Mission: Impossible III (2006)

IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.

Director:

J.J. Abrams

Writers:

Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames

7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Ethan Hunt
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Owen Davian
Ving Rhames	...	Luther
Billy Crudup	...	Musgrave
Michelle Monaghan	...	Julia
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	...	Declan
Keri Russell	...	Lindsey Farris
Maggie Q	...	Zhen
Simon Pegg	...	Benji
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

A man named Owen Davian kills an IMF agent that was sent undercover by the legendary Ethan Hunt, who has retired from combat missions. Hunt now has a fiancé, Julia, who believes that he works for the traffic department when he really trains younger IMF agents to go into combat. He is assigned to his last mission. His mission, should he choose to accept it is to capture Davian, who is selling a toxic weapon called the rabbits foot. But Davian is reckless, cruel, and deathly. He promises Hunt that he will find Julia, hurt her, and Ethan will be too dead to help her. The mission is no more different to others, its dangerous, smart, and impossible; but now it's personal.

---

Plot Keywords:

fictional government agency | ethan hunt character | luther stickell character | tape over mouth | tough woman | 

---

Taglines:

The Mission Begins 05:05:06

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

At one point, Ricky Gervais was cast in the film as an ally to Ethan Hunt. But due to various production and casting changes, Gervais had to pull out of the film and was replaced by Simon Pegg.

---

Goofs

(at around 43 mins) When Gormley is outside St. Peters he says his ETA is 2 minutes to the Sistine Chapel. Even running there would take far longer than this.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

Special Thanks: The Hanso Foundation.

---

Connections

Referenced in 1000 Ways to Die: Death: A User's Manual (2009)

---

Soundtracks

String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18 No. 4
by Ludwig van Beethoven (as Ludwig von Beethoven)
Performed by Kodaly Quartet
Courtesy of Naxos
By Arrangement with Source/Q

User Reviews

Lived Up To The Hype: Very Entertaining

I heard nothing but good things about this movie, so I rented it the first day it was available recently.....and I wasn't disappointed. Oh, it does have a bit too much action and a few politically-correct annoyances but neither are much and overall the movie is a lot of fun to watch.

The action scenes are not only interesting; they're spectacular at times. Overall, the photography is slick. It's a good visual movie. Not only the cinematography, but the director did a nice job with many of these shots. The version doesn't have all the gimmicks the first Misssion Impossible film, but it certainly has the best action scenes. The only bad movie of the three MIs was the second one. This one makes up for that.

All the characters are interesting. Philip Seymour Hoffman, as usual, is excellent as the main villain "Owen Damien." Michelle Monaghan makes for an attractive fiancée of Cruise in this movie, but her role is not a major one. Cruise's "team" is fun to watch: a PC group consisting of a white guy, black guy and Asian woman.

The action is improbable as Cruise's "Ethan Hunt" would have to be Superman to perform the stunts and acrobatics he does here. (I would never claim this movie is credible, or even "intelligent" - just escapist fun.)

Just put your brains on hold, and go along for the wild ride. The name of the game is entertainment, and this movie provides it in spades, hence the good rating.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA Germany China Italy

Language:

English Italian Mandarin Cantonese German Czech

Release Date:

5 May 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

M:i:III

Filming Locations:

Palm Springs, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$47,743,273, 7 May 2006

Gross USA:

$134,029,801

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$398,479,497

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Cruise/Wagner Productions, MI 3 Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min 124 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1