this, in my opinion, the best cast of the entire series. Clearly any cast led by Cruise is one to watch, but to then bring in such polished veterans like Laurence Fishburne and Philip Seymour Hoffman was something else. Both these guys know their way around the big screen and no point did I feel they were taking away from the other less notable actors like Michelle Monaghan, Billy Crudup, Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Hoffman especially made this movie a ton better in a role I thought I would never see him in, but apparently there's nothing this guy can't do. But, any actor that can steal scenes away from Tom Cruise has some talent worth talking about. And to do it with such power was awesome to watch and see. I mean, just in those few scenes with him and Cruise; you could feel every moment and just get stuck within the drama taking place.
Of course, much of that could be due to Cruise too, as he was as cool as ever reprising the role that has made him so much money over the years. And to me, you just can't say enough about a guy who takes it up that extra notch every time he steps on a movie set, to make sure everything is perfect and accounted for. Cruise sells his roles so well and to me might be the only actor who you can literary get stuck watching with the mindset that your still watching Tom Cruise. That's bigger than life folks and why he is the man among men in Hollywood. However, as I said earlier, he wasn't alone and back along his side once again was Ving Rhames, playing the very lovable, yet cunning Luther. Rhames, along with the rest of the cast already mentioned made this film about as smooth as it could get.
As much as the story and cast made M:I:III what it was, it would have been nothing without the clever writing and direction of J.J. Abrams. And to think, two directors bailed before Abrams got the call. But, that's the reality for Abrams, who for those that don't know, just happens to be the brilliant innovator of TV hits Alias and Lost. And now, to add to his resume the co-writer and director of M:I:III, a film that should go down as the best of the three. Of course, time will tell whether that's true or not, but know this, without Abrams, this movie would have never risen above all that follows Cruise these days. I don't know, there' just something about the way Abrams choreographs scenes and sets them up, that is like no other. This is especially true with his action scenes and sequences, which by the way, is the mantra for this coveted series. He just knows how to shoot some action and he does it with such intensity. For anyone that has seen Alias or even Lost, neither show is lacking in the intensity department. So, already knowing that, I expected a lot from Abrams, and he still blew me away with some of the most incredible and intense action I have seen in some time. That combined with his ingenious writing, collaborating with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci on the script, made quite the summer blockbuster to watch. And if this is what Abrams brings to the table in his directorial debut on the big screen, I can only imagine what's next for a guy who can't seem to cool off these days.
Setting aside all the negative press surrounding Tom Cruise these days, the one thing I know is this, the guy can make some movies. Intense action sequences, coupled with a script that is better than most highlight this action thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. So, forget about everything you may have read or heard and just go see M:I:III, as it is probably the best and most enjoyable piece to this amazing series.