I'll say it beforehand: I did not really like either the first or the second movie in this franchise. The first one, directed by Brian DePalma, was okay, an interesting head scratcher that had it's moments but which left me kind of underwhelmed, while the second one was a boring James Bond wannabe, with some cool set pieces, but ultimately not enough plot to keep me from nodding off. So, to say I'm surprised at how good the third one is, is somewhat of an understatement.
Credits for this must go to JJ Abrams, the man who took the franchise, ripped up what had gone before and gave the franchise a brand new start. He does this not just by giving us several spectacular set pieces and an interesting intrigue, but also by making us care about these characters. In the previous two movies, Tom Cruise was a calm, collected killer spy who didn't give a shit, in this third movie he's a guy with feelings, a personal life and a girlfriend that he loves very much. It brings back some memories of James Cameron's True Lies, in that the girlfriend in this movie also does not know what is going on and becomes involved against her will, but then without the comedy. Mission Impossible 3 has it's share of funny moments (mainly thanks to Shaun of the Dead's Simon Pegg), but Abrams wastes no time in establishing characters and plot, so that you are primed to go right from the start.
Cruise's Ethan Hunt has retired as active agent from the agency, instead choosing a more quiet life as instructor for new agents, but he is called back into action when one of his trainees goes missing. Together with a new team, including old friend Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames), Hunt goes on a search and soon finds himself up to his neck in trouble when he crosses the path of international weapons dealer Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hofmann). Davian is about to sell an immensely powerful weapon to the highest bidder, who can then do unspeakable things with it to his enemies, and thus has to be stopped. Since the movie starts with Tom Cruise and his girlfriend tied up, however, with Davian holding his gun to their heads, you know something went wrong. And things do go wrong in a major way, which is a good thing or otherwise they might as well have called this movie Mission Pretty Hard instead.
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Things do go wrong in a major way, which is a good thing or otherwise they might as well have called this movie Mission Pretty Hard instead...
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MI3 is filed with over the top set pieces, great locations (you cannot go wrong with shooting in Rome, while Shanghai isn't half bad either) and a Tom Cruise who has perfected his role to the maximum. Sure, you may think he is 'a bit off' in real life, but you have to admit that as soon as he shows up on the silver screen, he's got the skills to pull off practically any role he wishes. And he's not just a cool super agent in this movie (no doubt thanks to his super scientology skills), but he is also a real human being with feelings and fears. Thanks for this must also go to JJ Abrams, who has written a screenplay perfectly suited for a movie in this genre. There's a chase scene here, an explosion there, topped off with a little bit of romance, and it all goes down better than a tub of chocolate chip ice cream. Abrams gives an original spin on the genre too, best shown in a scene where Hunt has to steal an item from a heavily guarded skyscraper in Singapore. Instead of showing Hunt doing his super spy thing inside, Abrams shows us his team members waiting outisde the building anxiously, up until the moment Hunt comes crashing through the windows and all hell breaks loose. You feel the anxiety together with Cruise's colleagues, and this is more effective than 'Generic Stealth Scene XXVII'. There's more great moments like this, like the scene on the bridge you have no doubt seen in the trailer, and a tense shootout at the end of the movie.
I must say though, I don't think Seymour Hoffman was menacing enough in the bad guy part. This is not entirely his fault, though. As a matter of fact, his acting is great, and he should maybe consider a career as movie bad guy when his awards cabinet gets too small for all the awards he is winning for his serious roles, but the problem with his role in MI3 is that you only hear about how evil he is, but you don't see him actually do anything evil until right at the end. There's this writing rule that says: "Show, don't tell", and I think that is also true in MI3. He barks, but you want to see him bite before you believe he is the most dangerous man on the planet. Rest assured though, he is a big enough bastard to make you want to hate him and see him come to a grisly end. Somebody who is perfect in her role, however, is Michelle Moynahan. You understand why Hunt is willing to give up his life as a spy for her, and yet she also makes it believable that she has the toughness needed for her later scenes in the movie. She's a bit like a Liv Tyler with two 9mm's strapped to her back.
When the movie was over I had that special feeling a good action movie can give you, when the exhileration is fading away and you are still reeling at the spectacle and thinking about all that has happened in the past two hours. Let's hope they get the chance to make a fourth one that's even better.
*****
MI3 was one of the most laugh out loud, prime for spoofing action films I have ever seen. Case in point - ethan hunt, with seconds left to live, pausing to say "babe - i love you" (whatever!) and then the final scenes, where the happy couple walk away with all their spy buddies waving like children's tv presenters in the back ground. JJ Abrams has taken this piss out of all of you. Either that or he's been watching one too many Austin Powers films. Gave me the giggles for hours afterwards though so worth a watch.
Posted by: jude | June 04, 2006 at 07:25 PM