Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Ethan Hunt comes face to face with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer while trying to keep his identity secret in order to protect his girlfriend.

Director:

J.J. Abrams

Writers:

Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci,

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames

6 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Ethan Hunt
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Owen Davian
Ving Rhames	...	Luther Stickell
Billy Crudup	...	John Musgrave
Michelle Monaghan	...	Julia
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Declan Gormley
Keri Russell	...	Lindsey Farris
Maggie Q	...	Zhen Lei
Simon Pegg	...	Benji Dunn
Eddie Marsan	...	Brownway
Laurence Fishburne	...	Theodore Brassel
Bahar Soomekh	...	Davian's Translator
Jeff Chase	...	Davian's Bodyguard
Michael Berry Jr.	...	Julia's Kidnapper
Carla Gallo	...	Beth

Storyline

IMF agent Ethan Hunt has given up field work to train agents instead, because he is seeing someone, Julia whom he wants to marry and live a normal life with. But his friend, Billy Musgrave, an IMF big wig informs that an agent he trained is being held by an arms dealer. Ethan decides to rescue her and does but because of a dead man's switch that was implanted in her, she is killed by remote. When Ethan returns, high ranking IMF man, Brassel chastises both Ethan and Musgrave for their actions. Ethan decides to go off book and bring the arms dealer in. But before leaving he marries Julia. After apprehending the arms dealer Ethan returns with him to the States but upon arriving they are attacked and the arms dealer escapes. Later Julia is abducted.

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Plot Keywords:

arms dealer | rescue | mission | escape | vatican | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of frenetic violence and menace, disturbing images and some sensuality

Details

Official Sites:

Bontonfilm [cz] Official site [ru]

Country:

USA Germany China

Language:

English Italian Mandarin Cantonese German Czech

Release Date:

5 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

M:i:III

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$713,859 (Hong Kong) (12 May 2006)

Gross:

$133,382,309 (USA) (14 July 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cruise/Wagner Productions, MI 3 Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 124 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kenneth Branagh was cast as the villain, but because of shooting-delays he had to drop out to begin work on As You Like It.

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Goofs

When Declan and Ethan are outside the wall in the delivery truck and have the hood up arguing, there is a male and female that are arguing with them. In one frame the female is standing with the male, then next frame the female is walking, the next frame the female is standing again with the male.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Owen Davian: [to Ethan] We put an explosive charge in your head. Does that sound familiar?

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks Aeronautica Militare Caserta, Cesare Salomone security Mr. Cruise

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Connections

References Lost (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Mission: Impossible Theme"
by Lalo Schifrin
Produced by Michael Giacchino

User Reviews

Thrilling, Entertaining and Occasionally Smart.

J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost, takes on the third instalment of the action franchise, which sees human yo-yo Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in rare human mode as he plans on making an early retirement to be with his nurse wife (Michelle Monaghan), only to be go on another impossible mission as he plans catching sadistic arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). To aid him are Ving Rhames, Jonathon Rhys-Meyers and Maggie Q, and, this being a third, there are gadgets, explosions, sets and plot twists like now other.

You've got to hand it to Abrams – he certainly knows how to keep an audience on their toes. Drawing on a few of his popular plot devices from Lost (flashbacks, a crescendo to the turning point), he sets us up neatly into his little world, where Ethan Hunt is now a man trying to live a normal life. Whilst that scenario may be a hard to buy, this is redeemed by the many action scenes in the film which are each exhilarating. To go into detail would be spoiling it, but let's just say there is an extremely breathtaking sequence involving a fulcrum, an amusing one involving Tom Cruise disguising himself as someone, and lastly, but by no means least a helicopter chase which is utterly awe-inspiring and barely lets the audience pause for breath. All this, and you get a Michael Giacchino score that perfectly blends action, anxiety, fear and anger.

The cast in themselves are a treat. Tom Cruise, though not given the most trying of tasks in playing an action hero, does a good job with his usual intensity. In the action scenes, his facial expressions are concentrated and focused and utterly convincing. However, Cruise fails in having any genuine chemistry with Michelle Monaghan, for and the romance comes across as rather bland. This is not aided with the poor writing in these scenes. Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Maggie Q merely look cool as his helpers, and Laurence Fisburne and Billy Crudup successfully bring that edge of moral ambiguity to their characters. And Philip Seymour Hoffman is excellently malicious as the elusive and extremely dangerous Davian, shining in his lizard-eyed role and bringing some genuine terror to the villain. His scenes aside Tom Cruise are superb, as they practically tremble in tension and quiet hatred on both characters parts.

You will go to see Mission Impossible III expecting some grand-scale set pieces, and you will not be disappointed here. Each one of the four is masterfully executed, with a breezy slickness that is both cool and exciting. We're talking non-stop action, occasionally interspersed with those corny Hollywood love formulae, cruising as "emotion." Its big, its bombastic, and it could be the Summer blockbuster of the year.