Mission: Impossible III

Posted by James Schu (jgs210@psu.edu) on November 3, 2006

Release Date: October 30, 2006

It’s called Mission Impossible, but for obvious reasons this series has never completely lived up to its title. These missions are not impossible, and given a big enough budget and sufficient plot, Impossible Mission Force (IMF) super spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) will make sure you get your money’s worth by the end of two hours. The latest installment in the franchise, Mission: Impossible III  is no different, and it delivers all the hallmarks of the M:I franchise: unnecessarily globe-spanning locales, those uncannily realistic masks (and the clever mistaken identities that result), and–you guessed it–Tom Cruise overload.

M:I III is such an ego-stroking star vehicle for its action hero (and producer) that the next logical step would be to manipulate the identity-switching mask-play in order to get multiple Cruises on screen at once. But action-hero antics aside, there are actually several scenes suggesting Cruise’s desire to be taken seriously as an actor. Of course, you won’t mistake this for his brilliant turn in Magnolia, but in between the grandly chaotic set pieces and action sequences, he’s capable of conveying genuine emotion.

One such scene is the intense opener, a media res flash-forward preview of Hunt’s showdown with the bad guy de jour, international arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Hoffman overcomes the handicaps of a role with no backstory whatsoever, sparse screen time and even skimpier dialogue to create a memorably icy villain. As the famously intense Cruise emotes, Hoffman remains chillingly, amorally indifferent.

Davian’s latest arms deal, and therefore the “impossible” mission of the plot, revolves around the coveted “rabbit’s foot”–a device so ambiguous that, quite frankly, it’s never explained at all. There’s also the issue of a mole within the IMF and the surprise reveal of the mole’s identity. We’ve seen this before in M:I films, but by now we’re all wise to the fact that this movie is not about the plot; rather, the plot merely functions to create certain dangerous circumstances (read: lots of gunplay and explosions).

We get a brief glimpse at Hunt’s home life–he’s engaged to Julie (Michelle Monaghan, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Katie Holmes), drives a Volvo (!), and pretends to have a Dept. of Transportation job so boring that no one would even be interested enough to expose his cover. After sufficient introductions to Hunt’s team of IMF experts and allies (Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, franchise vet Ving Rhames, stunning newcomer Maggie Q, and Shaun of the Dead’s very funny Simon Pegg), we’re whisked away to Berlin, the Vatican, and Shanghai (why not?) for a frantically strung-together series of action sequences and excuses to see Cruise run really, really fast.

Director J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias) clearly knows his way around an action scene, and the action in M:I III is some heart-pounding stuff. I must give credit where credit is due - the thrill seeking 44-year-old Cruise performs most of his own stunts, often incredible, and the authenticity of the action benefits hugely. Keep an eye out for a shot of him getting blown off his feet as an explosion sends him violently smashing head over heels into a parked car.

Let’s face it - you pretty much know what to expect from Mission: Impossible III before you ever pop it in your DVD player. And yes, the movie indeed delivers on those expectations. As far as action flicks go, this is a top-tier movie in a B-genre.

The Upside: Despite his off-screen antics, Tom Cruise on screen is still thoroughly watchable as both a movie star and action hero, and at times, actor.

The Downside: Okay, honestly, this might be a bit too much TC for many (Cruise-ophobes should avoid the bonus features at all costs). What’s worse, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s delightfully despicable creation is not on screen nearly enough.

On the Side: Cruise’s sheer footspeed, on display in most of his films if you watch close enough, has inspired a tongue-in-cheek cult following (check out tomcruiserunning.blogspot.com).

Final Grade: B

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